CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental
Indianapolis, IN · Sat, November 7, 2026 · 08:00 start
Prime BQ course.
Forgiving to run · some friction to enter and reach.
How it runs
Total elevation range across the whole course is 77 ft. The first half through downtown and the State Fairgrounds is close to pancake flat; the only sustained work is rolling terrain on Meridian Street between miles 15 and 18, and no single climb there exceeds about 60 ft.
- flat goal-pace miles
- even-effort pacing discipline
- mild rolling terrain in the third quarter
Cooler than 85% of the 39 races we track.
Drier than 79% of the 39 races we track. Dew point, not humidity — it's what actually caps how fast you can shed heat.
Flatter than only 41% of the 39 races we track.
Climate: 10-year history · Open-Meteo historical archive, sampled at the start line and start hour. The morning band is climatology plus uniform typical post-dawn warming, not a measured hourly series. Elevation from the race's published course data.
Can you qualify here
M 18-34 · 4:00:00Boston Marathon (BQ)
+59:05- Standard
- 3:00:00
- Your projection
- 3:59:05
- Chance
- 0%
- Realistic cutoff
- 2:54:34−5:26
- Gap to cutoff
- +1:04:31
- Chance vs cutoff
- 0%
NYC Marathon Time Qualifier (marathon)
+1:06:05- Standard
- 2:53:00
- Your projection
- 3:59:05
- Chance
- 0%
Training plans for this race
Build the habit, cross the line healthy
No eligible plan for 48 km/wk in 9 weeks.
Race-ready training, target 4:00–4:30
No eligible plan for 48 km/wk in 9 weeks.
Chase a Boston-relevant time, peak volume
No eligible plan for 48 km/wk in 9 weeks.
What the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental really costs
A first marathon costs more than the entry fee — budget the whole weekend before you commit.
- Entry fee
- Entry fee · Medium confidenceThe organiser's registration pageThe price listed when this race was catalogued.Checked Jul 17, 2026Where this can be wrong: Most races raise the fee in tiers as race day approaches, so this is a floor rather than what you'll pay later.
- Travel + 3 hotel nights (est.)
- ~$610from South Florida
Cheaper than only 49% of the 39 races we price. Entry plus travel and 3 hotel nights, estimated from South Florida.
The original five-axis composite. It's kept for continuity and for the methodology page, but it mixes how hard a race is to run with how hard it is to enter — which is why the four dimensions above lead instead.
8.9/ 10 composite
Distance and cost of getting there from home.
Climb and net gradient — how hard the ground is.
Field size and pacing support on course.
Typical race-morning heat and dew point.
How hard it is to get an entry.
One of the flattest+fastest BQ feeders. Open registration. Cool weather.