Ninth Annual Race Has Attracted World-Class Runners Who Will Compete in Downtown Indianapolis on Saturday, Sept. 29
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 25, 2019) – This year’s Indy Women’s Half Marathon and 5K, taking place on Saturday, Sept. 28, is featuring one of the most competitive fields the race has seen in its nine-year history. The race, which is also enjoying higher-than-usual registration numbers this year, will feature several elite runners who have already punched their tickets to the 2020 Olympic Trials, and several more women who have their sights set on this ambitious goal.
Among those women racing in Indianapolis this weekend are Sarah Bishop, a resident of Dayton, Ohio who won the 2017 Marine Corp Marathon and ran the Olympic Trials qualifying standard time at the 2017California International Marathon. Bishop has recently begun competing in triathlons, winning the Ohio 70.3 Ironman and competing in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France. Pasca Myers of Fort Dodge, Iowa has also already achieved the Olympic Trials qualifying standard and returns after winning the 2018 Indy Women’s Half Marathon. Myers, who was also the winner of the 2019 Carmel Half Marathon, achieved her Olympic Trials qualifying standard time at the California International Marathon in 2018.
Local runner Sarah Pease is also joining the field of the Indy Women’s Half for the first time in 2019. Pease is a former Indiana University runner who competed in the steeplechase and was a three-time All-American while at IU. She is a four-time Olympic Trials qualifier, twice in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and twice in the marathon. She raced the fastest women in the world in the 2019 Boston Marathon, where she ran a 2:39:08 and placed 24th. Local elite Taryn Thor is returning in 2019 after placing third in the Indy Women’s Half Marathon last year and winning the Purdue Boilermaker Half Marathon in 2018, as well as several other elite runners from Ohio, Missouri and Illinois.
New for 2019, race organizers have expanding the purse to the top 20 finishers for the half marathon, bringing the total amount of prize money to its highest amount in the nine-year history of the race. Race Director Todd Oliver said he made the decision to increase the purse to recognize the high caliber of runners that has joined the race in recent years.
“The Indy Women’s Half Marathon has grown to be a race that attracts world-class runners, and we want our awards to reflect the quality of competition that we have in this race,” said Oliver. “We are extremely excited to see these elite runners compete this weekend and are proud that they are bringing their talents to Indiana.”
The Indy Women’s Half Marathon and 5K will kick off at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28. The race starts and finishes at Military Park in downtown Indianapolis and features a flat and fast course that highlights the city of Indianapolis and many of its landmarks.
About the Indy Women’s Half Marathon & 5K
The Indy Women’s Half Marathon was introduced to the central Indiana running community in August 2010 as the first women’s only half marathon in Indiana. In just a few years, it has become the largest women’s running event in the state and one of the top 10 largest women's half marathons in the country. A women’s-only race offers a unique atmosphere, emotion and camaraderie from women of all ages and abilities. The race is owned and operated by Carmel, Indiana-based CRRG Events. More information can be found at www.indywomenshalfmarathon.com and on Instagram and Twitter @IndyWomensHalf.