IU Health 500 Festival Mini-Marathon winners announced; course record set

INDIANAPOLIS — At the 49th annual IU Health 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and 26th annual Delta Dental 500 Festival 5K, runners from around the world gathered to participate in a run/walk on Saturday. This year, 20 countries, six continents and all 50 states were represented by contestants competing in the race.

Now, the winners of those races have been announced.

According to 500 Festival officials, Brandon Olden from Richmond, Kentucky, won the Mini-Marathon’s men’s race, crossing the finish line with a time of 1 hour, 4 minutes and 40 seconds.

Meanwhile, Mercy Chelangat of Flagstaff, Arizona, led the charge in the Mini-Marathon women’s race, clocking in at 1 hour, 10 minutes and 32 seconds. According to the 500 Festival, this is a course record for the women’s division.

Moving over to the Delta Dental 500 Festival 5k, Matt Moler of Midwest City, Oklahoma, took first place in the men’s race with a time of 15 minutes and 25 seconds. Arcadia, Indiana, native Lilly Higgins won the women’s race in 18 minutes and 27 seconds, 500 Festival officials reported.

Following that were the two winners in the Athletes with Disabilities division. The 500 Festival said Holly Koester from Walton Hills, Ohio, took the lead with a time of 1 hour, 28 minutes and 16 seconds. In second place was Indianapolis’ Kevin Weingartner at 1 hour and 46 minutes.

Then there were the USATF 5KM Championship times. The 500 Festival said Olin Hacker of Flagstaff, Arizona, completed the men’s race in 13 minutes and 32 seconds, while Josette Andrews of Boulder, Colorado, completed the women’s race in 15 minutes and 6 seconds.

More information on the 500 Festival can be found at this link.