The one-mile race in Franklin draws some of the biggest crowds in the country, considering its length.
The Franklin Memorial Day Mile had humble beginnings.
A group of friends were looking for a way to spend Memorial Day with their families. They went to the annual Memorial Day service on the courthouse square in Franklin and noticed that it was sparsely attended.
They wanted to change that. So, the group of runners decided they would organize a one-mile race that families could do together that would finish just before the start of the annual Memorial Day service in hopes that families who participated in the mile together would then attend the service.
"It was an important day that we didn’t know what to do," said Chad McCullough, the main organizer.
The Memorial Day Mile, which started five years ago, is now the largest one-mile race in Indiana and the ninth largest in the country, according to data from Runner’s World, which tracks the information from across the country, McCullough said.
Organizers expect about 1,200 people to participate in the event on Monday. The increasing interest is that the race is an activity the entire family can do together, McCullough said.
Most people can walk a mile and the shorter distance allows people in wheelchairs to comfortably complete the race. In past events, the oldest participant has been 96 and the youngest has been five months, he said.
"The one mile is very appealing to families," McCullough said. "You can jump in without ever training for it."
The mile race is not as popular as 5Ks and marathon races, McCullough said.
However, the event annually draws people from different states and online options allow people to post times even if they don’t participate in Franklin.
So, bit by bit, the race has grown to being one of the biggest, McCullough said.
The race is also affordable for families, where children can participate for $5 and adults can run for $12. And every participant receives a t-shirt, medals and snacks, which means the non-profit event essentially breaks even, McCullough said.
"A lot of people do it for the shirt and medal," he said.
The entire event has a festive feel, with firefighters completing the race in full gear, nursing homes organizing senior veterans to participate and families doing the run together, organizer Brad Coy said.
And the event is helping to draw attendance to the annual Memorial Day service so that more people understand that Memorial Day is to honor people fallen while serving the country, he said.
"The whole purpose was to keep people downtown and to pay their respects," Coy said.
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What: Memorial Day Mile
When: Registration starts about 9 a.m. Monday.
Where: Registration and the start is on the courthouse square in Franklin.
Cost: $12 for adults; $5 for children.
How to register: Go to www.memorialdaymile.org
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