For those of us who are new-ish to the cycling world:…read more What is a velodrome? "A cycle-racing track, typically with steeply banked curves." I've visited the Velodrome a handful of times for track night and criterium races. Thanks to my cyclist boyfriend, I'm aware how lucky we are to have a track of this quality in the Circle City. You've probably driven by a zillion times heading north on I65. If you're curious about track racing/want to check it out, Thursday nights are probably your best bet.

Don't bother bringing your race bike out here for a ride. They don't like strangers. Wonder why…read morethe sport isn't popular.

The Whitestown Lions Club sponsors and maintains this nice park in the heart of downtown…read moreWhitestown. Whitman hospital is also a sponsor. The park is on 12 acres donated in 1955 by Lloyd and Katherine Smith. Since 1955, the park has grown to include 3 baseball diamonds, a basketball court (of course, this is Indiana), a playground and picnic pavilion. The are several small buildings including a concession stand and restroom facilities (which open seasonally). There are two sets of swings that in the playground including special need and infant swings. The two climbing structures have slides and a few interesting games such as tic tac toe. The equipment is clean. There was no one in the park on a beautiful March afternoon. There is one concrete sidewalk that crosses the park and other paths are gravel. The parking lot is gravel as well. Pushing a stroller or wheel chair is doable but somewhat awkward in some directions. In the summer, the park is bustling with baseball games. The park is also host to several events including markets. The pavilion can be rented for private events. The website is a good resource for getting information. Thank you, Lions Club, for making the park available!

When the late Yelper Ken N. first reviewed Windsor Village Park as part of his passion for…read moredocumenting Indiana's parks and landmarks, it was a sad little park. It's improving. This is a relatively small park at five acres. It houses a family center that was established in 1953 and was renovated in 2009. The family center is a 12,000 square foot center that has a fitness room, game room, computer lab, multi-purpose room for rental, outdoor basketball court, indoor gym, patio, seating, and the park includes a covered shelter with short trails. This is definitely a residential park, and the neighborhood around it is definitely dense in population. The park has a food pantry every Thursday from 1-3pm. You can also now play pickleball here. Oh, and the park has a splash pad for the kids. This is definitely not a destination park, however, it serves the neighborhood well. Around 2024, IU Health made a donation that helped to provide some upgrades, safety improvements, and improved trails. If you're in the area, it's a park worth visiting and it's nice to see the improvements from back when Ken N. first let us know about the park.

Potential. There is a lot of potential at this park. There is a community center built in 2009…read morefor indoor activities including pickle ball. There is a really nice basketball court. There is a decent playground, open space, and a shelter on the west end of the park. But the parks department website says the community center is closed until further notice. The splash park is a concrete slab with a pole sticking out. And on the west end of the park, houses on each of the corners are boarded shut. Although that doesn't mean it is unsafe, it does make me take caution, especially if I had a child with me. So, my advice is to watch the website for updates and hopefully, Indy Parks will come up with a plan to re-establish this park. Review #629

I've been going to this gym for a few years now so I can say I have a pretty good ethos for my…read morereview and as to why I appreciate this gym. I am only a basic member, so I can't vouch for the extra features like the pool and the sauna and the other classes. I go mainly for the weightlifting equipment and the open spaces. I like how there are two fitness greens in the gym which both offer plenty of room to exercise. The variety of weightlifting equipment is also pretty good, with a lot of different machines and cable stacks. The free weights are also pretty well stocked. My favorite area is the Olympic weightlifting area, which has four platforms and six squat racks which also have platforms. This area has a lot of mirrors so it's easy to keep your form in check. I have never used any of the class spaces but they all look really well kept from what I can see. They even recently updated one of their studios for weightlifting classes! I've been going there so you know I'll be back again!

BEWARE. VASA IS KNOWN FOR HIDDEN FEES GALORE. If you aren't planning for this to be a permanent…read moregym, I just can't recommend it. I joined the gym knowing there'd be a 25 dollar cancel fee, however do note they like to charge you for a extra month when you cancel Therefore, if vou know when you are cancelling vour membership, cancel it a month in advance so you won't have to pay twice for the same month or a month you can't use. Not a good pption for college students home for the summer. You could just pay for day passes but at 15 bucks a month, card onlv, and ar annoving slow tablet you have to meticulousl plug your information into every time isn': particularly eniovable to do every day. n addition to the cancellation fee and the nonthly fee, if you haven't paid the 77 dolla charge for annual maintenance, it charges you his 60 dollar balance when vou try to leave. My 'riend cancelled before paying the 77 but ye ended up having to pay over a hundred dollars just to stop going. The rest of us had to pay 45 bucks. additionally, the pool has been closed for like 2 weeks straight and upon asking the staff, they are unsure when it will be back as well as unsure what is wrona with it. Sometimes the staff is friendlv and other times thev aren't On a more positive note, this gym has gooc equipment like a nice pendulum squat (besides the rotting pad on the preacher curl machine), sn't really busy before noon, and the lube guy goes around often to make sure the machines are beina maintained well. Even that beina said t's not rare for the leg extension or chest fly nachine to be down for repair, leaving only one of those very popular machines open for 5C people to use :. Overall, good gym choice if you split it with someone else or are planning to stav for a lona time, otherwise it iust isn't worth the money Side note, the lighting isn't great for posing anywhere if you care about that

Leave it Carmel to have an amazing indoor sports facility that serves beer and hard cider. It sure…read moremakes being a grandparent fun. Anyway the facility has in indoor soccer fields, rock climbing facility and more. Both of my local granddaughters have taken sporting classes and attended birthday parties at the center. This weekend, I attended my granddaughter's soccer game. The inside smells a bit like gym socks, but the hard cider makes the smell tolerable. Spectator bleacher seating is uncomfortable, but the beer makes it tolerable. The place is loud, but the kids seem to be having fun, as was I. The staff is super friendly and welcoming. The parking lot is large enough. If you live in or near Carmel, you're bound to visit at some point.

Great playing field. Good organization. However, the referees are terrible. I've witnessed two head…read moreinjuries and the referee did not follow concussion protocol, even if the players were in the 7th & 8th grade division. Unacceptable behavior from the referee.

The CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon became my excuse to return to Indianapolis…read moreIndiana in the fall. As part of the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, the Half Marathon in my opinion is the perfect option if you do not have the desire to run the Marathon which I did not have after having ran Bank of America Chicago Marathon last month. I have always had an interest in running this event, being that I have family that lives in the city of Indianapolis. And other than that, running it gives me the chance to explore the city the best way I know how in the form of running. For the Monumental Health & Fitness Expo and Packet Pickup, we were required to pick up our bib number and t-shirt from the Indiana Convention Center. Though it isn't as big as Chicago Marathon Health & Fitness Expo and Packet Pickup, it has just enough vendors that will keep you there on-site looking around and purchasing, tehehe. The Health & Fitness Expo and Packet Pickup gave me the chance to explore run events that will capture my interest to travel around America. Most of the run events I picked up brochures for were in surrounding states ranging from Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Missouri. Some of the events I have participated in before and some I have had an interest in for years now. With this being my first year participating in CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon, I had to navigate to get to the start, but once I got near the starting line, the signage further guided me. I was part of wave D, but I did not complain because I knew once the run started I would weave my way through the congestion of runners to obtain my actual pace and eventually finishing time. The run course was relatively flat, with an incline feel at times. The battle I dealt with mentally was telling myself to keep my pace underneath a 9:30-minute mile pace, even with an uneasy feeling in my right hamstring which was likely due to my bike ride the previous evening. My legs felt tired around mile 8, but I was able to keep my pace in check and not fall beyond a 9:00-minute mile pace. I had to remind myself to be patient and take it mile by mile because I will eventually get to that finish line at some point. In spite of my mental and physical struggles, I felt grateful to be part of this growing event which was established by Carlton Ray in 2008. Along the course, each mile was accurately marked and there were hydration stations featuring just water given by volunteers. The volunteers working those hydration stations were supportive of all runners. And I cannot remember any portion of the run course that did not have any spectators on it, even if it were just one or two spectators. Highlights for me along the course were running through downtown Indianapolis, seeing Lucas Oil Stadium, and running through the classy neighborhoods of Indianapolis which had spectators cheering us on along the course. I always love running through the neighborhoods during events because it allows me to see the character of the individuals that live in that particular area. As for the swag, the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon t-shirt was red, with the event name written in the center along with the logo of the event. After completing the run, I was given a cute beanie along with my finishers medal which I kissed after it was draped over my head by the volunteer. The finishers medal featured the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon on it, with the city's skyline below. I am so grateful to add yet another finishers medal to my run medal collection, a collection that goes back to 2007 when I initially started running. With my Garmin 235 GPS watch on my wrist, sparkle in my eye underneath my sunglasses, camouflage leggings by Nike on, I took on this half marathon.... and conquered it! Yes, I would surely consider running the CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon again because it is yet another excuse to revisit Indianapolis, plus my mother and sister would love me being in town for it. ~Gonna run 'til I don't jiggle. ~ Thomas G

This was my first year doing the Indianapolis Half Marathon, but my 20th Half, and this race is…read morelikely to be a keeper in my annual rotation of races! It is a beautiful course winding through Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park, and most of the course is in the shade which was excellent given the sunny unseasonably warm day we had for the race this past weekend. The short sunny stretches emphasized this point! There are very few portions of the course that are in roads with traffic, and parts are even on a no-vehicles paved trail through the park. The course is a little hilly for those of us who have been training on totally flat terrain (for locals I'm talking about the Monon...). Let's just say if you've been doing no hill work, and maybe take the first few a little too ambitiously fast, you might be walking up some of those hills in the last miles of the course... The course was incredibly well marked, and support was great. Water stops were every 2 miles for much of the course and every mile near the end. Gatorade at every stop was much appreciated given the warm temperature. Volunteers were wonderful! The park restrooms were plentiful and open during the race giving a nice non-port-o-pot option for restroom needs along the course. The wave start was great. Just spacing groups out by 30 seconds helped a great deal! We had no bottlenecks anywhere along the course. This is also a relatively small race with only around 1600 finishers which was enough that no one ended up running alone, but small enough to avoid bottlenecks and general chaos. The post race cookout was a nice touch. A freshly cooked burger really hit the spot after crossing the finish line and chilling for a bit. Parking was easy and not far from the start/finish. Packet pick up was also quick and easy. No, there isn't entertainment along the course or cheering crowds, but there is a lot to be said for a smaller, very well organized, lower key race in a pretty setting. The medals are pretty nice too and mine is adding some much appreciated color variety to my collection!

Beyond Monumental holds events centered around running every year…read more The event I attended was the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. I first heard about this event through my friends who ran the marathon a couple of years ago (WOW!) This was their first marathon, both avid half marathon participants, and they both crossed that finish line! The medals for the half and full marathon have a letter each year that spells out "INDY" if you complete four years. This year, I joined them for a 5K. Just a tip: the medal for 5K is different from the half and full marathon and does not come with a letter. The event was well put together, especially considering it was my first big running event since pre-2020. My friends did say that the sponsors were a lot smaller and the pre-race packet pick up event was a lot less energetic compared to years before but that might just be the effects of the pandemic. Overall, would recommend for all you runners out there! Especially if you like the challenge of running all four years to complete the INDY medals. Also, the beanies they give out are SO CUTE and are colored depending on the race you run.

For some reason, the Monumental Marathon is marked permanently closed...I put in a note to say it…read morewas on again in 2021, but it was never re-activated on Yelp, so I'm adding a new review here. I've run the Monumental half every year since 2011 with the exception of 2020 when it was canceled due to Covid. It is consistently a favorite of mine because it is so well organized and the course goes through so many interesting parts of downtown and the northside. Distraction with good scenery helps me, as does the energy of the residents in the neighborhoods we run through. It's a great course for serious, fast runners and more fitness "trotters" like me. One other cool element is that in the last 3 miles the half and full courses rejoin so the fast marathoners are in the lane next to us slow half marathoners. These elite runners are amazing and the contrast is entertaining. A friend commented that we were all dressed like Christmas carolers in hats, gloves, tights, jackets, etc and these folks were gliding along gazelle-like in shorts and tanks. The weather can be dicey the first Saturday of November, but usually it's cold at the start but warn enough to lose some extra layers as the race progresses.

We brought our grandkids here today to climb as they come regularly with their parents. It was $44…read morefor day pass for 2 kids under 10 and they can come and go today between 9a and 10p They already had waivers on file but we had to both sign a waiver to be in the facility - a quick process. They did tell us that for Children under 10, the guardian has to do the hooks - so they put the kids in their harnesses and then gave us a lesson. Your fee includes required shoes that they provide for you to climb. There are cubbies where you can leave your things. I did notice they had a decent Fitness center for members - cardio, weights etc. They also had an area with a Couch, Foosball and some board games You can bring your own snacks, they did have a couple of picnic tables and has water and Gatorade for sale. They've got lockers (assuming for members and their gear) and so many different climbing opportunities. This particular setting seemed way more formal than some of the other climb centers we've been to. There were a lot of adults using different techniques and pulley systems to climb- I'm not familiar enough with all of the technology, but if you're a serious climber, this may be a better place for you to train and prepare for a real climb. They also appear to offer training classes as well as summer camps for the kids, it looks like they have quite the community here

My son does climbing club at this location and the staff is AMAZING! My son loves going every week!…read moreThe place is clean well maintained and always vibrant with people! This place also offers party events! My son's Boy Scout pack did a lock-in and they loved it! This place is a must go!!!