the monon trail and the second half
By PaceKit Team · Updated April 2026
The Carmel Marathon is really two races wearing the same bib number, and the transition happens at mile 13.
For the first half, you're running with the entire half marathon field, roughly 2,000 runners on a shared course through Carmel's main streets. The energy is high. The aid stations are packed. There are people in front of you, beside you, and behind you at every mile. The crowd support is strong because spectators know where to find the runners on the well-trafficked first-half route. If you're a runner who feeds off external energy, the first half of Carmel feels like a proper big-race experience.
Then the half runners finish, and you keep going.
The second half is a fundamentally different experience. The field drops to roughly 1,500 marathon-only runners, spread across 13 miles instead of concentrated in 13. The crowd support thins. The course takes you on a different loop, west of the first-half route, through areas that feel quieter and less populated. Sections of the second half run along paved park trails, including parts of the Monon Trail (a former railroad converted to a multi-use path that runs through Carmel and serves as one of the city's most popular outdoor corridors).
The Monon Trail section is one of the better parts of the second half. It's shaded, smooth, and pleasant. The trail is a multi-use path, and while the race uses it, the trail isn't always fully closed to the public. Some years, runners have had to navigate around walkers and cyclists on the trail section, which can be mildly annoying but isn't a major issue.
The challenge of the second half isn't any single feature. It's the combination of losing the half marathon crowd, encountering the subtle uphill trend through miles 16 to 22, and running through quieter sections with less spectator energy. For runners who thrive on crowd support, this can feel like the race deflating. For runners who prefer quiet focus, it can actually feel like a relief.
The practical implication: if you're targeting a BQ, the second half is where the race happens. The first half, with its downhill trend and crowd energy, is easy. The second half, with its uphill trend and solitude, is where your fitness and discipline determine your finish time. The runners who BQ at Carmel are almost always the ones who ran the first half conservatively enough to have something left when the half runners disappear.
One more thing worth knowing: around mile 20, you return to the Monon Center area. On a warm, sunny day, this section can feel exposed and difficult. Runners have flagged this as a surprisingly tough stretch that catches you off guard because the rest of the course doesn't prepare you for it.