500 Festival to Hold ‘Remote Mini’ in Kosovo

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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indianapolis-based 500 Festival has announced plans to hold a remote version of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon for members of the Indiana National Guard and other American military personnel stationed in Kosovo. The event at Camp Bondsteel will take place April 28 and 29, a week before the race in Indy.
In addition to the mini-marathon, there will also be a remote version of the 500 Festival 5K for the troops. The 500 Festival says longtime mini-marathon public address announcer Rob Powers will travel to Kosovo to manage the event.
"Holding a satellite version of the 2017 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon is something we’re very excited about this year," said Bob Bryant, president and CEO of the 500 Festival. "It’s an honor and a privilege to take our event and deliver it to Hoosiers and other armed forces personnel overseas. We can’t wait to see the impact this has on both our troops and our participants at home."
The nonprofit organization says the troops participating in the event will receive the full experience of the 13.1 mile race, including shirts, medals and the same voice the launches the Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis. Charlie Mannis, a member of the Indiana Army National Guard who was wounded in Vietnam, will serve as the grand marshal for the race and will also participate in the 5K.
This is the first remote Mini-Marathon since 2013 when the 500 Festival hosted a similar event.