By Heather Collins
The 48th annual Sam Costa Half Marathon and the 12th annual Sam Costa Quarter Marathon presented by Indy Runners will start at 9 a.m. March 25 at Northview Church in Carmel. The Sam Costa Half Marathon has been declared the 2017 Indiana State Half Marathon Championship by the Road Runners Club of America.
The Sam Costa race has been in Carmel for the past 44 years, and race director Terry Townsend said it’s Indiana’s oldest race. It’s named in honor of Sam Costa, a detective from the Chicago police department with a deep affinity for competing in marathons with fellow running enthusiasts and friends. Costa traveled from Illinois to Indiana to compete in the Central Indiana Striders Half Marathon with avid runners, including Chuck Koeppen, the legendary track and field coach of Carmel High School. Townsend refers to Costa and Koeppen as running pioneers.
Townsend said Costa competed in marathons back when running down the street seemed strange and organized marathons didn’t exist.
Upon Costa’s passing in the 1970s, Koeppen and other early advocates of marathon running changed the name of the Central Indiana Striders Half Marathon to the Sam Costa Race in honor of the dedicated marathon runner now depicted in the event’s logo.
Townsend said the race is for dedicated, serious, year-round runners, like Costa himself, but anyone can join in for the camaraderie, which Costa also enjoyed.
“We try to have the best organized and most participant-friendly race in the entire state,” said Townsend. “That’s really our goal and that’s why people keep coming back.”
Regular registration for the half and quarter marathons ends on March 15. Late registration ends March 20. Participants can register the day of the race. The cost for regular registration for the half marathon is $45, the registration for the quarter marathon is $35.
Northview Church is at 12900 Hazel Dell Pkwy. For information, visit samcosta.com.
