Saturday March 22nd, 2025
Carmel, IN
Distance: Half Marathon · Quarter Marathon
Offical Race Web Site
Sam Costa Half Marathon, certified by USATF, is 13.10938 miles. Sam Costa Quarter Marathon, also USATF certified and sponsored by Mike Helms, DPM, is 6.55469 miles.
Male Record Holder - 1:06:55
Thom Burleson, 1983
Female Record Holder - 1:16:17
Erin Vergara, 2016
New courses for 2022!
We have made major improvements to the race courses! The races will incorporate a single combined start at 9:00 a.m., separating during mile 4. The courses are being updated for multiple reasons:
- Improved safety
- Incorporate paved trails along the White River
- Incorporate a few miles of the Sam Costa course from the 1980's, 1990's, and early 2000's
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| Male | 1:14:09 | Chad Carver | ||
| 2nd Male | 1:14:45 | Mark Satterly | ||
| 3rd Male | 1:15:02 | Robert Jackson | ||
| 4th Male | 1:15:28 | Benjamin Bogart | ||
| Female | 1:22:22 | Tera Moody | ||
| 2nd Female | 1:27:18 | Claire Mehling | ||
| 3rd Female | 1:28:23 | Gabrielle Pointon | ||
| 4th Female | 1:29:06 | Lucie Sulewski |
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
So Who was Sam Costa?
Sam Costa used to hang out with runners from central Indiana. Chuck Koeppen, legendary coach at Carmel, and eventual 4 - time winner of this race, was one of those. Stories are told of how these few running pioneers would have races in which the first person back would time everyone else as they finished. The kind of organization that we have come to know and expect simply did not exist nor was it necessary. With so few runners out on country roads with little or no traffic, modern necessities like aid stations and sentries were unknown.
These early advocates had a race each year called the "Central Indiana Striders Half Marathon". It was held on the western outskirts of Marion County in late winter and Sam would participate with the rest of his buddies. Sam was a good, if not great runner, but he enjoyed the camaraderie of this group and the fledgling sport it represented. Unfortunately, Sam would not live to see his avocation become accepted as it is today. He became terminally ill with cancer and passed away in the early '70's. His friends felt that the most appropriate memorial would be to name their half marathon event after Sam. For that reason it has been called the "Sam Costa Half Marathon" ever since.
The question still remains though - who was Sam Costa? Well, that is part of the hallowed tradition of this race. Sam was, in fact, a detective with the Chicago Police Department. His traveling 200 miles to train and compete with a few friends is testimony to his dedication. Years ago we adopted a logo for this event that depicts a "Sherlock Holmes" type figure. This historic detective figure appears on all our shirts and applications in honor of the man for whom this race is named.
All of us who love the Sam Costa Half Marathon hope this history lesson will add to your enjoyment of the event. May it also increase your understanding of its legacy in the running community.
Terry Townsend
Race Director - Sam Costa Half Marathon
Tuesday April 22nd, 2025
Des Moines, Iowa
Distance: 1 Mile
Offical Race Web Site
The Grand Blue Mile was created by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Drake Relays to encourage healthy habits and empower positive change. Held annually since 2010, the Grand Blue Mile has hosted more than 30,000 participants from 26 states, six countries, and four continents.
The annual event brings friends and families together to celebrate wellness through a one-mile street run in Downtown Des Moines suited for all ages and abilities.
From competitive to recreational, there?s something for everyone at the Grand Blue Mile.
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
| Male | 4:02 | Sam Prakel | Versailles, OH | |
| 2nd Male | 4:03 | Casey Comber | Baltimore, MD | |
| 3rd Male | 4:03 | Vincent Ciattei | Baltimore, MD | |
| 4th Male | 4:04 | Nick Randazzo | Ventura, CA | |
| Female | 4:28 | Nikki Hiltz | Flagstaff, CA | |
| 2nd Female | 4:28 | Sinclaire Johnson | Portland, OR | |
| 3rd Female | 4:31 | Addy Wiley | Huntington, IN | |
| 4th Female | 4:31 | Colleen Quigley | St. Louis, OR |
| Division | Time | Name | Age | Home |
Grand Blue Mile officials from Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Drake Relays have announced the USA Track & Field (USATF) one-mile road championships will remain a part of the annual Grand Blue Mile through 2023.
The prestigious USATF 1 Mile Road Championships elevate the elite-level competition of the Grand Blue Mile and will annually attract Olympians and world championship participants from across the country to vie for a national title and share of the $30,000 prize purse.
“We are honored and privileged to welcome back the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships through 2023,” said Chris Verlengia, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s senior brand marketing manager and Grand Blue Mile co-race director. “By extending our longstanding partnership, USATF has cemented Grand Blue Mile’s status asthedefinitive showcase for America’s best milers, and we’re humbled to have hosted more 1 Mile Road Championships than any other race in the nation.”
Early entrants for the 2020 USATF 1 Mile Road Championships at Grand Blue Mile include defending men’s championTripp Hurt and 2018 champion Riley Masters. In the women’s race, the 2018 Grand Blue Mile champion, Emily Lipari, will join 2019 runner-up and three-time champion Heather Kampf.
“Like the Drake Relays, the Grand Blue Mile has become a destination for the world’s greatest athletes,” said Blake Boldon, Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays. “As we look to the next decade of this special event, we’re proud to solidify our partnership with Wellmark to bring America’s most accomplished middle-distance runners, alongside participants of all ages and abilities, to Downtown Des Moines.”
In 2019, more than 30 track and field stars competed for the national title and share of the prize purse at the Grand Blue Mile. Hurt won the men’s championship with a time of 4:04. The women’s championship, and new women’s course record, was captured by Nikki Hiltz in a time of 4:30.
Sam Costa used to hang out with runners from central Indiana. . . . (These) early advocates had a race each year called the "Central Indiana Striders Half Marathon". It was held on the western outskirts of Marion County in late winter and Sam would participate with the rest of his buddies. Sam was a good, if not great runner, but he enjoyed the camaraderie of this group and the fledgling sport it represented. (Sam was, in fact, a detective with the Chicago Police Department. His traveling 200 miles to train and compete with a few friends is testimony to his dedication.) Sam would not live to see his avocation become accepted as it is today. He became terminally ill with cancer and passed away in the early '70's. His friends felt that the most appropriate memorial would be to name their half marathon event after Sam. For that reason it has been called the "Sam Costa Half Marathon" ever since."