A tradition unlike any other is back at Indiana University. Little 500 continues to be a staple for students and a draw to campus for thousands of alums. The 2024 season marks the 73rd men’s race and 36th women’s race. Year in and year out, the timing for the race could not be more perfect, with the semester ending and Bloomington beginning to gain its spring and summer beauty. Little 500 is a prime example of the love the students and community have for the university. Whether in the stands to cheer on a specific team or just in town to witness the spectacle that is the greatest college weekend, a sense of pride falls over all associated with the Indiana University community and the special time that is race weekend.
President of IUSF, Emily Carrico explains the preparations for the 2024 edition of Little 500 and previews some of the changes we can expect.
Little 500 is modeled after the famous Indy 500 that happens each year in May on the weekend of Memorial Day. Howdy Wilcox Jr. founded the race in 1951 along with the Indiana University Student Foundation. Howdy grew up around the Indy 500, his father Howdy Sr. won the race in 1919 Growing up around the racing community Howdy Jr. decided to bring a piece of the Indy tradition with him to Bloomington. As president of IUSF, he founded the race as a way to raise money for scholarships to help put riders through school. For nearly three-quarters of a century rain or shine, Bill Armstrong Stadium becomes a mini Indianapolis Motor Speedway for one weekend in April.
Emily Feltman sat down and talked about the highs and lows the Phi Mu bike team has faced during the 2023-24 season.
Safety on and off the track has continued to be a priority for the 2024 biking season and beyond. In August of 2023, a Phi Mu biker was struck and seriously injured in a hit-and-run in front of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house. After the accident, safety was a top priority in the biking community, and IUSF began to determine solutions to keep the community safe from more incidents occurring. Since, the accident teams have been given mandatory biker safety training along with essential first aid skills in case of an accident. IUSF along with the city of Bloomington has worked to install barriers between cars and bikers on busy sections of street surrounding campus, including on Third Street between Eagleson Avenue and Indiana Avenue.
Although race day safety has not changed much from year to year, IUSF president Emily Carrico said, “Ensuring the bikers know what to do in a tough and unsafe situation is vital to the race and to limit the damage and injuries.” Between rider changes, track wear and tear, and the uncertainty of the weather, rider education has been vital this season. Teams were given lights and reflective gear for bikes and uniforms from IUSF, and many individual teams invested in watches or tracking gear with crash detection, sending alerts to emergency contacts in a crash or emergency situation.
The countdown to the 2024 edition of the Little 500 race is on, make sure to follow along on all Indiana University student media platforms for updates before, during, and after the race.
