Alternate fall marathons

For all the strides Fort Wayne has made as a city, they just can't seem to support a marathon. So I have been looking at alternatives to the Fort4Fitness fall festival marathon. Here are a few I've come up with so far (plus a couple other interesting races):

• Veterans Marathon, Columbia City, IN. 11/7/2020. This is a marathon, half-marathon or 5k. I'm guessing it is a way smaller event than Fort4Fitness, and the course is mostly out in the country. The marathon is a double loop of the half marathon course. This would be close to home (wouldn't require a hotel stay), but maybe not the sexiest of options.
• Honest Abe Trail Run, Lincoln State Park, IN. 9/20/2020. This is a marathon, 14k or 6k. Races are on the trails within the park. The main goal, though, is to benefit the park and be as environmentally friendly as they can be while putting on an enjoyable event (there are no shirts or medals for participants). All proceeds are donated directly to the park! It's located on almost the southern tip of Indiana, so it's actually further south than Louisville, but it sounds like a very cool event. It would also likely be better on the bones than pavement. I am intrigued by this one!
• Beyond the Beach, Gary, IN. 10/3/2020. This is a marathon, half-marathon or 20 mile training run. It starts and finishes along the beaches of Lake Michigan located in Marquette Beach Park, which is surrounded by Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It is supposed to be a beautiful course with views of the Chicago skyline, the lake and the dunes. The marathon is a double loop of the half. This one also sounds interesting.
• Eagle Creek Trail Marathon, Indianapolis, IN. Early August. This is a marathon, half-marathon or quarter marathon. The course is mostly single track through forested park around Eagle Creek Reservoir. About 90% of the course is extremely runable, but there are a few sections with steep, but short hills with lots of roots. The out and back course is 13.1 miles in length, so Full course racers will complete the course twice. It's supposed to be the #1 trail marathon across the US, but also sounds like it might be a little difficult.
• Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Indianapolis, IN. 11/7/2020. This is a marathon, half-marathon or 5k. Recognized as one of the 15 largest marathon fields in the US. It starts and finishes at the Indiana State Capital and winds through the city of Indianapolis. It is known as a flat and fast course, good for PR's. I've read some reviews where the new organizers maybe don't do the best job though.
• Chicago Marathon, Chicago, IL. 10/11/2020. I don't know if I would really do this, but someday it might be fun.
• Bix7, Davenport, IA. 7/25/2020. This is a 7-mile race through the streets of Davenport. While not a marathon, they say it feels like one because of the steep hills. It would also be near our old hometown, so that would be the draw. Might be a summer race I'd like to try sometime.

Those are just a few options. I haven't even looked at much outside the state. I'm sure there are plenty more.

Jane and I have talked about maybe doing a race somewhere else - Michigan, or... who knows. I don't really want to travel too far to do a marathon though. I would have been content to just run the one in Fort Wayne forever. And... truth be told, I will probably just continue to run the Fort4Fitness fall festival and give up on marathons. Who knows. Right now, who cares. Like I said, I may not even be able to run anymore, or for awhile. But... it made for a blog post. :)