This is my 2nd time attending this event. 2 years ago, my son ran his first 1/2 marathon. This year was his first full marathon! The people who put this event on do a great job with setting up and running the event. A big shoutout to CPD and all the officers that work the event to make sure everyone stays safe! They are the best in law enforcement. (Make sure to thank an officer for their service) I am so proud of my son for accomplishing this amazing physical challenge! The music, the fireworks, and just cheering on so many runners, walkers, and wheel chair participants (this year 20,000 participants) was amazing to see! If you get the chance to come down town to Columbus to see the race, come on down and cheer on the participants they will love the encouragement, even if it's a smile and cheer from a stranger. read more

Columbus Marathon - My son and I before his 1st full marathon. I'm so proud of him! - Races & Competitions Near Me

This was my first marathon. I live in Chicago and entered the lottery for the marathon here but I was not able to secure a spot. There are not that many other marathons to select from if you don't get into this one in the Chicago area. I started doing some research and found the Columbus Marathon. I browsed the marathon website and looked at the course map. As soon as I saw that you get to run through Columbus, the campus area, and the shoe I was locked in. Being an OSU alumni this was a great excuse to come back to campus and enjoy Homecoming weekend. This marathon sold out a few weeks before the day of the race. There were 18,000 runners, 7,000 for the full. This race is sponsored by Nationwide Children's Hospital. They dedicate a patient to each mile of the marathon and they are there on race day to give out high fives and cheer people on. It is a really great experience to help get you through this long race with the encouragement of these patients and reading about their stories on the way. The race is complete with plenty of water stations as well as a few gel stations. Port-o-potties are plentiful and there are numerous aid stations. Throughout the entire course there is musical entertainment from radio stations, live bands, DJs and more. Columbus does this marathon right. With public transportation, public service workers, volunteers, and all other resources, they were able to manage and produce a very successful event. The communities in the Columbus area are fantastic and they helped every runner with encouragement throughout the race. This was my first and if I ever have the opportunity to run this race again I will definitely be there. read more

Columbus Marathon - Finish line! - Races & Competitions Near Me

i've run 5 halfs and in 2011 completed my first full marathon here! What a great run event and the crowd support is phenomenal. Heath has kept me away for a few years, but I hope to return for another 1/2 this year. read more

Marathon #5 for me and it's an excellent course. The race has a 7:30AM start time at the state house lawn. The course is flat and fast. The half and full start out together and went through Bexley and Old Town. The full marathon breaks off while the half marathon broke and finished in the arena district. The full heads to the short north, OSU campus and through OSU stadium. Eventually, we head through Victorian Village, Grandview and end up in Downtown Columbus in the arena district Price wise, definitely one of the cheaper half/fulls you'll find which is appreciated. Expo on Friday/Saturday is a good size with a good amount of Vendors. It was kind of obnoxious to have to go up to a second level to get bibs and shirts though. Race day, the start was a little bottlenecked trying to get into the runner's area (changed due to Boston this past April) and checked bags had to be the clear bags given at the expo. Plenty of porta potties at the start and on course in addition to plenty of fluid stations. Finish line was awesome. I appreciate having the food given out in bags and not having to have my hands full. Good post race party to boot! read more

Trying to set a new personal record or try your luck at Boston? This is the course to give it a shot. The course has no hills and the elevation is consistent throughout. Most courses either have hills or gradual elevation changes this has neither. The course is lined with people at all times cheering you on so you never feel alone. Aid stations are plentiful and are strategically placed at points where people tens to struggle. Port-a-Poties were every where so you Dont have to wait in the dreaded time and have it affect your time. The starting corrals were a bit tight and bottle necked. It wasn't until mile three that the field started to significantly separate. Running the last mile into the finish line is also a bit crowded. The day before is an expo like most major races in the convention center where you pass through vendors before picking up your packet. They used a time chip attached to the bib this year. If you prefer a cold race this is the one for you, every time I have ran here it was been cold. While running racers peal off clothes and leave them on the course which then get picked up by organizers to be donated. If you ran the Flying Pig this is the opposite, instead of hilly and warm you got flat and chilly. read more

The Columbus Marathon this past weekend was my first half marathon experience! I did not really know what to expect, but I loved every second of it. The course itself is very flat, and I felt that it was very organized given there were near 20,000 runners. There are spectators & cheering fans all along the path, which keeps you motivated! There is plenty of water/Gatorade along to way, as well as live music & police supervision. Overall - I loved my experience & was very impressed with the organization!! I can't wait to do it again! :) read more

This was my first half marathon and after this experience, I would for sure run another half, especially for this event. The course was awesome and really showed off our great city. We ran through downtown, Bexley, German village, and ended up at Nationwide. The full marathon takes runners up through the Upper Arlington and Campus area(but I haven't built up to that quite yet). There were plenty of drink stations with both water and Gatorade at each(there were 9 stations in the half). The entire course was lined with entertainment and spectators and it just really pumped you up the whole way. The after party was very well organized. I love how they had a family meeting station in alphabetical order to make it easy to find my loved ones. There was plenty of food and fluids at the after-party also(DQ ice cream is always fun). And my medal was AWESOME. I didn't take it off the whole day. It was an emotional day, as well. The Columbus Marathon is a way to bring awareness and support to Nationwide Children's Hospital. Each mile is dedicated to a special patient and it was inspiring to run past them and give a high five to each of them as we passed. Also, throughout the course, people had signs that inspired me and made me emotional. I saw one that said, "My little brother has cancer. Thank you for running for kids like him". That really drove home the point that this race is bigger than each individual runner. I had such an amazing experience this year and can't wait to do it again next year. Who knows...maybe it will even be the full 26.2!! read more

I ran the Nationwide Children's Half Marathon this weekend as my first half marathon. I wasn't really sure of what to expect, so I can't say comment as to how this race compares to other races. It was difficult to figure out where to be (the corrals were hard to find). I was also a little disappointed in the porta pot situation ( I missed the start of my corral group because I was in line for 30 minutes). The course itself was decent (just a few hills...most of them on the second half of the course). The crowd was awesome, as there were tons of people cheering with signs. Overall, I would participate in this race again, but I would make sure to be more careful with my timing (arriving earlier, and getting in line for the restroom right away). read more

I was a spectator at yesterday's marathon/half marathon. It was definitely a really cool experience, but it was super crowded. I was able to watch my wife at the start, at mile 6.5, and at the end (I had to walk/jog most of the way). I probably got in about 6 miles of exercise just going between those 3 spots. The only thing that bothered me was the amount of bicycles that were on the side walks (made it difficult to move around). read more

Ran the 1/2 once and the full twice! Great start with rock band at 8am in the Oct and firework this year! Great supporters both from local ppl, volunteer and tons of bands!! The course is flat and go through all the cute/historic areas, German village, upper arlington, grandview and victorian village back to downtown! Weather is always nice, chilly but sunny, just perfect for a race! Lots of fun overall! read more