We have done this race many times over the years and I have never done a review. Well, that ends…read moretoday. The reason that we typically run the Cap City over the Columbus Marathon is because Cap City is in the spring as oppose to the Columbus Marathon that is in the late fall. For my fiance the fall is a difficult time of year due to football season (he is a coach), so we choose to do Cap City in the spring. We have done both the Half and the Quarter, the routes are always well mapped out. If you haven't done a race in Columbus, Ohio yet you will be pleasantly surprised to find out that there is not much elevation change throughout the route. It makes for a nice even, almost east race. Two years ago I switched from the half to the quarter and I had so much fun. It was like a leisurely Saturday morning run. I told myself after I crossed that finish that I am done with the half. Now I just want to go out, have fun, and enjoy my run and the others I'm out on the course with. I'm so thrilled with my decision and I'm never looking back. My favorite part is when I cross the finish line and I make my way to the after party. Food and drink is free and plentiful. The weather was perfect this year for the race (first time in years and years) and ideal to hang out for an extended period of time at the after party. We almost had too much fun at the after party!!!! So much camaraderie to be had with fellow runners. Congratulations abound and cans of free beverages are raised. We had the absolute best time this year. Try the quarter out, I bet you have fun!!!!

All in all, I had a great time running this race and thought that logistically things went very…read moresmoothly. Check-in process was a lot easier than I had anticipated. This was the best supported Half Marathon I've ever run, with support stations stocked with electrolytes and water every 2 miles! For once, I didn't have to run carrying my own bottle! And they had GU blocks at Mile 6- yay! Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers! Also loved the 8:00 a.m. start time- super civilized! Good job to all the 7000(?) finishers! Love this event, as it has a real community feel to it, now I want to move to Columbus :)

This is my 2nd time attending this event. 2 years ago, my son ran his first 1/2 marathon…read more 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.

This was my first marathon…read more 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.

THE GOOD This is a run with majority of the route inside the…read moreWright-Patterson Air Force Base. The route is relative flat, although there are some moderate up and down hills. The roads were smooth, most of the time. The weather was fairly cooperative. It was not hot with breeze. There was a rain after I finished. There were a couple of CV-22 Osprey aircraft flew around the starting area before the marathon started. There is a different type of feature airplane each year. We ran through the aircraft parking lot before you reach the finish line. That was cool. The arrangements made everyone felt the special of this Marathon. There were plenty of aid stations with Gatorade and water supplied. Some of them had Gel, banana, and cookie for you to grab. When we ran to outside of the base, and at the finish line, there were plenty of people to cheer up the runners. There was a large digital clock telling the time we have spent on the course at every mile, although there were a few not working. There were many volunteers at each aid station. They were very enthusiastic, cheerful, and very helpful. There were quite a few entertainment stations. Some soldiers voluntarily on the roadside cheer up the runners with some jokes and funny lines. Because the route was mainly inside the base. Majority of the area were not accessible by spectators. The finish medal was well designed and it was fairly large. The medal design differs each year. The air force museum is an excellent place to visit. It is highly recommended. It is worthy a trip to Dayton, OH even you go there for visiting the museum only. THE BAD I had a muscle cramp. I stopped at every station after I had muscle cramp. There was no muscle spread at any station including the emergency rescue vehicles. The race delayed for 30 minutes before the scheduled start time. There was no announcement via common ways, such as text, email, official web site, or post a sign. I heard the news from some other runner who heard from some others. THE UGLY It took me 40 minutes driving from high way exit to finally having my car parked. The entire distance was about one mile. There were plenty of parking space. I have no idea of why it took that long. This is unexpected to an event have run yearly for 20 years. And especially, it is unexpected for a military organizer.

The Air Force Marathon is a cool race. (I did the 1/2 Marathon, but they have a full marathon, 10K…read moreand 5K races.) It could be a GREAT race if they upgraded a few things. First, the good parts: * Great atmosphere, with flyovers and a start/finish at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. * Interesting and challenging (i.e., not as flat as advertised) in and around Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Not the most scenic course ever, but hey, it's Ohio. * Good runner premiums including a running hat, technical T and cool finisher's medals. Here's where the AF Marathon fell down for me a little bit: * The expo kind of sucked. Only a few running retailers there - usually where I can pick up good deals on running gear. Virtually no Air Force Marathon gear was available to purchase. * Shuttle service the morning of the race cut off VERY early and left me shivering out in the pre-dawn cold like two hours before race time. That part was miserable. Overall, I'm glad I travelled all the way from Virginia to do this race. (I'm running all the military races this season.) Pretty sure I won't be back to do it again, though.

This was a fun event. Two-mile course in Grandview with beer stops along the way. Thanks to Fun…read moreRuns and Hofbrauhaus for hosting a great event. Looking forward to doing this again next year!