Columbus Marathon

Logistically this race was a breeze to get to. I flew into the Columbus airport and had a short 15 minute Uber drive to my hotel. We ended up staying at the Red Roof Inn Plus, right in downtown, and it was in a great location. It was less than a 10 minute walk to the convention center for the expo and only a 15 minute walk to the start line on race morning. The expo was pretty good given the race size (about 3,607 marathoners this year) with the usual clothing, shoes, and energy gel options. They even had a Goodwill booth set up to buy throwaway clothes for race morning. The race participant t-shirt is nothing to write home about in terms of its design, but IT'S COTTON which is frankly a win in my book. The race itself was fantastic - plenty of porta potties at the start, four different starting corrals (I never felt jostled or like I was stuck running with people who didn't belong in my corral even though it was crowded in the beginning), energetic music & even fireworks right as the starting gun went off! There were DJs and bands every few miles along the course as well. The course is relatively flat - the hills that are there are pretty gentle and long, none that really take it out of you. It runs through cute neighborhoods, around some part of The Ohio State stadiums/campus, and by nice parks. There's a couple seedy sections of town, but that's unavoidable sometimes in city marathons. The spectators were out in full force - at times I felt like I was running the Boston Marathon based on how many and how loud the spectators were. If you love crowd support, this marathon is for you! The proceeds from this race also go to the Nationwide Children's Hospital, and each mile is dedicated to a child. The children were at their dedicated mile marker with foam hands so you could give them a high five as you ran past - it was such a sweet touch. Another bonus is that you can put your name on your bib and a good potion of spectators cheered me on by name which I loved. SWAG: the medal is cute (be alert & make sure the volunteer at the finish line doesn't give you a half marathon medal in error! It happened to me and I had to go swap my medal for the correct one) and they give you a bag after you finish to get as much food/drink as you want (apples, trail mix, nuts, cheese, bagels, chips, Gatorade etc). Overall I highly recommend this race to other 50 staters! Columbus is a charming and clean little city. The October race date made for beautiful fall scenery on race day as well. (And our weather this year was absolutely perfect! 40° at the start, mid-50s a few hours later, and no precipitation or wind =L<û)

I don't have much to add to the previous positive comments. It is an excellent race. I did want to add that between the enthusiastic MC, the dawn sky, the fireworks, and The Boss singing 'Born To Run', it was the most fired up I have ever been for the start of a marathon. Seeing the children who have been helped by Nationwide Hospital throughout the course kept me fired up. Great job Columbus! Barley Brewing Company is directly across the street from the expo and has an excellent blood orange wheat. Check it out

Anyone looking for a great fall race to travel to for a long weekend should seriously consider Columbus. Pros -Expo was downtown within walking distance of many hotels...very convenient -Great selection of race merchandise -Start and finish is downtown and easily within walking distance from hotels -Course was scenic, flat, and well-staffed. Great volunteers and local support for the race! -Bands and entertainment along the course was really good. -Best part (and most inspiring) were the children who were mile champions. Really helps keep things in perspective, and they had big smiles on their faces and were very inspiring. -Plentiful food options (both free and available for purchase) at the finish line -Columbus residents really came out to support this race -For out-of-towners there's plenty to see to occupy a long weekend. We went to an NHL hockey game, rented bikes and rode up to the Ohio State campus and explored, and also toured the state capitol building. Cons -For the earlier miles should have water tables on both sides of the street -That's really it...I struggle to come up with any other bad items. This race really is that good! This is a top-notch event and you won't be disappointed if you decide to travel for this marathon.