Nov 14, 2024
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☰
Columbus Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Columbus Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 4.2
Number of comments: 335 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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A. F. from Maryland
(10/22/2024)
"Excellent Race All Around!" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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) | |
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B. B. from Pittsburgh, Pa
(10/24/2022)
"As Good As Advertised" (about: 2022)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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 | |
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R. H. from Houston, TX
(10/24/2018)
"Great mid-size race" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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. | |
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R. B. from Pittsburgh, PA
(10/24/2018)
"A Real Treat" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 There is a lot to love about this race with slight room for improvement. The course is flat and fast. Without any significant hills, somehow there is a nice downhill portion from miles 19-22. The uphills must have been subtle enough to make you not realize they were there. I do recall one small hill around 18, but it was minor. The spectators were the nicest I've come across in my 21 marathons. Even on a cold day (33 degrees at the start, 40 degrees by the finish) the crowds were huge. I was encouraged by name (It was typed on the bib) and by them shouting out "Pittsburgh" (The marathon participant shirt I was wearing) at least 3 dozen times. The crowds were so big that I could not even find my father in the crowd at mile 7 though he later told me he saw me. The children from the hospital were an absolute treat on the course at each mile. Visually, I didn't see a depressed part of town throughout the entire race. Neighborhoods were beautiful and the section through Ohio State Univ was great. Two improvements I would suggest are a staggered start and water stops on both sides of the road early in the race. This race is too large to let all runners go at the gun. The entire first 12.5 miles were as crowded as I've experienced. Most races clear out and you have more room to run by mile 2. With being so crowded, the water stops should be on both sides of the road during the first half. I missed the first two stops because I couldn't see over the crowd of runners and when I did it was too congested to get to the water stops on the left side. Neither are the worst thing in the world, but just a suggestion. The water stops were very organized having Gatorade first and water second at every stop. Also, they had Gu (or an equivalent) around 8 and 18. This is my third marathon in Ohio and by far my favorite of the 3. Finisher medal was nice and participant T-Shirt is excellent. Great job Columbus Marathon! | |
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W. J. from Coral Springs, FL
(10/19/2017)
"An absolute treat!" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my first time running the Columbus Marathon and it did not disappoint. The Expo had tons of vendors and the bib pickup went very quickly (long sleeve shirts were a nice touch). On race morning parking was easy and just steps from the start/finish line. The corrals had plenty of port a potties. Fireworks at the start (how cool is that). The course was wonderful! Beautiful neighborhoods with TONS of spectators. I run a lot of trail marathons so the sight of people cheering is amazing. The best treat of all were the Patient Champions every mile that held up big foam hands you could slap and see their smiles. Mile 11 made me cry as it is called the 'Angel Mile' where the families of children who had died in the hospital were holding pictures. The spectators on the back 13 were somewhat less but still enthusiastic. After passing the Ohio State football stadium the course ran inside a corn field, several neighborhoods and finally the finish line. Nice heavy medal, chocolate milk, a few steps back to my car finished a great day. I heard it was a good race, you just have to try it. | |
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P. C. from IN
(10/16/2017)
"Always impeccable organization and great support" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Columbus Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My 7th Columbus Marathon - and slowest despite lofty goals and promising training. But the weather and my poor pre-hydration played into that. First Columbus continues to be a hidden gem, not selling out despite being consistently impeccable in organization, and offering a terrific course. The logistics of accommodations, parking, dining, getting to the start are the best of any marathon I have done or supported. This is my first time with the new start location, and it is mostly positive despite the narrower roadway, there is now a grandstand for spectators to see the start and finish. Community support was great and continuous all over the course, and there was virtually always a band or music to be heard. There were fluid stations at least every mile, but some were only on one side of the road, and during the first half where the full and half are combined, they were crowded, even before the peak of traffic. Organizers could help by setting up all stations on both sides of the road in the the first half(for the first time, I actually tripped, slipped, and fell in a water station) Out on the course it was inspirational to have the Children's Champions from Nationwide Children's Hospital. Where is there need to improve? I wish that there was a start/finish area map in the booklet/web, and if there was a family reunion area, I could not find it. Organizers have no control over the weather, and a start in the high 60's, is not ideal, but the spring and fall marathons I did this year both offered unseasonably hot conditions, and perhaps organizers should consider pushing fall races out a week to compensate. I ran this race for the first time in 2002, and it continues to improve in subtle ways, despite being a true benchmark for medium sized races. Run Columbus, you will not be disappointed. | |
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K. P. from Brooklyn, NY
(10/15/2017)
"Incredible race! Superb organization!" (about: 2017)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Just want to give a big shout-out to the races's organizers. You guys did great job! I enjoyed every second throughout the race. Great fluid stations. Amazing support from the crews and the locals! And most important - kids patient champions are great! Keep it up with the good work done for good! High-five! | |
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M. S. from Ohio
(3/13/2017)
"Great race for pros" (about: 2016)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Was my third marathon, and I am a slower runner (about 5 hrs to finish). The first half was perfect, and I got to the half a little ahead of schedule. Second half - well the heat turned up (got close to 80 degrees) and it seemed that all the shade and cloud cover just disappeared. Can't control the weather BUT - from about mile 16 to the finish, the liquids at the aid stations began getting really warm. My body was screaming for cool/cold fluids - the warm fluids caused some GI issues for me. Maybe the faster runners had cold fluids through the end, but not us slowpokes. Spectators were great the WHOLE course and the finish area had appropriate concessions. | |
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T. S. from Cincinnati Ohio
(11/12/2016)
"Best marathon so far" (about: 2016)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the best marathon I have run so far. I have run many marathons too and this one was perfectly organized. For me it's the perfect size event. Not too big or small on the number of runners. Between 4-5 thousand do the full. The corrals were perfect with number of runners in each. Parking was easy. I parked in a parking garage $10 about 1 block away from start line. The finish line ends in the same spot so easy to get back to the car. While in the corrals minutes before the race that played AC/DC Thunderstruck to get you fired up which works for me. During the race the spectators were awesome, they had great bands at almost each mile. The water stations were well stationed with volunteers and plenty of water/Gatorade. It was a flat course, very scenic. The metals were big and very nice. There was a plenty of food being given out at the end. I have been to some marathons were you get a banana and a water and that's it. This marathon even had Bob Evans at the end serving breakfast for whoever wanted it. The post race party was entertaining. To make it all better this race was a new PR for me. The only negative is that we did not get to run on the field at Ohio State football stadium. We ran around the stadium. I am big Buckeyes fan so that would have been nice to do. | |
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I. B. from FLorida
(10/21/2016)
"Best Organized Race so far" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Columbus Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I thought this race was the best organized race I have ever run. The volunteers were top notch, the course was well marked, the water stops were plentiful and well organized. The finish line was well manned with plenty of first aid help and volunteers handing out water, food, and medals. My distance was off from the 26.2 as it read 26.59 and the end was much hillier than I had expected but I was prepared for it. I will definitely recommend this race to al my friends. I would run it again but I am attempting one in each of the 50 states. Dedicating the miles to the kids was amazing and the music throughout the course was great. Didn't even need my music. Columbus... you do marathons just right! |
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