Forums >Racing>2017 Columbus Marathon Thread
Not sure if this will be beneficial, but hoping it is. I am running Columbus this year. 3rd Marathon, first at Columbus. The race has a good reputation. Any insight former racers have on the course or navigating race morning, or even things to do in Columbus that weekend, I would appreciate it.
Road Mile: 5:19 (2017), 5k: 17:09 (2021), 10k: 35:54 (2021), HM: 1:21:55 (2020), M: 2:53:18 (2021)
I'll be there this year. Did 3 of them way back '07-'09. The course has changed some, but still similar. Be mentally prepared for some minor but noticeable elevation gain right around 19-20 miles. Other than that, I really have nothing but positive impressions of the race, but not a lot in the way of tips for you.
What kind of goal are you shooting for Ace? It's been a number of years since I raced at all, so I'm very unsure of what I'm capable of at this point. My plan is to start near the 3:20 pace group and see what happens.
I ran Columbus in 2012 and can't wait to do it again sometime! It was a great experience and a super fun race. Weather was perfect that year. You will have great crowd support through most of the race, even those last lonely miles have people holding signs and offering encouragement. expo was really fun and I had a good time walking around. Columbus has some really great food options! My favorite was going to this local indoor farmer's market type of thing, there were so many yummy options to pick up and try! It was really great and something relaxing to do the day before the race. Enjoy!
This will be my 9th Columbus Marathon. It is my hometown race, so I am biased, but I have always found it to be an awesome race experience. The spectators are great, especially the Children's Champions every mile, and it is very well organized in general. Miles 17-19 are slightly uphill, so definitely save a little bit for that. Also, the course has a lot of turns, so I would study the course map and try to run the tangents as much as possible. I am not sure where you are staying, but I drive in on race morning and try to get downtown by 5:30-6 am just because parking can be a challenge, and I don't want to have to worry about that. The Short North/North Market area has a lot of great dining and shopping. I just love this race. Hope it goes well for you!
Mailbox: shooting for 3:05 range. Pace groups have a solid reputation?
Christirei: good to hear Columbus is a cool place to visit.
Linny: we got an airbnb, between OSU and Shortnorth area. Any suggestions on navigating race morning? I was looking at the course map and agree being aware of the turns could make a difference.
Excited to hear there is great crowd support, that's a good motivator for me.
How is the race traffic? Knowing the 1/2 and full start together means there are a lot of feet on the ground. I ran Nashville and there were 40,000 people and it was a little frustrating, but that's a longer story of poor race logistics. I usually carry my own hydration (12oz bottle) and refill at later water stations.
They are fairly strict about checking bibs when you enter your corral. Also, they start each corral individually, so you are behind a rope, then they drop it, and you walk up to the start after the corral in front of you has gone. I feel like that helps with congestion, but I would try to go more toward the front of your corral too. My first 1-1.5 miles are usually a little slow, but it opens up after that.
Linny: thanks for the heads up. It won't be the worst thing to be a little slow the first couple miles. It'll probably help counter the early race jitters/'I feel so fresh, so I'm gonna go faster than planned" mistake.
Jogger
race morning is very crowded. I was staying 2 miles from the start line, and there was no public transport available. taxi services were not answering my calls, ubers were all taken. plan accordingly.
course is fast, with some decent uphill near miles 17-18. after that it becomes a series of downhill rollers, really good for a negative split race.half marathoners start with the marathoners, there is a lot of traffic in the first mile before the morons naive runners settle back to their rightful pace.
Mile 5:24 3k 11:01 5k 19:01 10k 38:34 hm 1:26:57 fm 3:02:33
I've been thinking about running Columbus myself. After reading the comments, it's become even more tempting! Anyone know much about lodging downtown on race day - prices / availability? I know some places the hotel rates go though the roof the weekend of a good race.
Mother of Cats
I just booked downtown Columbus, close to the start line. $250 a night, which didn't seem obscene.
Everyone's gotta running blog; I'm the only one with a POOL-RUNNING blog.
And...if you want a running Instagram where all the pictures are of cats, I've got you covered.
Hmmm... do you mind sharing where?
One of the Marriotts. (I don't want to be more specific than that and disclose where I'm staying on a public message board - hope you understand)
Yes, I understand - but that should be enough for me to do some looking. Thanks!
So, I'm curious if folks are reevaluating goals due to the weather forecast - looks like it could be warm and wet!
I swapped to Hartford. Was an easy choice for me - they're equidistant travel-wise and I wasn't really committed to Columbus (hadn't planned on running it until about 10 days ago).