The Columbus Marathon is one of my favorite races, mainly because it was the first race that I qualified for the Boston Marathon (2008). Qualifying took me a few tries, but was finally to do it in Columbus. The typically fast, flat race usually is accompanied with cooler temps with a race date in the middle of October.

The Columbus Marathon Expo is always a solid expo. The size of the city and entrants always draws great vendors that have plenty of cool gear. I typically cruise through expos now because most of the gear is the same at every single race. The only things I normally will look at either shirts that support local shops or a unique item that doesn’t cost $100 like a beer mug or pint glass.

Parking was simple because I had a detailed map of a few options. Traffic definitely was a little hectic in the city, but as long as you get there early, its not too bad.

The corral setup was great. Corral A had plenty of bathrooms, space, and people to chat with before the race started. I showed up at 6:45, so I had plenty of time to stretch, relax, and hydrate. The weather was warm and the humidity felt high, which usually isn't the case for Columbus in October.

Once the race started, I was impressed with solid crowds through most of the course. The water stations were clearly marked and it was easy to figure out the water and sports drink distributors. The one that was awesome later in the race was seeing the kids from the Nationwide Hospital. They were a constant motivator and really helped me during the late miles. By mile 20, the humidity and warmer weather really got to me.

I wasn't that impressed with the food after the race, but then again after you run a race, all I really wanted was a beer. The medal was solid.

The one thing I am not a big fan of is the amount of time you are on high street. Even though its only a few miles, it feels like forever.

All in all Columbus is an awesome race and I would recommend it if you haven't completed it.

Full Review: http://www.theactiveguy.com/blog/2016-columbus-marathon-recap/