Race Reports

I ran the Akron Marathon on Saturday, September 26th, 2015. The temperatures were nice, about 60 at the start, rising towards 70 by the end. Cloud cover helped prevent warmer temperatures. Late September in Ohio is generally mild. The course was hilly but I have seen much hillier courses, and the hills were not that much of a concern. This is a pretty big race with over 1,400 marathon finishers, many more half marathoners, and a lot of runners doing the marathon relay. With rare exception the running path was large enough to accommodate runners comfortably. I was really impressed with the number of volunteers, and the hydration stations were very well-organized. This is quite a good marathon and I highly recommend it. The post-race party was good, highlighted by a talented local band. The only downside is that downtown Akron is a commercial downtown, and closes up on weekends. If I run this race in the future (and I may very well do so) I will stay at a motel on an interstate interchange and take a shuttle to/from the race. Experiences at past marathons has led me to be leery of shuttle services, but the smooth handling of this event suggests their shuttle service would be reliable.