Ohio > Towpath Marathon & Half Marathon
Cleveland, OH
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Date
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Event
Details
Named for the Native American word for "crooked river," the 33,000-acre
Cuyahoga Valley National Park just outside nearby Cleveland and Akron
is the setting for the annual autumn Towpath Marathon & Half
Marathon, whose 13.1-mile race takes runners from the Brandywine Ski
Resort just outside the park onto a winding tour of the valleys and
wooded trails inside the park, as well as along the Cuyahoga River
itself.
The race was first run in 1992 to showcase the park's then-new Towpath
Trail, a
combination paved and crushed limestone trail pathway that runs along
what locals know as the Ohio Canal
Corridor, a 110-mile stretch of recreational paths for bikers, hikers
and walkers that will, when it is one day completed, all the way from
Cleveland's Flats at Canal Basin park all the way to New Philadelphia,
in mid-state Ohio. It has since been named by Runner's World
magazine as one of the nation's most beautiful race courses, and now
attracts upwards of 1,200 runners and more than 3,000 spectators to the
park for the event each year.
For the half-marathon, runners begin the race at Brandywine Ski Resort
in nearby Sagamore Hills, which lies just outside the park on its
eastern boundary. From there, participants run westward along
Highland/Vaughn Road to Riverview Road, where they then turn south and
head along Riverview to Boston Mills Road. After a quick stretch along
Boston Mills, runners then enter the Towpath Trail, beginning a
several-mile stretch that will take them north all the way to the
turnaround point at Station Road Bridge.
Fast and flat throughout, the courses for both the half and the full
marathon are described by race organizers as having no hills to speak
of, really anywhere along the course. There's lots of scenery along the
way, from the slow-moving canal waters to wetlands you can see off in
the distance, as well as plenty of trees and vegetation to shade and
cool your run.
The race is open to both runners and walkers, who will each have their
own starting times -- runners will start both the half and full
marathons at 8:00 AM, while walkers are encouraged to take advantage of
the special 7:00 AM starting time for walking. The course will be
supported with aid stations for 6 hours, and transportation will be
provided to shuttle participants back to their cars from the finish
line at the Boston Store near the southern tip of the park.
Race
Weather & Climate
Nestled just to the south of nearby Cleveland, the Cuyahoga Valley
National Park enjoys much the same weather as its neighboring city to
the north, with fall days that bring a welcome relief from summer's
heat, with plenty of cool to cold nights. In October, the city sees
average monthly temperatures ranging between 61°F and
44°F, while rainfall amounts average around 2.74 inches for the
month, among the area's lowest average rainfall for the year.
Fees
$40 if registered by September 15, 2008
$45 from Sept. 16 - Oct. 10
$50 at the race expo on Saturday, Oct. 11
Registration
To sign up for the 2008 running of the Towpath Marathon or Half
Marathon, register online at Active.com
or print out and mail in this downloadable form.
Website
www.towpathmarathon.net
Course Map
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Your Race Story
Ever run in Cleveland's annual Towpath Marathon or Half Marathon? Share
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Discuss it in the HalfMarathons.Net
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