Come to beautiful Athens, Ohio and run the state’s longest consecutively run marathon. Starting in 1968 the Athens Marathon hasn’t taken a break since giving it the title of “Ohio’s Longest Running Marathon.” With that rich history participants will start in beautiful Uptown Athens right next to the College Green …
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Come to beautiful Athens, Ohio and run the state’s longest consecutively run marathon.
Starting in 1968 the Athens Marathon hasn’t taken a break since giving it the title of “Ohio’s Longest Running Marathon.” With that rich history participants will start in beautiful Uptown Athens right next to the College Green of Ohio University. The course soon connects with the Hockhocking-Adena Bikeway for a fast and flat remainder of the race before finishing on the Ohio University track. You’ll experience the rich views Athens has to offer in spring time while you meander along the Hocking River valley. Though Athens is known for its foothills, you’ll stay safely in the valley for the marathon course making this an ideal fast race course to get your Boston Marathon qualifier. Come join us for the Athens Marathon or Half-Marathon, we know you’ll enjoy our town!
Through the years the Athens Marathon has seen a lot of runners and memories, but some things remain the same; the marathon continues to capture the human spirit year after year in Athens. Come to Athens to see the eclectic small town charm, some of the best breweries in the world, or a college campus that is rated one of the most beautiful in America.
Whatever you enjoy, you’ll find it in Athens, along with a flat, fast, and scenic marathon course to get your Boston Qualifier. We know you’ll come to love Athens as much as we do!
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Beautiful Course, Flat and Fast!
I had a great day in Athens Ohio running the marathon. I couldn’t arrive until the morning of for bib pickup so I was thankful for that option. Super easy … MORE
I had a great day in Athens Ohio running the marathon. I couldn’t arrive until the morning of for bib pickup so I was thankful for that option. Super easy and fast pickup. Got a nice quality tee-shirt with a fun design! Comfy, wore it afterwards! Bib pickup was only like 1/2 a mile to the start. We were able to park really close, lots of port-a-potties available. It was a bit chilly but easy to have a support person grab your sweats right before the race to keep warm. The start is on a brick road, for only like a block, but I watched someone trip on it and go down in the first minute so be careful. Beautiful course, the paved path has great views! There was a surprising amount of crowd support at all of the hydration stops which was nice! Volunteers were wonderful! If you’re looking for a PR or just a beautiful run this is a great race to pick! We had perfect weather but lots of the path is shaded which would be helpful if it was a warmer day.
Beautiful, maybe not for first timers...
This was marathon 10 for me, and I think that influences my review a lot! I am someone who has run something HUGE (Paris in the middle of 40k runners) … MORE
This was marathon 10 for me, and I think that influences my review a lot! I am someone who has run something HUGE (Paris in the middle of 40k runners) and pretty small (Stuart, Florida with maybe 400). This marathon was the smallest I have run so far, and it was exactly what I wanted, but might not be for everyone. The course jumps onto the nicely paved and very well maintained bike trail at the 1.6 mile mark, and you remain on that (out and back) for the next 24 miles. The day of our marathon, the weather started out at around 35 degrees and warmed up to around 60, plenty of sun and no wind. A pretty perfect weather day for a marathon. Course support with liquids and small snacks was abundant, but crowds were non-existent. This was a race that you needed to be able to run on your own. I put in my earbuds and enjoyed the run the way I would have enjoyed a training run. It was, for me, a really great race. If you are LOOKING for crowds, people cheering, and moral support outside of the aid stations, this will not be the race for you. If you are just looking to get in the scenery and are hoping for a PR (100 foot elevation change maximum, course is VERY flat), this is exactly what you are looking for. The people behind this race are wonderful, they support the runners beautifully with the aid stations, and I was happy with it. But don’t expect a big to-do at the finish.
Very flat
I participated in the Athens Ohio Marathon for the half marathon distance in 2022 and enjoyed it a lot, and decided to attempt the full marathon in 2023. The OU … MORE
I participated in the Athens Ohio Marathon for the half marathon distance in 2022 and enjoyed it a lot, and decided to attempt the full marathon in 2023. The OU Inn (the course runs on the edge of Ohio University’s campus) offered housing within ~1-1.5 miles of the start and was convenient. The race is small, maybe 4-500 for both half and full distances. I enjoyed the half marathon, but did not anticipate how lonely the race would be at the marathon distance. After the half marathoners hit the turnaround point, I was mostly on my own (I am slow) for the bulk of the remaining of the race. Available support stops were enough for water and gatorade. It was a hot day for April, with less shade leading to the marathon turnaround than I expected. Limited snacks after the race, but given the race size, the likelihood of getting an age group prize is high. If you enjoy a long, flat trail run along a river to have some solo time to reflect, it will likely be a good fit for you.
First half marathon!
As an OU grad, I ran my first half marathon in Athens. Half is simple but effective. Weather was cool, race support was good, and course is flat. Also, you … MORE
As an OU grad, I ran my first half marathon in Athens. Half is simple but effective. Weather was cool, race support was good, and course is flat. Also, you get a lot of good photos that are free! Very much enjoyed the half.
Too darn warm at Ohio University.
This is always run in April in Athens, OH, near the Ohio University campus on a very nice and fast bike trail. Unfortunately for us, we had a weird 65 … MORE
This is always run in April in Athens, OH, near the Ohio University campus on a very nice and fast bike trail. Unfortunately for us, we had a weird 65 to 70 degree day in early April, which none of us were prepared for. This is actually a very fast course, and would do this one again. Wasn’t crazy about the 9 AM start, but there are more 1/2 marathoners, so that’s probably why.