Hamilton NightGlow Marathon & Half Marathon
Hamilton, OH
- Marathon, Marathon Relay, Half Marathon, 10K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The ultimate nighttime running experience, the Hamilton NightGlow Marathon & Half Marathon includes a full marathon, marathon relay (2 or 4 person), half marathon and 10K. Water stations are located throughout the lit course. The closed course is USA Track and Field certified and serves as a Boston Qualifier! The … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Sep 04):
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
| H (°F) | 81 | 76 | 85 | 94 | 86 |
| L (°F) | 56 | 62 | 68 | 71 | 55 |
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Very flat not so scenic
Night time race which is more difficult. The course was very flat which you had to run twice and the second time around got very dark. Race swag was not … MORE
Night time race which is more difficult. The course was very flat which you had to run twice and the second time around got very dark. Race swag was not great as well as course support. Not my favorite race.
Getting Better Every Year
Every year, the "glow" aspect gets better with this race. The swag isn't impressive (t-shirt), there's a finishers medal (I didn't take it), and there's an after party. The after … MORE
Every year, the “glow” aspect gets better with this race. The swag isn’t impressive (t-shirt), there’s a finishers medal (I didn’t take it), and there’s an after party. The after party this year wasn’t as great in years past. This year the 10k started at 8:30 (half marathon started at 7:30, full at 6:00). I didn’t care for the 8:30 start but that’s my preference. Just a little to late in my opinion.
Overall, a nice event just needs tweaking in a few areas.
First 10K!
This was my first 10K and it went pretty well. It was pretty warm, but running in the evening certainly helped with that, and the weather was good. The production … MORE
This was my first 10K and it went pretty well. It was pretty warm, but running in the evening certainly helped with that, and the weather was good. The production was smooth and the only somewhat disappointing part was that for it being called a Nightglow, most of the run was done in daylight. Still, it was fun, and all the people were awesome!
Easy course, but hot evening run.
Being in the evening at the beginning of September, this is a hard race to run, in spite of the flat course. The 10K is one lap, the Half is … MORE
Being in the evening at the beginning of September, this is a hard race to run, in spite of the flat course. The 10K is one lap, the Half is two laps, and the Full is four laps.
Flat looped course
The course is very flat, but the weather conditions made it tough. It was hot and humid, but obviously no one can control that. The course was not marked well … MORE
The course is very flat, but the weather conditions made it tough. It was hot and humid, but obviously no one can control that.
The course was not marked well at all, and I talked to more than one runner who had gone off course. No signs or arrows or anything at turns. In addition to this, the course was not lit as well as we were led to believe it would be prior to registering. There was one section down by the water on the bike path in particular that was quite dark.
There were a good number of aid stations on course, especially given the heat. The volunteers did not know what they were serving though, and I was offered Gatorade at an aid station, and it was actually Sword. This sounds minor, but not everyone can handle different kinds of sports drinks on the run, and it is important to know what you are getting.
I had asked when I picked up my packed about port o potties out on the course, and I was assured they were out there, but no one was able to tell me where they would be. There were a couple in only one location near the 4 mile mark on the loop. There were also indoor bathrooms at the start/finish area, but you’d have to jump off the course a bit to get in there.
The post-race food/drink recovery area was average. The guy announcing at the finish line was excellent, interacting with and congratulating the runners as they came through. The burgers or chicken option post-race was a nice touch, but when I asked for mine without the bun, they told me there were no forks or anything. This is a very easy fix for the next time.
There was music at one location along the course, which was nice. It was extremely quiet on the rest of the course with only a handful of spectators outside of the aid stations and the larger groups around the start/finish area.
I thought that for the expense of the race, I feel like it needed to be a bit better organized, though it has potential.