Canton Hall of Fame Marathon (fka Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon)
Canton, OH
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The race name has been officially changed to the Canton Hall of Fame Marathon. You can expect the traditional runner premiums which include the Fleece Finisher Blanket, Great Finisher Medal, and scenic urban course. All activities will be held in Downtown Canton including the Start and Finish. The course will … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 06):
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| H (°F) | 63 | 56 | 59 | 55 | 74 |
| L (°F) | 45 | 52 | 33 | 39 | 43 |
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Last year they are hosting a marathon
This was the 10th, and last, year, they are putting on a marathon. Next year, there will still be a 5k, 10k, and half. Normally, I do not care about … MORE
This was the 10th, and last, year, they are putting on a marathon. Next year, there will still be a 5k, 10k, and half.
Normally, I do not care about the medal, but I ran this race specifically for it. It is shaped like an oversized super bowl ring. It’s really cool. Regrettably, because a USFL game was going to be played later in the day, the traditional start/finish at the Pro Football HOF was scrapped. While we did run around the HOF (twice), it would have been much cooler to run in the football stadium like other years.
Communication was fantastic leading up to the race. I have absolutely no complaints about the management team. Start line was a bit hectic. The 10k, Half and Full all start at the same time at the same place, so lots of crowding. It took a little while to run through everyone. Mile 1 is not going to be your best mile 🙂 Streets are pot-marked. While you could see a lot of recent repairs, beware of all the holes.
Extremely sparse crowds, but that is what you are going to get with a small race. Loved the town. You are allowed to carry a beer all throughout the downtown area.
CANTON HOF MARATHON/HALF/10K
THE EXPO WAS NICE BUT QUIET ON THE 2ND DAY, THE START LINE WAS AT A BEAUTIFUL PARK, THE CROWD PARTICIPATION WAS AWESOME, I LOVED THE ONE MILE SNACK TABLE, … MORE
THE EXPO WAS NICE BUT QUIET ON THE 2ND DAY, THE START LINE WAS AT A BEAUTIFUL PARK, THE CROWD PARTICIPATION WAS AWESOME, I LOVED THE ONE MILE SNACK TABLE, IT WAS MUCH APPRECIATED. THE ROUTE WAS NICE AND BUSY. THE POST RACE PARTY/VOLUNTEERS WERE LIVE AND FRIENDLY. ENJOYED THE FUEL FOOD, THE FREE ICE CREAM FROM 2SCOOPZ. THE BONUS SWAG WAS AWESOME,( CONTON BLANKET). THE SKY OPENED UP AND DRENCHED US, BUT IT DID’NT STOP THE PARTY, IT CAME AND WENT AND WE STAYED. THIS RACE WAS A 10 SO SORRY TO SAY GOODBYE TO CANTON HOF.
It's a Nice Race
This was a decent race. The course is hilly but do-able. Ther were enough water stations offering water and gatorade. The crowd support was okay. Great race swag. The medals … MORE
This was a decent race. The course is hilly but do-able. Ther were enough water stations offering water and gatorade. The crowd support was okay. Great race swag. The medals a awesome. You also get a shirt and nice blanket. It’s well worth the run. The race directer was super and put out lots of emails with instructions. He communcated with participants very well.
Best race medals ever!!
The expo was pretty nonexistent. There were quite a few out and backs, which aren't my favorite. You run through a lot of lower class neighborhoods, not the best scenery. … MORE
The expo was pretty nonexistent. There were quite a few out and backs, which aren’t my favorite. You run through a lot of lower class neighborhoods, not the best scenery. The roads in Canton are crap, so you spend most of your time staring at the ground to keep from twisting an ankle in the holes and chunked out pavement. The finisher fest is just a line to get your swag. . .but BEST MEDALS EVER!!!
Roads were horrible!!
Small expo, couldn't here the announcer, the roads sucked with lots of potholes, boring scenery. A lot of down town ghetto streets. HOF was great to visit. Not many food … MORE
Small expo, couldn’t here the announcer, the roads sucked with lots of potholes, boring scenery. A lot of down town ghetto streets. HOF was great to visit. Not many food options.
Just your average race
Pros: Running past the McKinley Monument was a highlight. The medal is great- it's a spin off of a Super Bowl ring. In addition to the medal and shirt, runners … MORE
Pros:
Running past the McKinley Monument was a highlight.
The medal is great- it’s a spin off of a Super Bowl ring.
In addition to the medal and shirt, runners also receive a blanket. Great to keep in your car!
Runners finish on the 50 yard line, which is really neat! Family and friends are allowed to join runners at the finishers’ party. The PR Village had life-sized 13.1 and 26.2 cutouts for people to take pictures.
Photos are free and are sent almost in real time.
Cons:
The start was not good. Runners were crammed into a side street that was in terrible condition. There was no official start (at least the runners didn’t hear the start).
The course was not the best. Road conditions were terrible with lots of pot holes.
Crowd support was minimal (this didn’t bother me so much, but my running friends were very disappointed).
Communication prior to the race is lacking.
I did not like the design of the t-shirt.
The website indicated that the course was flat- it wasn’t flat. It would be helpful if the race director included an elevation profile like many other marathons do. This would help runners to better prepare themselves for the race.
There were only a couple of sections on the course that were scenic. Most ran through some tough neighborhoods. Cars were also parked on the course. That was annoying having to run around them, especially when the course was crowded.
There were several sections were police were directing traffic and allowed cars to cross the course. I did not like that at all.
Improving communication and the course would greatly improve this race.
Tips:
Purchase the preferred parking! It was worth the $25 to park at the stadium and not have to take the bus shuttle.
Hot and Poorly Ran Race Production
I have ran this race every year and this year was not done well. The bus driver didn't know where to park, the porta pots were zip tied shut, had … MORE
I have ran this race every year and this year was not done well. The bus driver didn’t know where to park, the porta pots were zip tied shut, had to go through medal detectors, and they skipped the National Anthem before the race! All around I was very disappointed with this race production this year 🙁
Fun Race
The emails that I received for the race were frequent and comprehensive. Unfortunately the execution on race day was not as good. They were a bit shorthanded at water stations, … MORE
The emails that I received for the race were frequent and comprehensive. Unfortunately the execution on race day was not as good. They were a bit shorthanded at water stations, and the start was a bit disorganized.
Otherwise the race was good. Last year I rand the Marathon relay and this year opted for the half marathon. Like last year the weather was a bit warm. The half marathon course takes you through residential neighborhoods. and is not what I would call flat, but also not anything terrible.
I think with better volunteer help this race would have been a great success, as it was it was fine and would recommend to anyone in the area looking for a fun race. The finish is at the stadium, which is also cool. The medals are unique and you get a fleece blanket as well.
Midwest Gem for Football Fans & Runners
I enjoyed this race quite a bit. Being an avid football fan & a DJ for an NFL team (Washington Football), I was super excited to run this one. I … MORE
I enjoyed this race quite a bit. Being an avid football fan & a DJ for an NFL team (Washington Football), I was super excited to run this one. I drove the 6 hours from the DC area to make it in time for the race. There wasn’t an expo due to Covid so no review there but they mailed bibs out well in advance. I decided to give myself a challenge and get into the true spirit of football by carrying a ball for the entirety of the 13.1 miles. It was a big hit on the course, lol.
Course: The course is pretty flat with only a few rolling hills here & there. Save some energy for the mile 11.5-12.5 which has the largest elevation before I nice descent to the finish line. The race is mainly through residential neighborhoods which provides some of the best fan cheering I’ve ever seen at a race! I loved how the communities of Canton had setup stations for runners to aid us along the journey. Course support was top notch and there was no way for you to get lost or miss a turn. Ending the run inside Tom Benson Stadium at the 50 yard line was great and I was able to have a little mini photoshoot by a goal post race.
Swag: Awesome. Nice soft t-shirt at packet pickup. Finishers get a sick Hall of Fame ring themed medal (this changes from year to year so make sure you check first). Definitely one of my favorite medals so far! You also receive a blanket that is race branded and has become a couch staple in my house now, lol.
Organization: I’m not sure any race company communicates as often and as thoroughly as Run to You Racing. I must have received over 30 emails from Jim Chaney which to some would be annoying but I can never have enough information IMO. They did a great job shipping out the bibs in time, the shuttles to/from the nearby parking lots were in abundance and efficient. Due to Covid, they had a ton of different waves which got a little confusing to figure out where my wave was at once I got to the start area in the stadium (I was running late so mine probably left already but I was able to join another with no issue). This race company is fantastic and if I lived in the NE Ohio area, I would be a staple at their races!
This is a tough course
This is a great race with great swag and production. The first half of the 2021 course was flat but the second half was pretty hilly. It can be hot … MORE
This is a great race with great swag and production. The first half of the 2021 course was flat but the second half was pretty hilly. It can be hot in Canton and it was this day which made the 2nd half very tough. You finish on the 50 yard line of the Hall of Fame football stadium and it felt really cool to run on the Astro turf.
Boring Course But Best Bling!
I'm a huge football fan and Canton, Ohio is a nice distance away from Rochester for a weekend trip (about 4.5 hours), so this race was on my radar even … MORE
I’m a huge football fan and Canton, Ohio is a nice distance away from Rochester for a weekend trip (about 4.5 hours), so this race was on my radar even before Covid and I was excited they were planning a live race when the other large races nearby this weekend on my bucket list (Pittsburgh, Flying Pig) were canceled or postponed. This race was very large for a race during the pandemic and a ton went into the planning and production. There was if anything too frequent communication. There were emails with updates at first monthly, then weekly, and then daily. I appreciated the check in but it was a little confusing since there wasn’t one email with all the info but more is better than less. Bib was mailed this year but normally there is an expo on Friday and Saturday. I drove in Friday night and did the 5K Saturday (try to do it if you can the medal is great – see my previous review and pic). Marathoners parked at the stadium and half marathoners parked at the Beldon Village Mall and took a shuttle. Parking was very easy and shuttle was very smooth. There is a lot of lodging by the mall. I stayed in the Holiday Inn Express in Beldon Village which was very convenient. The course was changed this year and started and ended at the stadium at the Pro Football HOF. This year the race was sent off in waves and you were assigned by predicted finishing time. The marathon went first and started between 7 and 7:15. The half marathon waves started between about 8:00 and 10:00am and were set up so that you would join marathoners of a similar pace at around the halfway point of the marathon. This was a pretty smart way to space out the runners and not keep the course open for 10+ hours and I hadn’t seen it done before. However there were two downsides 1. As a slower runner I started close to 10am and it was hot as heck today and 2. the half marathon course basically felt like the second half of a marathon course i.e. super boring just miles to make the measurement work. The start at the stadium was super cool. Also there were hardly any lines for the porta potties. The waved starts worked well and allowed enough space for social distancing. At first it felt a little sparse but as soon as the marathoners joined there were the perfect amount of runners around. Although I’m guessing they were quite jealous of our fresh legs. The course as I said was super boring. Just an out and back zig zagging through the suburbs. Literally that was all it was house after house after house. The good thing about the suburbs though is there was a lot of spectator support. The most I’ve seen during covid. The course had rolling hills. They weren’t too bad. Slightly less elevation gain than Gettysburg. However it was like 80 degrees out and the slower runners were out in the middle of the day so it was oppressively hot and even short inclines were killer. Shout out to the woman spraying us with her hose even if it is wasteful of water it was just what I needed. I carried water but there seemed to be plenty of aid stations. However again it was annoying little water bottles. Also no gatorade or gels but this was communicated. I do wish they figured out how to change this. It was not really safe to run without electrolytes today. I was prepared since I knew this in advance and had a pack of extra salty margarita flavored clif blocks that I ate throughout and bought this pouch of gatorade from target that I drank half way through. While the course was boring it was in a safe neighborhood and was not unpleasant and the finish line was awesome in the stadium! The energy from the stadium gave me a last minute push to finish under 2:45. This was one of my slowest road halfs but with the heat I completed my main goal of finishing and not getting heat stroke. Outside the stadium they had tables set up with finisher awards and food. The medal is absolutely amazing. It is designed like a super bowl ring and is big and sparkly and super cool. I think it might be my favorite medal. This is the last year they are doing the ring designs. I kind of wish they would do them every year since I would then have to do this race at least 8 times so I could say I have more rings than Tom Brady but looking at past pics it seems the medals that aren’t rings are usually equally cool. The shirt is meh. It is black poly-blend with the race logo. There is also a finisher blanket that is really nice. Food was kind of lame this year with granola bar, chips and Ho-Hos. I hadn’t eaten a Ho-Ho in like 10 years so that was kind of fun. I heard there is normally better food. The shuttle back to the mall was super easy. There are lots of places for post-race food and beverages at the mall. I went to the Melt Bar and Grilled which makes these giant, very extra grilled cheese sandwiches and the best part most of their food can be modified to be made vegan! While the course was boring, this was a very fun weekend. I also explored both the Pro Football HOF (normally you get free entry with the race but not this year) and the Rock & Roll HOF in nearby Cleveland. As a sports and music nerd I loved both museums. I thought production and swag for this race were top-notch and made up for the mediocre course. If you are a football fan you should do this for the swag and to check out the museum. If you are a local it is a well-produced race. If you are not a football fan and not a local and looking for an Ohio race, there are probably better ones.
Post Covid half - Rough race for me
This race is always done well. This year was a little bumpy due to Covid but they pulled it off. It was a rough race for me as my training … MORE
This race is always done well. This year was a little bumpy due to Covid but they pulled it off. It was a rough race for me as my training had been lacking due to covid.
Warm and hilly
I wasn't expecting Canton to be so hilly, and after the temperature being below 40 and rainy a couple days earlier, I wasnt expecting mid 70s and sunny. The course … MORE
I wasn’t expecting Canton to be so hilly, and after the temperature being below 40 and rainy a couple days earlier, I wasnt expecting mid 70s and sunny. The course started and ended on the football field, which was excellent. From there it zig zagged in and around and throughout the local neighborhood. There were some downhills, but it was rolling throughout the whole way. Bring in the neighborhood, it wasn’t really scenic – but the pro side to that was there were a lot of people along the way. Some of them hand their own aid stations with water, snacks, Coke, and even beer. It was great to see the people asking the course cheering us on. The finish on the field would have been a highlight and I was hoping to run, but my breathing was poor most of the way and I struggled with the heat and the late 10 am start due to Covid protocols. But it was a live race, and the hall of fame the same weekend the nfl draft was in Cleveland, and the swag was awesome. A shirt, a blanket, and the finished medal was a giant Super bowl ring. Easily the best medal I’ve received to date.
Awesome event
The swag was amazing and it was a beautiful course with lots of gentle hills. Water stations every 2 miles, plenty of volunteers, a great pop up merch tent and … MORE
The swag was amazing and it was a beautiful course with lots of gentle hills. Water stations every 2 miles, plenty of volunteers, a great pop up merch tent and an overall good experience. Covid precautions were taken and it was well organized.
Well Run Race
In 2021 there were numerous COVID Restrictions imposed. In spite of this, the race was very well run. I ran the two man Marathon relay. The exchange zone was not … MORE
In 2021 there were numerous COVID Restrictions imposed. In spite of this, the race was very well run. I ran the two man Marathon relay. The exchange zone was not well marked and was a bit difficult to find. Other than that well run. They had parking well organized with good bus services and the swag was great. The city support was great, would recommend. My time was poor, but that was more a reflection of poor preparation. The course itself is not difficult.
Nice warm-up run with huge medal
I did the 5K as a warm-up run for the half marathon tomorrow. More specifics regarding the race and the weekend will be in that review to follow. The 5K … MORE
I did the 5K as a warm-up run for the half marathon tomorrow. More specifics regarding the race and the weekend will be in that review to follow. The 5K is not at the football stadium but in downtown Canton. For the 5K this year there was in-person packet pick-up the morning of the race as opposed to the larger half and full marathons which had the bibs mailed to participants this year. One great thing about this race is that there is always race day packet pick up for the 5K so you can arrive at 10pm Friday and do both races without having to pay extra for mailing the bib or finding someone else to pick it up. I arrived just when bib pick up opened up at 6:30 and had prime parking. Bib pick up easy and plenty of porta potties at start. Weather today was nice. A little cool at the start but warmed up quickly. My biggest complain is the corrals and why I took a sneaker off production. For the start of the 5K you lined up based on based and were sent off in groups every couple of minutes. The race was chipped timed and this should of worked well but about 5 to 10 minutes before the start they had us move forward and packed all together way closer than 6 feet apart which was completely unnecessary and I would have felt very uncomfortable with this if I were not vaccinated especially as while almost every runner had a mask only about 75 to 80% of runners were wearing them correctly. There is no point to a mask if your nose is showing please wear it properly. Once we left though the race was perfectly spaced out. The course was actually nicer than I expected. It isn’t the most scenic 5K you’ll ever run but downtown Canton was nicer than expected. The course elevation profile is real nice and exactly how I like it. No hills but some gradual inclines and declines so also not pancake flat. About 50 feet of elevation gain total. It could be a fast course but the reason I added a sneaker to difficulty is as many of the other posts have said there are a lot of potholes and uneven footing so you have to be careful. Since I’m doing the half tomorrow I ran this at a comfortable pace but I’d worry if I were trying to PR I would trip and face plant on a pothole. The finish area was nice in a park. There was a finish arch and water and snacks which included chips and my go to post race snack granola bars. My finishing time was exactly what I aiming for which was a comfortable 10:30 min/mile pace since I didn’t want to over do it since the half is tomorrow. The medal for this race is ridiculously big. Almost offensively big like I’m pretty sure my marathon and 50K medals are going to be offended that this medal is just about as big as them. It is fun with a draft scene on it. The actual medal part doesn’t have the year on it but the ribbon does. They also give a race T-shirt at the end. It is a fine but not particularly exciting just a grey polyblend T-shirt with race distance and year. This year they gave extra finishing blankets from 2020 since they had leftovers but normally you don’t get a blanket for the 5K. Overall this was a nice warm-up run with a ridiculously big medal for a 5K. I just wish the corrals were better done in terms of social distancing. Again hopefully that won’t be an issue next year. If you are planning to do the half or the marathon, definitely try to fit in this 5K just for the medal!
Virtually ran
The race was changed to a virtual race due to COVID 19. I ran from my house down to the Football HOF and back. It was a nice day temps … MORE
The race was changed to a virtual race due to COVID 19. I ran from my house down to the Football HOF and back. It was a nice day temps were good and it was great to just get outside and run after being on lock down for some time now.
Virtually Ran with my daughter
The race was changed to a virtual race due to COVID 19. I ran this race with my daughter at her pace as she was running a 5k for another … MORE
The race was changed to a virtual race due to COVID 19. I ran this race with my daughter at her pace as she was running a 5k for another virtual race. It was very nice to get to run with my daughter and it helped to keep her spirits up during this trying time with the virus out break.
Finish in the Pro Football HOF stadium!!
Awesome medal, swag race shirt and finisher shirt, amazing Pro Football Hall of Fame fleece blanket. All were included in a modest entry fee. MORE
Awesome medal, swag race shirt and finisher shirt, amazing Pro Football Hall of Fame fleece blanket. All were included in a modest entry fee.
Neat finish line and blue mile.
I know the weather should have nothing to do with this run, but it rained the entire race with 40 degree temps... That made it hard! The race itself was … MORE
I know the weather should have nothing to do with this run, but it rained the entire race with 40 degree temps… That made it hard! The race itself was fine. I am from MN and had never been to Canton, OH. The scenery was mainly residential with some park/bike path and a bit of city mixed in. The blue mile was really emotional and gave mile 10 a huge impact. The finish line was neat, right on the field! Not sure I would do this again, but if you are a football fan; maybe add it to your list.