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OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon

Start 08:008:00 AM Columbus

The OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon is a flat course of 21.1 km (13.1 miles) with 33.8 m (111 ft) of climbing. Its lowest point is 223 m (732 ft) and its highest 234 m (768 ft) above sea level. Next race: Saturday 24 April 2027, starting at 8:00 AM.

Downtown Columbus
Downtown Columbus. Photograph by Sixflashphoto, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons . Course line © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Race day
The 2027 race
Start
08:008:00 AM
Distance
21.1 km13.1 mi
Half marathon · 5K
Total climb
33.8 m111 ft
Highest point 11 m36 ft above lowest
Entry fee
US$110
For the 2027 race
Time limit
4 hours

The course

Pick a place, or drag along the profile

The half marathon stays between 222.9 m and 233.7 m above sea level and climbs 33.8 m in total.

Start, finish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

  1. Photo: pasa47, CC BY 2.0
  2. Photo: Columbusite, CC BY 3.0

km 3.6mile 2.2

German Village

The organiser's spectator guide puts a viewing spot at Frankfurt and Third streets in German Village, just past the two-mile mark.

Photo: Columbusite, CC BY 3.0

Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30

Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 21. The trace runs between 223 and 234 metres, a range of 11 metres, drawn at 8 times vertical exaggeration so the shape is legible. Smoothed over 1 km before this profile was derived. An unsmoothed urban surface carries the buildings and would assert a climb that is not there. The dashed stretches are bridge decks: South High Street, km 0.6 to 0.7; South 4th Street, km 4.6 to 4.7; North High Street, km 6.9 to 7; West Lane Avenue, km 12 to 12.1; Woody Hayes Drive, km 13.1 to 13.3; North Front Street, km 19.6 to 19.7. A bare-earth model reads the ground or the water beneath a bridge, not the deck the runner is on, so those runs are interpolated between the ground either side rather than measured, and they under-report the real climb across a span.
0 5 10 15 20 km
0 5 10 13.1 mi

Dashed: bridge

Your 2 gels, at the orange marksFor a 1:55 finish, one every 40 minutes

  1. km 7.3mile 4.6
  2. km 14.7mile 9.1

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  • A half marathon inside an 11 metre bandHigh point 233.7 m at the start, low point 222.9 m at 18.8 km.
  • Four hours, an 18:19 mileFour hours open; slower runners move to the sidewalk.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
km 0 to 21.1GradientA half marathon inside an 11 metre bandHigh point 233.7 m at the start, low point 222.9 m at 18.8 km.

Downtown Columbus sits on a plain, and the course reflects it: 10.7 m separate the highest point from the lowest. The high point, 233.7 m, is at the start on S. High Street, and the low point, 222.9 m, comes at 18.8 km. The course starts and finishes at the same spot, so it ends where it began.

Measured

Whole courseTacticsFour hours, an 18:19 mileFour hours open; slower runners move to the sidewalk.

Runners who cannot hold that pace move to the sidewalks as the course closes to let regular traffic through. The organiser says the half marathon course is open and fully supported for 3 hours 45 minutes, with eight Coca-Cola Refueling Stations and one GU Gel station at the 6.5-mile mark. All races start and finish at the corner of S. High and W. Town streets beside the Columbus Commons.

Sourced

Race weekend

Thursday 22 April 2 days before

  1. 11:0011:00 AM–19:007:00 PM

    OhioHealth Expotique & Panera Bread Rapid Packet Pick Up The Vue Columbus. Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday 23 April The day before

  1. 11:0011:00 AM–19:007:00 PM

    OhioHealth Expotique & Panera Bread Rapid Packet Pick Up The Vue Columbus. Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday 24 April Race day

  1. 06:006:00 AM–13:001:00 PM

    Diamond Cellar VIP Experience Tent opens John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons. Open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the finish line party; credential or wristband required.

  2. 08:008:00 AM

    Quarter Marathon start S. High and W. Town streets. Starts together with the half marathon.

  3. 08:008:00 AM–13:001:00 PM

    Giant Eagle Curbside Express Recovery Zone Columbus Commons. Secure area for the finisher's medal and refreshments, open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  4. 09:009:00 AM–13:001:00 PM

    Byers Xtra Mile Finish Line Party and PNC Post-Race Concert John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons. Open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Other races (2)

  1. 08:008:00 AM

    Half Marathon start S. High and W. Town streets. All races start and finish at the corner of S. High and W. Town streets beside the Columbus Commons.

  2. 08:308:30 AM

    Columbus Promise 5K start S. High and W. Town streets. The 5K starts half an hour after the half and quarter.

Times as published by the organiser, in Columbus time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Columbus time

Entry

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Columbus, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, the orange marks on the profile. Columbus stays within 11 m36 ft of height, so they go by the clock:

  1. km 7.3mile 4.6
  2. km 14.7mile 9.1

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
A small balm stick
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

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Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

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Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

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Blister plasters
A pack of blister plasters
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Questions about the OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon

Is the OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon course flat?
Yes. It has 33.8 m (111 ft) of climbing over 21.1 km (13.1 miles). The highest point is 11 m (36 ft) above the lowest.
When is the OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon 2027?
Saturday 24 April 2027. The start is at 8:00 AM.
How do I enter the OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon?
Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: US$110 (for the 2027 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
What is the time limit at the OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon?
Runners have 4 hours to finish.
Where does the OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon start?
Start: S. High and W. Town streets.
Runner talk Questions, tips and race reports from other runners about the course and the city.

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