My marathons

SKECHERS Hot Chocolate Run Columbus

08:308:30 AM Columbus
Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena. Photograph by Tysto, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser says the Columbus course starts in the Riverfront District, finishes beside Nationwide Arena and runs a tour of downtown neighbourhoods in between.

The course in short 2 lines
  • From the Riverfront to the Arena DistrictRiverfront start, Nationwide Arena finish, German Village on the way.
  • One 8:30 gun for 10K and 15K5K at 7:30, 10K and 15K at 8:30, 15 min per mile minimum.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseLandmarkFrom the Riverfront to the Arena DistrictRiverfront start, Nationwide Arena finish, German Village on the way.

The race starts in the Riverfront District and finishes alongside Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets. In between it passes through the River South District, Brewery District, German Village, Uptown District, Victorian Village and Short North. The organiser names Goodale Park, Schiller Park, Nationwide Arena and the Union Station Arch as the course highlights, and the post-race party is at McFerson Commons, home of the arch.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsOne 8:30 gun for 10K and 15K5K at 7:30, 10K and 15K at 8:30, 15 min per mile minimum.

The 10K and the 15K leave McFerson Commons together at 8:30 AM on Sunday 15 November 2026, an hour after the 5K. Gear check opens 60 minutes before each start. The organiser asks every participant to hold 15 minutes per mile, about four miles per hour, because aid stations, medical support, toilets and road closures start to be withdrawn below that pace.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

Race fuel for Columbus

One gel every 40 minutes once you are past about 75 minutes of running, plus a spare.

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.

Order now to test one on your last long run.

Get it on Amazon

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

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
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

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.

Get it on Amazon

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

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.

Get it on Amazon

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

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.

Get it on Amazon

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

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

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.
race
Other

Race week

Timetable

Saturday 14 November Expo

  1. 10:0010:00 AM–18:006:00 PM

    Expo and packet pickup Greater Columbus Convention Center, Battelle Ballroom. Free and open to the public. There is no race day packet pickup: packets are collected at the expo or mailed.

Sunday 15 November Race day

  1. Time not published

    Post-race party McFerson Commons. Music, vendors and a finisher's mug of chocolate fondue, dippables and hot chocolate.
Other races (2)

  1. 07:307:30 AM

    5K start McFerson Commons. Gear check opens 60 minutes before the start.

  2. 08:308:30 AM

    10K and 15K start McFerson Commons. Both distances start at 8:30. Gear check opens 60 minutes before the start.

Times as published by the organiser, in Columbus time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Columbus time

Trip

Getting a place

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.

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