Columbus Marathon 2025 – race recap

This is my race recap for the Columbus Marathon, aka, my 20th marathon, on October 19th, 2025. I decided to run Columbus again because it is where I ran my first marathon in 2011. Ah, time flies. Here’s how it went!

We went to the race expo on Saturday night.  It wasn’t too busy and we got to buy some essentials – GU and gear.  There were also photo ops.  And… State Farm insurance was making bobble heads!

I love the race shirts this year.  They are a thicker material which can be casual wear vs running clothes. (although I did see a few people wearing them on the course – too warm for that!! I’m sure that was miserable because I don’t think they are wicking fabric).

I’d say the only thing that didn’t go as planned was dinner… because we didn’t plan.  We figured we would just stroll into an Italian restaurant.  Um, on race weekend and Sweetest Day?  Not happening.  So we ended up getting a pizza to go and some garlic bread which worked out well.  We got to relax and eat dinner in bed! And, check out the race day forecast which was not getting any better.

Fun fact about my race outfit: this is the tank top I bought to run Boston 10 years ago but never got to wear it because race day weather ended up being very cold (45 degrees) and rainy!

We stayed at a RedRoof Inn Plus about .7 miles from the start line so it was a stress free morning.  We woke up at 5:45 and had plenty of time before we walked to the corrals at 7am.  The corral entrance was delayed 45 mins due to the weather, so I had just enough time to hit the porta potty and get in the corral.  I told Alan that if the day went well I was hoping to finish in 4:10, which is 5 mins faster than Glass City (April this year).  If the day was not going well, it could be a 4:30 finish. He was going to run with the 3:40 pace group to start out with. Alan had some annoying pains during the taper and he wasn’t sure how he was going to do, but might as well give it a go!

The race started at 7:45 (15 mins late) and the traditional song Thunderstruck (AC/DC) and Born to Run (Bruce Springstein) played.  It really gets everyone pumped up! The race start was delayed because it was taking awhile for everyone to get in the corrals.

I’m happy to report I felt good the entire race!  I was nervous about the niggles I had the week leading up to race day, but on the course everything felt good. Really good. Even the weather felt good!  65 and rain is very refreshing.  I would choose it over a sunny day for sure!  I stayed pretty true to my plan of hoping for miles in 9:0x range and not run faster than 9 min miles.  When I did have sub 9 miles it was typically on a downhill and I knew it would be better to take advantage of the downhill because the uphill would be slower. The last two miles were a bit slower, but hey, after 24 miles I was happy to be feeling strong and not wanting to walk like I have in the past!  This race was going super well.

I took 4 gels during the race. My first was at mile 5 I think and by the time I reached 13 miles I realized I forgot to take one. I took it and spaced the others out at mile 18 and 21 I think. That part was just a blur. There were plenty of water stops with Gatorade along the course so no need to carry fluids.

This is where the shit gets real. LOL! Only 13 more miles to go. Those lucky half runners at heading to the finish chute.

I was really surprised to see so many spectators on the course cheering us on! I figured it was going to be dead due to the rainy, windy weather, but no, there were a lot of people.  I was thriving on their energy.  I high fived every person I could. Hammed it up for the race photographers. There were also musicians and “mile champions” from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This race makes a difference through the money it raises for the hospital research. I made an effort to give each champion a high five and it was very motivating. I also thought very much about a dear friend of ours who is going through a battle with brain cancer right now, and my other family and friends who have medical issues. Those thoughts really makes you thankful for your health and all of the things you can do.

I haven’t run the full marathon in Columbus since 2012 and the course seemed all new to me. The new route was much better than the previous route.  I remember feeling alone in the last half of the race in the past and this year there were a lot of people.  I loved the “new” course!  We went through all sorts of cool neighborhoods and through the campus at Ohio State.  People were out cheering no matter where we went. Side note, my son and roommates were NOT out cheering because they were en route home from a climbing trip. It was fall break for OSU. That would have been a great surprise if they made it home early though!!

Around mile 17 the predicted rain dumped on us. I could feel it all the way through to my underwear! There was no avoiding puddles now and we all just plowed through it. The wind gusts hit us hard too. It was very interesting to say the least. Luckily it only lasted about 15 mins and then it went back to light rain.

At mile 20 I looked at my watch and the race predictor said I was going to finish in 4:02!!  This was faster than I told Alan so I sent him a text to let him know.  Then I started wondering what the Boston qualifying time was for me now.  I didn’t know if it was 4:00 or 4:05, but I got excited thinking that maybe it was 4:05 (it had been very recently).  I kept chugging along with a new goal in sight.  Thankfully the finish chute is downhill for the last half mile and my pace picked up to 9:00 (well, it also has a bit of an uphill at the finish line). I’m not sure what was happening in miles 17 and 18 on my Garmin. My HR was out of control (206, 200)! Not sure if that was maybe a glitch due to the heavy rain (or maybe the excitement with the downpour)?

I hit the finish line with a time of 4:04:19.  Woohoo!!!  4:04!!  4th in my age group. I haven’t run a marathon this fast since 2021.  Amazing!! Unfortunately the standards were recently changed for 2026 – 4:05 was the Boston qualifying time for 2025, but now I have to get better than 4:00 to BQ.  Dang it!  That did not diminish my pure joy of my race.  I kicked some ass out there!

Alan finished in 3:56. When I met up with Alan he was not feeling good.  His recent hamstring pain got the best of him and he ended up run/walking after mile 16.  He pushed pretty hard the last two miles and that may have caused him to puke at the finish line.  Yep, he was that guy you see over in the corner at the finish… puking 5 times!  😩 He had a rough race.  We got out of there as soon as we could and wrapped up in the beach towels in the car (patting my back on thinking ahead and being prepared for a rainy race!!).  

Instead of our plan to shower at Planet Fitness and go eat lunch in German Village, we opted to change into dry clothes at my son’s apartment at OSU and just head back home.  It was great to see him again!  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn’t have excess chaffing from the rain. It’s always a concern and I didn’t even have a blister. Woohoo!

It’s been a long time since I’ve described the marathon as “amazing” and this race really brought back my love of the distance.  A great race day will do that!  It also gave me hope that maybe another sub 4 hour marathon is in my future.  You just never know what race day magic will bring you!