As you know, registration is open for the 2012 Nationwide Children’s Columbus Marathon – and we’re already off to a strong start.

If you haven’t signed up yet, today’s news might be the encouragement that you need. In response to many requests from previous marathon participants, we’re thrilled to announce that the 2012 full-marathon course will include a run through Ohio Stadium. It’s the same flat, fast course our marathoners have come to love, but this year, runners and walkers will enter the stadium from the southeast corner and head down the same ramp that Ohio State football players use to take the field. Then, participants will cross in front of the south stands before exiting the stadium via the southwest ramp that OSU opponents use.

Lets recap some of the exciting new changes:

• The ½ marathon course will remain unchanged but after the 1/2 marathoners split off at High Street/Nationwide Boulevard, the marathoners will continue to travel over the spectacular Lane Avenue Bridge and pass directly by the Jerome Schottenstein Center on their way to the Ohio Stadium.

• After exiting Ohio Stadium, runners will reconnect with Woody Hayes Drive, and head west toward Upper Arlington.

• Runners and walkers will then travel west along Waltham Road to Cambridge Boulevard and South to King Avenue.

So, who else is excited about this exciting update to our course? If you haven’t yet, don’t forget to register!

“1 … 2… 3… 4… 5 … Ready or not, here I come!”

We all love a good game of hide-and-go-seek, so as we get ready to reveal some more BIG marathon news (hint: it’s about the course!), we thought it’d be fun to hold a game of hide-and-go-seek with our Central Ohio friends and supporters. But, our version has a twist – it’s Tweet and Go Seek.

Starting Wednesday, Feb. 1 we’ll be hosting Tweet and Go Seek on Twitter and give you the opportunity to join in the fun and win prizes! To participate, follow us on Twitter, @cbusmarathon, for clues and updates!

Here’s how to play:

What: Tweet and Go Seek is like a scavenger hunt.

When: Wednesday from 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Where: Along the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon course

How: Over the three days, we’ll hide 26 4”x4” tiles for you to find. On Wednesday we’ll hide 8 tiles, and Thursday and Friday we’ll hide 9 tiles per day.

We’ll tweet from @cbusmarathon and @tweetandgoseek a picture of each tile and clues to its location on the half hour during the specified timeframe. You can also follow the #cbusmarathon hashtag for all Tweet and Go Seek updates and clues.

The first person to find the tile (which you get to keep!) and tweet a photo of it and the tile number to us @cbusmarathon wins a prize! We’ve teamed up with Second Sole, who will be providing a $5 gift card to each winner.

Questions? Tweet them to us @cbusmarathon.

We hope you’ll join us Wednesday!

It feels like it was just yesterday 17,000 Marathoners and ½ Marathoners crossed the finish line of the 2011 Nationwide Insurance Columbus Marathon. Well, in the three months since that exciting day, we’ve been hard at work planning for the 2012 marathon. (Mark your calendars for Oct. 21, 2012.) In fact, in case you forgot, registration opens Saturday! As we gear up for the 33rd Columbus Marathon, we have some exciting pre-registration news to share:

FIRST: The Columbus Marathon and Nationwide Insurance announced Nationwide Children’s Hospital as the title beneficiary for the event. We’ve also given the race a new name, The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon.

SECOND: It may have a new name, but it is still the same great race, and this year the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon will have a very special focus on engaging the community to gain corporate and participant support of Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s non-profit mission.

The Columbus Marathon has always had a strong focus on supporting charities, including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, the Hospice Foundation’s Run to Remember, The Susan G. Komen For the Cure’s Marathon for the Cure and the American Cancer Society’s Team Determination. These and other charities will be encouraged to continue their fundraising efforts alongside the Nationwide Children’s Hospital goals.

THIRD: To kick-off the spirit of charitable giving, we’re issuing a “call to commit.” We’ll match the first $100,000 in donations made to Nationwide Children’s Hospital raised by our participants in the 2012 race.

FOURTH: To pay tribute and honor the millions of patients Nationwide Children’s Hospital cares for annually, each of the 26 miles, called “Miracle Miles,” will be dedicated to a “Patient Champion” – a current patient of Nationwide Children’s.

You will have the opportunity to nominate a child as a Patient Champion (stay tuned as we’ll share more details about nominating a child soon!). Patient Champions will also be involved in other aspects of the event, from cheering participants on at the finish line, to presenting the marathon medals. Also, each Miracle Mile can be sponsored by a corporate or community organization.

Today at the press conference, we introduced Alison Hile as the very first Patient Champion who will represent the “Nationwide Insurance Miracle Mile.” Alison, 11, has been a patient of Nationwide Children’s since she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis just days after being born. Alison and her family lead an active lifestyle and love to run. Running is a very healthy activity for Alison’s lungs and is an important part of her continued treatment as a patient living with cystic fibrosis.

FIFTH: In celebration of the Columbus Bicentennial, there will be commemorative activities and recognitions at the Race Expo, Start Line and Celebration Village, including hundreds of runners and walkers holding up large Bicentennial banners at the start line, and more. Also, every 200^th finisher will receive a special award.

SIXTH: Our race field has increased! Now even more of you can participate in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon. We have the capacity for 7,000 full Marathoners and 11,000 ½ Marathoners.

We are honored to continue to make an impact on the community, and to use running and walking to not only make a difference in the lives of our participants’ health, but in the lives of others, too. Join us in supporting Nationwide Children’s Hospital and register for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon or ½ Marathon this Saturday!

With 17,000 participants and tens of thousands of spectators, it’s safe to say the Columbus Marathon adds a burst of activity to the local economy. After the 2011 event, we partnered with The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business to measure the economic impact. The results are in and we’re happy to announce that this year’s Columbus Marathon contributed more than $13 million to Central Ohio’s economy. This could not have happened without your support, so thank you!

Here are a few fun facts found in the study:

• Since the event’s inception in 1980, the marathon has infused more than $154 million into the local economy
• Each participant contributes $767
• On average, each dollar of participant registration fees generated $10 of positive impact on Central Ohio
• The Columbus Marathon is the third-largest sporting event in Columbus, in terms of spectators and participants
• The estimated healthcare savings for Central Ohio was $687,055, based on an estimated 2,005 Central Ohioans becoming physically active as a result of the event

We’re already looking forward to next year’s race – which will be bigger and better. Remember, you can claim your spot by registering on Jan. 21, 2012!