Columbus Marathon Race from dan farkas on Vimeo.

We also have a video recap narrated by Carrie Tollefson, a member of the 2004 Summer Olympic team. Tollefson ran in college at Villanova University and won the 1997 NCAA Cross Country Championships and the 1999 NCAA Outdoor and Indoor 3000 meters and Outdoor 5000 meters. At the US Olympic Trials in 2004, she won the 1500 meters. Here she is, reporting from the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon:

• An event record was set in both 1/2 Marathon events. Kiprotich Kitui of Santa Fe, NM broke the event record with a time of 1:03:30. Last year’s 1/2 Marathon winner, Daniel Kipkoech, placed 2nd in a time of 1:04:18.
• In the female 1/2 Marathon race, Allison Grace of Columbus, OH broke the event record with a time of 1:14:20 in her debut 1/2 marathon. Mariska Kramer of the Netherlands came in 2nd with a time of 1:14:42.
• In the third year of the hand cycling division, Dane Pilon of Fayetteville, NC, broke the course record he set last year at the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon with a time of 1:10:47. Chad Johnson of Charlestown, IN placed first in the wheelchair division in 1:49:17.

After crossing the finish line, marathon participants reunited with friends and family in Celebration Village, where they were invited to cool down, grab some nourishment, enjoy the perfect weather and bask in their accomplishments. All of us at the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon are very proud of this year’s field!

Thanks to the hard work of nearly 2,000 volunteers, the 2010 Columbus Marathon was a huge success. We’ll post a video recap soon, but in the meantime, here are a few photos from the day:

Thank you to all our marathon sponsors who make this event possible, especially: Nationwide Better Health, Toyota, Athletic Club of Columbus, Ohio National Guard, Gatorade Endurance, MegaMind and OSU Hospital East.

To Track Marathoners’ Progress:

• We will post a link on Sunday so anyone can track your progress through the website.
• If you’ve signed up for TweetMyTime, a Twitter app, your progress will be automatically tweeted to your followers at five different points throughout the marathon: start, 10K, ½ marathon, 20K and finish.

Getting Social

We’ll be using social media to share the marathon experience throughout the day. Here’s how you can follow along and join in the conversations:

• On Twitter, follow our Twitter account, @CbusMarathon, as well as the hashtag #cbusmarathon. We’ll be live-tweeting from the marathon and responding to as many comments/questions throughout the weekend as possible.
• On Facebook, become a fan of our page. We’ll be posting photos from the  course, as well as updates and behind-the-scenes info that you won’t want to miss.
• Throughout the day, we’ll update the blog with video, photos and announcements from the finish line.
• Attending the marathon? Don’t forget to check-in on Foursquare. We’ll create a special Columbus Marathon location for the event.

Last but not least, you’re invited to our first-ever tweetup, Saturday, Oct. 16 from 9-10 a.m. (A tweetup is just a good excuse for online connections to meet up in real life!). We’ll host this informal get-together at the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon Expo. Look for us near the finish line tape. See you there!

Columbus Marathon Complete Course Overview from dan farkas on Vimeo.

The show will be broadcast here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/columbusmarathon. In addition to watching the video broadcast, you can chat with other viewers by clicking the “Social Stream” or “Chat” boxes on the right hand side of the page.

Got questions for Darris about the course, last-minute training preparation, parking or other logistics, or anything else about the marathon? You can submit them in advance by leaving a comment on this blog post, writing them on the Facebook wall or sharing them on Twitter with the #cbusmarathon hashtag.

This “Ask the Race Director” show is to help you in your final preparations for the marathon, so don’t hesitate to let us know what questions you have. Hope to see you online on Friday!

My alarm is set for 3:52am. Let me explain.

From 3:52-4:00am I get up, splash water on my face, make a cup of coffee (thank you Keurig) and try to stay upright while desperately encouraging the blood in my body to wake up and start flowing to my legs.

At 4:08 I lace up my shoes, sigh heavily, open the front door, and secretly wish that I could have fallen in love with Zumba, spinning, yogalates, or any other sport that requires equipment or classes only available during normal daylight hours.

I walk to the end of the street, breath in the morning (or is it nighttime) air…and I run.

I run despite the fact that there are clothes in need of folding, dishes in need of washing, and carpets in need of vacuuming. Once I get to the end of my street, my only priority is the 4-6 mile training run I have on the docket for that day. And after 2 miles, it really doesn’t matter what time it is. That time belongs to me, the paper boy, and
the one other runner I occasionally see in front of the high school on Wednesdays.

After my run at 5:00am I am a new woman. Or rather, I am the woman who I aim to be every day before the world wakes up and starts throwing life at me from all different directions. I am rejuvenated, awake, and ready to tackle 2 kids, a husband, and a full time job.

I am out of the shower and dressed by 5:30. The next 30 minutes contain, but are not limited to, baby rocking, diaper changing, bottle warming, tantrum calming, sippy cup filling, and Wow Wow Wubzzy watching. At 6:00am we are out the door and off to the sitters. Breakfast is packed the night before and eaten on my commute to work.

Such is the life of a training marathon mommy. And this is only one of the many stories of moms around the world who are trying to fit 50 mile weeks and 20 mile long runs into an already overbooked schedule. We run when we can and start to unravel a little when we can’t. We fit in those runs whenever and wherever we can. We laugh at friends that post on Facebook about their “busy week.” We consider energy gels and diluted gatorade an acceptable on-the-go meal. And we sacrifice sleep for the serenity of an open road at 4:08am.

I run in the mornings for two reasons. One, I like having a couple hours in the evening free to be with my children and family. I find comfort in the fact that I am not adding to my “working mother’s guilt” bank by going off for a run when they are awake. I save the long runs for the weekends and the times that I feel they will be less damaged for life because of my absence. And two, I am a much better runner in the morning than I am after a long day of work and family obligations. Go figure.

Marathon moms are a special breed. During one marathon, at mile 17, I still found the energy to tell my cheering husband to put a hat on our baby so she didn’t get cold. And after a ½ marathon 7 months after my son was born, I celebrated by ducking off into a corner to nurse him.

You see it at every marathon, every weekend, all over the world. Marathon moms are crossing finish lines and celebrating the ultimate juggling experience. It’s so much more than the 26.2 miles to us. It’s the 18 weeks of balancing a family, home, social life, and training regime. It’s about exhaustion that can only be compared to the last 6 miles of a marathon.

We cross the finish line. We kiss our husbands. We see our babies smiling at us with pride. And suddenly tears start coming and we have that emotional breakdown that we’ve been waiting for. You know the one. The breakdown that we’ve been wanting to have for 18 weeks now…when the alarm goes off at 3:52am. The good, long, exhilarating cry that we just have not had time for.

The finish line is our time ladies. Cry, scream, collapse, sing, and hug. You are more than just a marathoner. You are a marathon mommy. I get it.

At the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon, we award first, second and third places finishers — but we also recognize people who have overcome significant obstacles during their own  marathon journey. Each year, Spirit Awards are given to people with amazing stories of inspiration and determination. Know someone who you think we should consider for this year’s Spirit Award? Email nominations to sarah [at] irvinpr.com by October 1. In 200 words or less, explain why the nominee is deserving of the award. Please also include the nominee’s name, phone number and email address. Winners will be announced in early October.

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Thanks to Meghann of MealsandMiles.com for bring this video to our attention.

The winners (one male, one female) will receive a free Columbus Marathon logo tattoo, courtesy of our friends at Evolved.

Here’s how it works:

Between now and September 30th, take a photo of your running or walking inspired tattoo and email it to tattoos@columbusmarathon.com. In the email, include your name, gender and a 50-word-or-less description of the tattoo (or the story behind it!) Keep in mind, we’re a family-friendly event, so nothing too naughty!

We’ll narrow it down to the 10 best male and 10 best female tattoos. Voting opens on October 1. You can cast your vote online or at the Evolved booth at the Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon race expo.

This contest builds on a long-standing Columbus Running Company tradition. Thanks to them and Evolved for partnering with us to bring you this fun contest as we enter the homestretch!

So, what are you waiting for? Send us your photos!