Reminder: There is no race day packet pick-up or registration!
Travel
Columbus is within 550 miles of half the population of the United States and traveling here is easy. The Port Columbus International Airport is located less than 8 miles (an 11-minute drive) from the marathon's starting line and several downtown hotels, shopping, entertainment and restaurants.
Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon Info Map 2008
Other fun things to do in Columbus:
- colszoo.com — The Columbus Zoo
- columbusmuseum.org — The Columbus Art Museum
- cosi.org — Center of Science and Industry
- nationwidearena.com — Nationwide Arena
- northmarket.com — North Market
- columbussports.org — Columbus Sports Commission
- bluejackets.com — Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Team
- columbus.crew.mlsnet.com/MLS/coc/ — Columbus Crew
- fpconservatory.org — Franklin Park Conservatory
- ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com — OSU
- capital.edu — Capital University
- otterbein.edu — Otterbein College
- arena-district.com — The Arena District
- theshortnorth.com — The Short North
- germanvillage.com — German Village
- downtowncolumbus.com — Downtown Columbus
- experiencecolumbus.com — Experience Columbus
Hotels
The first four hotels are sponsor hotels.
- Columbus Renaissance — two blocks from the start, about five blocks to the finish. (614-228-5050)
- Crowne Plaza Hotel — less than two blocks from the finish, about five to the start. (614-461-4100)
- Hyatt Regency Columbus — two blocks from finish, four from start. (614-463-1234)
- Hyatt on Capitol Square — one block from start line, just about seven blocks to finish. (614-228-1234)
- Woodfin Suites Hotel Dublin — 16 miles to the start/finish
- Hampton Inn — four blocks to the start and three blocks to the finish. (614-559-2000)
- Drury Inn & Suites — three blocks to the finish and four blocks to the start. (614-221-7008)
- Sheraton Suites Columbus — is about 15 miles from race start and finish. (614-436-0004)
- The Blackwell — located on the Fisher College of Business campus of Ohio State University - is 4.5 miles away from the finish line and a little over five miles from start.
- The Lofts Hotel — less than two blocks from finish, about five to start. (614-461-2663)
- Westin Columbus — four blocks to starting line... just over a mile to finish. (614-228-3800)
- Best Western Columbus North — about 10 miles from race start and finish. (614-888-8230)
- Courtyard by Marriott Columbus Worthington — About 14 miles north of start and finish. (614-228-3200)
- Courtyard By Marriott — about three blocks from the start and finish (614-228-3200)
- Red Roof Inn — about two blocks from the finish, and five to the start (614-224-6539)
Parking°
Start Area
- Columbus City Center parking garages
- Statehouse Parking Garage
- Parking lots/garages on the corner of Third and Gay Streets
- Parking lots/garages on the corner of Long and Third Streets
- Parking lot on the corner of Parkview and Main Streets next to Fisherman's Warf
- Residential streets in the vicinity.
- Golden Hobby Shop located on the corner of Sycamore and Third Streets
- Old Engine House #5 Lot on the corner of Thurman and Fourth Streets
- Residential streets in the vicinity
- Ohio Funeral Directors Association on the corner of College Hill Drive and N. Starr Road
- Businesses on the South side of Lane Avenue, East of Starr Road
Finish Area
There are more than 15,000 parking spaces available within a 10-minute walk of Nationwide Arena, including the following Arena District lots and garages:
- Front Street Garage
- Chestnut Street Garage
- Arena Crossing Garage
- Neil Ave. Garage
- Marconi Blvd. Garage
- Arena West surface parking lot
- Vine Street surface parking lot
- Front Street surface parking lot
Experience Columbus Map
°The Columbus Marathon cannot guarantee parking availability in any of these lots due to changing schedules and lack of ownership. These are suggested places to park in order to help out those wishing to watch the Columbus Marathon for the first time. Also, spectators and participants are responsible for any parking fee charged by those who own the lot.
Experience Columbus
Experience Columbus is the capital city's convention and visitor's bureau and is a great resource for planning your trip to Columbus. Visit www.experiencecolumbus.com and get information on everything from the best shopping and restaurants to different tourist destinations in Columbus to local festivals and cultural events taking place.
Columbus Information
- Columbus is the largest city in Ohio and the 15th largest city in the nation
- Columbus has more shopping space per capita than all but six U.S. cities including New York City and Los Angeles
- Place Rated Almanac ranks Columbus one of the best metro areas for the arts, ahead of both San Diego and Miami, Fl.
- Columbus has been ranked the #1 Best city in the Midwest for entrepreneurs (Entrepreneur/Oct. 2002); #1 Stadium experience in professional sports - Nationwide Arena, home of the Blue Jackets (ESPN the magazine/Feb. 2004; #1 Best city in the U.S. for African Americans (Black Entertainment Network/Oct. 2002); #2 City in the U.S. for singles (America Online/Feb. 2003); and #4 Cleanest City in the U.S. (ReadersDigest.com/June 2005)
- German Village is the largest privately restored neighborhood in the United States
See what the national and regional media are saying about Columbus
There's a reason why travel is so great. Never was that so clear as the steamy mid-summer evening spent wandering in Columbus' German Village. The name warns of kitsch around the corner, but this actually turns out to be one of the most atmospheric old city neighborhoods in North America. Coastal types pay good money to live in districts that only come close to approaching the charm and scale of this elegant neighborhood crowded with red brick row houses along impossibly well-kept streets. (To top it off, this is the location of a charming guesthouse, perhaps one of the nicest in the Midwest.
A visit to the North Market, with its artisanal food producers (everything from gelato to hormone free ham loaf!) and lively atmosphere, coupled with a trip up High Street, from the edgy Short North area past the boisterous university district and into the sedate suburb of Worthington (with a stop for ice cream at legendary Ohio churner Graeter's) just sealed the deal -- Columbus is vastly underrated.
The New York Post, December 2007
Who knew Columbus was so cool?
My husband and I had no idea. But when work brought us here, we found it to be nothing like we expected. There was a large and bustling arts district. There was a gourmet food market to rival Seattle's famed Pike Place Market. There was a historic district, German Village, with cobbled streets, rehabbed brick homes and cafes. There were restaurants that bested many of our dining experiences in Chicago.
It was downright hip.
But best of all, a short walk brought us to the North Market, a bustling indoor space crammed with purveyors of high-quality food, coffees and housewares. Go when you're hungry; you can get Indian food, pastas, breads, coffee and mouth watering petits fours. Locals stock up on top-quality fish and meats. On weekends, you will find yourself squeezing through cheerful crowds and wondering why Chicago has no equivalent.
A few blocks farther is the Short North arts district. This impressive strip of art galleries, restaurants and boutiques is worth hours of wandering.
The Chicago Tribune, November 2007
Columbus is great. It is very much like England to me. It has the same sort of countryside, rolling hills, you know, small kind of civilized communities of people that all know one another.
Eric Clapton (owns a home in Columbus)
CNN, Larry King Live, Oct. 12, 2007
Columbus Cool. In the last few years, Columbus has undergone a transformation. By luring young professionals to its homegrown empires like the Limited and Abercrombie & Fitch, the city has seen a flurry of downtown development – and gained an unexpected new profile as a Midwestern style capital.
The New York Times, Sept. 23, 2007
Thanks to an ongoing downtown-revival project and Ohio State University (with nearly 60,000 students), Columbus has a young, energetic vibe.
Shape, July 2007
You haven’t tasted ice cream until you’ve tasted Jeni’s, located at the historic North Market in Ohio’s largest city.
The Boston Sunday Globe, July 22, 2007
This city is a big mystery to many Triad residents, but Skybus is about to reveal the truth: Columbus is booming. And it's not a bad tourist spot, either. … In some ways, this capital city of more than 700,000 takes many of Charlotte's best features and leaves some of the worst behind. Construction, redevelopment, a big airport, an acclaimed new downtown arena district and big hotels invite the comparison to Charlotte. But you won't find Charlotte's "big 'n' rich" attitude here.
The News & Record (Greensboro, NC), June 10, 2007
Columbus is known for many things – the state capitol, the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Ohio State Fair and oodles of shopping and dining options. But Columbus also is home to a bustling arts scene. From galleries to shops, it’s hard to step foot in the capital city and miss out the artistic vibe.
The Medina Gazette, June 26, 2007
Columbus, Ohio teeming with energy. An America Online survey named this booming Midwestern city the “second best city in the U.S. for singles.” As the home to Ohio State, it’s evolved into a hip college town. And it boasts the 19,000-seat Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL’s Blue Jackets, which ESPN The Magazine declared “the No. 1 stadium experience in professional sports.” That’s high praise, and no doubt it’s partly due to the fun neighborhood that surrounds it. You can easily find a weekend’s worth of entertainment in Columbus’ Arena and Short North districts.
Wknd Trips, May/June 2007
These days, walking neighborhoods almost seem a quaint idea …. So it was a lift returning to the streets of the Short North recently and finding it is still long on authentic urban vitality…. Northeast Ohio has its own walkable, distinctive, retail districts …. But none are attached to a downtown convention center and arena district. Nor are they so deeply embraced by the public for their art.”
The Plain Dealer, April 1, 2007
High art in Ohio. (Short North featured in “Neighborhood Watch.”)
National Geographic Traveler, Nov/Dec 2006
Columbus is really a series of small, friendly towns strung like pearls along the city’s grand avenue, High Street.
Delta Sky, Nov. 2006
The problem with Columbus’s image, the joke goes, is that it doesn’t have one. There’s no Statue of Liberty, Golden Gate Bridge or other unmistakable monument marketing the skyline. But the central Ohio city’s ever-expanding arts community could help Columbus not only distinguish itself from other cities in the state, but create a strong national presence as well.”
AmericanStyle, Oct. 2006
One of my favorite memories of Rome is sitting in my little neighborhood piazza on a steamy Roman night eating black cherry and lemon gelato with fresh whipped cream. The cherries and lemons tasted as if they were picked off a tree that day, which they almost were. The only place in the United States I've managed to find tastes that accurate is, of course, that tropical paradise and ice cream capital of the world: Columbus, Ohio.
Denver Post, Aug. 15, 2006
These days, Columbus, Ohio, qualifies for heavy-duty respect and guaranteed never-boring fun for visitors. … Add to its rich cultural offerings a seasonal “fix” for San Diegans in the city’s blankets of spring-blooming trees and flowers; then, an impressively diverse, integrated and tolerant populace, and it’s understandable that once there by accident (a visit to relatives? A conference?), you’re already making lists for your purposeful return.
The San-Diego Union Tribune, May 21, 2006
… with nearly three-quarters of a million people, Columbus bustles; it's the 15th-largest city in the nation. Over the past decade or so, the city has pumped more than $2 billion into its downtown, resulting in a primo arts district, great museums and a new sports and entertainment area. Even better, Columbus remains a good old Midwestern city: friendly, accessible and welcoming.
Milwaukee Star Tribune, May 2006
