Tip #6 | No littering!

Welcome back to our annual “26 Tips for 26.2 Miles” blog series. For the 26 days leading up to race day, athletes and spectators can get daily tips to make the most of OUR race. Stay tuned for tips on parking and food, cool viewing spots and race rules, and answers to all your pressing race day questions. We are here to help you make the most of your 2023 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon experience! Let’s go!

The 2023 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon is a world-class event in a beautiful part of the country. We spend all year making sure you have a clean and safe experience, and we appreciate your help with keeping the streets of Columbus beautiful. Remember: being on a race course is not a license to litter!

Consider this small sample of the supplies we offer athletes on race day, combined with all the personal nutrition and clothing items athletes choose to bring on the course:

• 100,000 White Castle cups of water

• 100,000 cups of Lemon-Lime Gatorade Endurance

• 15,000 bottles of water

• 4,000 Clif SHOT energy gels

• 8,000 nutrition bars

• 8,000 cartons of chocolate milk

• 8,000 bags of potato chips

• 8,000 packets of string cheese

• 8,000 packs of peanut butter crackers

• 8,000 bananas

• 5,000 apples

• And more!

Now, imagine even a portion of these items scattered across your lawn and throughout your neighborhood.

Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to toss your fluid cups or throwaway gloves to the ground within an actual fluid stop zone! We have amazing volunteers stationed in those areas, equipped with gloves, rakes, and garbage bags. It’s why we also ask that you hold on to any nutrition packaging, clothing items, or extra cups until you find the next proper receptacle or water stop – there are people there to help properly dispose of the items while you keep racing toward that PR!

Our volunteers and the marathon team (even our Race Director) spend hundreds of hours cleaning up litter, and we work hard to offer a variety of convenient trash disposal options on the course so you can discard items without compromising your race time. We’re grateful to you for helping us respect the neighborhoods in which we live, work, play, and race!

Have additional questions? Let us know in the comments below, or share with us on Facebook and Instagram, and we’ll be sure to get them answered!