COLUMBUS, Ohio — The OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon returns to downtown Columbus.
Thousands of runners are expected to participate in Saturday's events and they can also experience the full event in person for the first time in two years.
Whether you are a runner, a spectator or just going to be around the downtown area this weekend, here is everything you need to know.
Details of the race
Runners can pick up their packets at the Vue Columbus at 95 Liberty Street from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. There is free parking in numbered spots in the Liberty Street lot.
On Saturday, the half and quarter marathons begin at 8 a.m. and the Cap City 5K starts at 8:30 a.m. All events will begin at High and Rich Streets.
Participants are highly encouraged to show up early to the race. Gear and personal items can be checked into tents from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Once runners cross the finish line, they will be celebrated at the Giant Eagle Curbside Express Recovery Zone where they will receive their Official Finisher's Medal and food and water to refuel.
Parking
Participants and spectators are encouraged to park at garages near the Columbus Commons.
Preferred, pre-paid parking is available at the locations listed in the pictures below and on the event's website.
Road Closures
Starting at 5 p.m. Friday, organizers will be setting up equipment downtown. From Friday evening to Saturday afternoon, the following roads and intersections will be closed:
- High Street from Broad Street to Rich Street
- West Town Street from West Front Street and South High Street
- East Town Street from South Third Street to the Columbus Commons Garage
- East Rich Street from High Street to South Third Street
On the day of the race, Interstate 70 will be closed between I-71 and Rt. 315. In addition, all traffic into downtown Columbus will be redirected via I-670 or East Broad Street.
The race will also have rolling road closures that will affect streets throughout the city from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
You can learn about the road closures and detours here.
Excitement for this year's race
The courses for the 5k and quarter and half marathons are all the same as they were in 2019. Like in the years before the pandemic, the race will start and finished at Columbus Commons with a big celebration.
“We want everybody to participate in this celebration so we're going to keep registration open up until race day,” said Race Director David Babner.
Babner believes that this year's event will be big with Columbus being almost back to normal and the marathon being back to in-person.
"It’s big for all the participants to come down all the residents to come down, we’ll have folks from almost every state in the country come down, we’ll have folks from some other countries come in it’s just awesome to see everyone together in Columbus again,” he said.
What's new for the event this year is that runners will see and hear two dozen PNC power stations with live music and DJs throughout the race route.