Runners will take a new route through part of Columbus during this year’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon.
The races return Oct. 18, with course changes designed to make the route safer and more runner-friendly while showcasing Parsons Avenue, race director Darris Blackford previously told The Dispatch.
More than 15,000 runners are expected for the 26.2-mile marathon and 13.1-mile half-marathon. Runners should expect cold temperatures to start with the possibility of frost forecast early Sunday morning.
Whether you’re running or picking a spot to cheer, here’s where the courses will take participants.
New Columbus Marathon race routes for 2026
Both courses take runners east from Downtown toward Bexley before looping back through Olde Towne East and past Nationwide
Children’s Hospital.
The updated stretch comes near mile 9, where runners head west on Livingston Avenue, turn south onto Parsons Avenue and continue to Thurman Avenue.
"We’ll go down past the hospital as always, then from Livingston to Parsons to Thurman," Blackford previously told The Dispatch.
From Thurman, runners travel through German Village near Schiller Park before heading north on High Street toward Downtown.
“The exciting part is, Parsons Avenue is going through a lot of positive changes,” Blackford said. “We didn’t want to force our way through a new part of town. We want to be as neighborly as possible.”
Blackford said he met with businesses and community groups along the new stretch, and they were receptive and eager to participate in the 2026 marathons.
Where does the Columbus half-marathon route go?
The 13.1-mile course starts and finishes near North Bank Park.
Runners head east along Broad Street, passing the Columbus Museum of Art and Franklin Park Conservatory on the way toward Bexley. The route follows Drexel Avenue, East Main Street and South Nelson Road before returning west on Broad Street.
Participants then turn toward Olde Towne East via Ohio Avenue, Bryden Road and 18th Street before reaching Livingston Avenue and Nationwide Children's.
After the new Parsons Avenue stretch and the loop through German Village, half-marathon runners head north on High Street and return to the North Bank Park finish area.
Where does the full Columbus Marathon route go?
The 26.2-mile course includes the eastern and southern portions of the half-marathon route, then continues north for a longer tour of Columbus and neighboring communities.
Marathon runners travel through the Short North and the Ohio State University area, passing landmarks including Ohio Stadium. The course also takes participants through Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights and Victorian Village before returning to North Bank Park.
What time do the Columbus Marathon races start?
The marathon and half-marathon begin at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 18, near North Bank Park, 311 W. Long St. The wheelchair division starts at 7:25 a.m., and corrals open at 6 a.m.
Drivers should expect rolling road closures along the race routes beginning at 7:30 a.m. Some streets around the start and finish area will close beginning Oct. 16.
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
Features and entertainment reporter Belinda M. Paschal, bpaschal@dispatch.com, contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Marathon has a new route for 2026
