Columbus, OH · October
Columbus Marathon Training Plan
A free 5k, half marathon, and marathon plan for the Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon & 1/2 Marathon, built around the course and your current fitness. Answer four questions and you will see every week of it. No account, no email, no card.
- Distances
- 5K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Course
- Flat
- Usually held
- Each October
The Columbus Marathon course
A flat, well-supported city course through downtown Columbus, the Ohio State campus, and the German Village and Bexley neighbourhoods. The race is organised around its children's hospital charity, and patient champions are assigned to nearly every mile of the course, which makes the crowd support unusually dense for a race of this size.
Weather on race day
Mid-October in central Ohio is close to ideal: starts in the 40s, finishes in the 50s or 60s. A warm year is the main risk and would be felt most in the exposed later miles.
What to train for
Pace discipline and negative splitting. Flat and fast means there is nothing to hide behind, so the training that pays is long runs finished at goal pace. Use the dense crowd support as a reason to check your watch more, not less, through the first 10K.
Registration and official details: Columbus Marathon official site
Columbus Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Columbus Marathon?
Most runners give a half marathon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Columbus Marathon course hilly?
Flat. A flat, well-supported city course through downtown Columbus, the Ohio State campus, and the German Village and Bexley neighbourhoods. The race is organised around its children's hospital charity, and patient champions are assigned to nearly every mile of the course, which makes the crowd support unusually dense for a race of this size.
What is the weather usually like at the Columbus Marathon?
Mid-October in central Ohio is close to ideal: starts in the 40s, finishes in the 50s or 60s. A warm year is the main risk and would be felt most in the exposed later miles.
Do I need an account to get a Columbus Marathon training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.
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