Nationwide Childrens Hospital Columbus Marathon Training Kickoff Starts At RunFest on July 7

June 18, 2012

More than 1,000 people are expected to kick off the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & 1/2 Marathon training season at the third annual RunFest celebration event on Saturday, July 7, 2012 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Landmark Aviation, 4130 E. Fifth Ave.  The full lineup of Patient Champions, Nationwide Children’s Hospital patients who serve as fundraising ambassadors at each of the mile markers, will be announced during the event.

Marathon supporters, enthusiasts and novices will enjoy free food from their choice of several Columbus food trucks: Sweet Carrots, Pitabilities, Green Meanie, OH! Burgers, Mikey’s Late Night Slice and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams; training advice from experts; health and fitness related booths; entertainment; and the opportunity to win incredible prizes.

“Our new partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital makes it an especially exciting time to be part of the Columbus Marathon and ½ Marathon,” said Darris Blackford, Race Director for Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon.  “Each of the 26 miles, deemed the ‘Miracle Miles,’ will be dedicated to a Patient Champion – a current patient of Nationwide Children’s who will be involved in other aspects of the event, from cheering participants on at the finish line, to presenting the marathon medals. We’ve already announced nearly half of our Patient Champions, and we are excited to share the rest of the field at RunFest.”

For more information about the July 7 RunFest, or to register for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon, visit www.ColumbusMarathon.com or contact (614) 421-RUNN (7866).

The 33rd Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon and ½ Marathon will be held on Sunday, October 21, 2012 and will have the capacity of 7,000 full Marathoners and 11,000 1/2 Marathoners. The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon is among the 20 largest marathons in the United States and is one of the top marathons to qualify runners for the Boston Marathon. For more information, visit www.columbusmarathon.com.

For More Information, 
Sarah Irvin Clark, (614) 296-4057
Michele Mooney, (614) 620-1507

About Nationwide Children's Hospital

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 14,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.7 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.