The Towpath Marathon is a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair di ...

race held each October on the

Towpath Trail The Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail is a multi-use trail that follows part of the former route of the Ohio & Erie Canal in Northeast Ohio. The trail runs from north to south through Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark, and Tuscarawas counties. The tr ...

located in

Cuyahoga Valley National Park Cuyahoga Valley National Park is an American national park that preserves and reclaims the rural landscape along the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland in Northeast Ohio. The park is administered by the National Park Service, but within ...

Northeast Ohio The region Northeast Ohio, in the US state of Ohio, in its most expansive usage contains six metropolitan areas ( Cleveland–Elyria, Akron, Canton–Massillon, Youngstown–Warren, Mansfield, and Weirton–Steubenville) along with eight ...

. A half-marathon and 10K race are held in conjunction with the marathon. In 2009 the Towpath Marathon had the 18th highest percentage of participants to qualify for the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ...

with 98 runners, or 20.7%, qualifying.

The course

The course begins on Riverview Road just to the north of the Boston Mills Ski Resort. Runners head south until they come to Boston Mill Road where they run east until they enter the Towpath Trail, a distance of approximately 0.5 miles. Runners head south along the trail for roughly seven miles, turn around at the Ira Road Trailhead parking lot and then run back north for 13 miles. Just north of the Station Road Bridge the runners again reverse direction and head south for six miles until they reach the finish line at the Boston Store. ''

Runner's World ''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in E ...

'' magazine has described the race as “one of the most beautiful race courses in America”.

History

The first Towpath Marathon was held in 1992 as part of the ceremonies to inaugurate the Towpath Trail and the

Ohio and Erie Canal The Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed during the 1820s and early 1830s in Ohio. It connected Akron with the Cuyahoga River near its outlet on Lake Erie in Cleveland, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth. It als ...

way in

. An average of 1,200 participants take part in this annual event.

Course records

*Male – 2:27:59 *Female - 2:50:42

References

{{reflist Marathons in the United States Sports competitions in Ohio Tourist attractions in Cuyahoga County, Ohio Tourist attractions in Summit County, Ohio Recurring sporting events established in 1992 Sports in Summit County, Ohio Sports in Cuyahoga County, Ohio