Lauren Woodring wins Columbus Marathon 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio – (Oct. 21, 2012) – Near perfect running conditions, 25 patient champions from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 100-plus bands and entertainment along the course and a first-ever trip through Ohio Stadium for marathoners highlighted the 33rd edition of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon on Sunday.
Craig Curley of Tuscon, Ariz. won the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 1 second, ending five years of Ohio runner dominance in the event.
Lauren Woodring of Bethel Park, Penn. won the women’s marathon in 2:45:29.
In the half-marathon, an event record of 1:13:32 was set by Katie McGregor of Savage, Minn., an elite distance runner for Team USA Minnesota with multiple national championships on her resume. Julius Koskei of Kenya won the men’s half-marathon in 1:03:44.
The 33rd edition of the race featured the largest marathon field in event history with 5,470 finishers. An event record of 9,931 runners finished the half-marathon.
A sold-out record field of 18,000 athletes registered this year, up from 17,000 in 2011. The combined events have sold out for six straight years and the marathon continues to be the largest marathon in Ohio.
“The partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital has brought a whole new level of engagement and meaning to this race. We heard from many of our athletes today that the patient champions at each mile gave them motivation to keep pushing forward,” said Darris Blackford, Race Director of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon. “This is just the start of many more great things for this partnership.”
Each mile of the race was represented by a patient from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The patients and their families were along every mile of the course to cheer on athletes and serve as a visual reminder of how the marathon is helping ill and injured children.
When the partnership was announced in February, the Columbus Marathon issued a “call to commit” and offered a participant match of $100,000 to be directed to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital. That match has multiplied and to date, approximately $875,000 has been raised for the hospital through the Columbus Marathon.
The 34th Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon and ½ Marathon will take place Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013.
33rd Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon and Half Marathon
Columbus, Ohio, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012
MEN’S MARATHON
1) Craig Curley, Tucson, AZ, 2:19:01, $5,000
2) James Boitt, KEN, 2:21:16, $1,500
3) Philip Lagat, KEN, 2:22:28, $1,000
WOMEN’S MARATHON
1) Lauren Woodring, Bethel Park, PA, 2:45:29, $5,000
2) Renee High, Virginia Beach, VA, 2:47:30, $1,500
3) Heidi Greenwood, Cleveland Heights, 2:47:45, $1,000
MEN’S HALF-MARATHON
1) Julius Koskei, KEN, 1:03:44, $3,000
2) George Towett, KEN, 1:04:11, $1,000
3) Philemon Terer, KEN, 1:04:21, $750
WOMEN’S HALF-MARATHON
1) Katie McGregor, Savage, MN, 1:13:32*, $3,000
2) Mariska Kramer, NLD, 1:15:48, $1,000
3) Maura Lemon, Vandalia, OH, 1:17:21, $750
*Event record
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