In a press release yesterday, the director of the Cleveland Marathon announced some significant changes to this year’s race route. In addition to a new, yet-to-be-determined start/finish line due to FirstEnergy Stadium repairs, the major alteration is that the city’s East Side will no longer figure into the route at all. Based on runner feedback, the marathon leadership has elected to keep all three Sunday races downtown and on the West Side.
Director Ralph Staph said survey respondents “overwhelmingly supported” that idea, so he’s now coordinating with Lakewood and Rocky River to “identify the best options” for the route through the suburbs before returning to city limits.
The Cleveland Marathon! Now in Rocky River!
“Planning a course is a very complicated and complex process,” Staph said in the press release. “Folks don’t realize how many details go into finding, securing, measuring and getting approval for all the roads that each of the courses affects. So, we appreciate the runner feedback, as it helps us gauge what matters to them – but we hope they understand that not all suggestions can be logistically accommodated.”
Except completely excising one half of the city proper. That’s a piece of cake.
This article appears in Jan 29 – Feb 4, 2014.
I suspect the East Side Councilpeople will cry hella foul. And they should.
Can we protect the children in Lakewood!!!!! cmon its a little funny.
The original marathon course was the best of ’em all – it truly was “interactive” for the runners and spectators……and the !0k course attached to it could yield some pretty fast times. But, it would mean moving the event back to CSU for the start/finish line.
If you’ve ever run the Cleveland Full, you would know that the best crowds are on the west side, and the east side was a total deadzone (except for some spots on MLK, really). It is tough enough to run that far, but then having no spectators, running through no man’s land areas east of downtown made it an even worse experience. If they want to attract runners (local or no) year after year, they had to make the race more pleasant… and that started with sending the runners through more dense and populated areas that might actually be a little more scenic. As it stood for the last couple of years, a lot of the back half of the race was a deathmarch.
The first half of the marathon is great with lots of spectators and barricade for easy, safe running. The second half becomes somewhat desolate in certain area and ESPECIALLY unsafe by traffic being allowed through in between runners in the intersections. That is precisely why I haven’t done the FULL distance again.
Probably has something to do with the runners all getting tickets from the traffic cameras in East Cleveland…I hear they were ticketed for running red lights!!! Ha, see what I did there?
For all of the comments about there being a dearth of crowds on the East Side, I would like to point out the almost entire absence of race organizers on the East Side. No bands, far fewer water stops and timing devices. It’s like the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon itself could never stand the East Side.
buh-bye, typical for you people to pull this
I’m far from a strong runner… was running the last 6 east side miles of 2012 during the fifth hour of the race in 80+ degree heat. Without a doubt, I’d rather sustain myself through a couple of bleak miles that represent Cleveland itself, than go all whitebread for a few extra bands or balloons or whatever it is people are so thrilled with running through Rocky River for. Of course, I’m from Euclid, born, raised, and marathon-trained. Maybe we think about things a little differently. Fewer yuppies, I suppose. We just get on with the darn thing.
Someone mentioned the dearth of water stops, etc., as contributing to the desolate feel of sections of the race course on the east side of the city. That’s a failure of the east side council members and community organizations, not a failure of race organizers. There are several water stops in Tremont where I live, and they are “staffed” by local residents and organized by Tremont West Development Corporation and local businesses. A couple of them are in front of restaurants and bars, which hire bands, offer free coffee and food to spectators to encourage crowds, etc. Hundreds of people come out to cheer the runners.
@RunningRattie- The final miles in 2012 were by far the worst miles I’ve ever run in 9 marathons. Running through empty warehouses and s**tty streets was awful. The previous course was an awful representation of Cleveland.
I’ve ran Cleveland marathon and Paced it also. The west side for sure has the best crowd support. A lot of history on the east side course. It’s a shame that the Mayor doesn’t support the race. I’ve been to 25 different states for marathons and this city is by worse when it comes to the Mayor helping out. Many city’s the Mayor started the race, or was on TV promoting race thru ther city. It shows the example he is. NOT A GREAT HOST. Maybe if they give him a envelope he will promote it or even make an appearance. Looking forward to the old but new route.