More than 15,000 athletes filled downtown Columbus streets on Sunday, October 18, for the 46th Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon and the 20th running of the half-marathon, with Ohio runner Ashton Swinford of Hudson winning the women’s marathon in 2:38:05. The field drew participants from 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 15 countries, turning the capital city into a daylong celebration of running and fundraising.
Nick Doud of Bloomington, Illinois, won the men’s marathon in 2:15:08 after training since the summer and using Columbus to prepare for the Marathon Project in Arizona in December. Doud said the hardest stretch came late, just as veterans of the distance warn. “Everyone says the race starts at mile 20. They’re not wrong,” he said, adding that his legs felt like jelly about two miles into mile 20 before he pushed through to the finish.
In the half-marathon, James Quattlebaum of Greenville, South Carolina, won the men’s race in 1:01:30. Colbi Borland of Sunbury, Ohio, won the women’s half in 1:12:35 in her first half-marathon, coached by her father. Borland kept her goal simple as she raced, repeating a piece of blunt advice to herself: “Don’t screw this up.” Her debut victory gave Ohio runners wins in both the women’s marathon and the women’s half-marathon.
More than 1,700 volunteers helped stage the event, and more than 40 bands, DJs and other entertainers lined the course to keep runners moving and spectators engaged from the early miles to the finish. Together, the volunteers and performers gave the race the feel of a citywide festival, with music and cheering carrying athletes through neighborhoods across Columbus throughout the morning.
At the heart of the race is its connection to Nationwide Children’s Hospital and its patient champions. Alison Hile, 25, who has cystic fibrosis and receives care at the hospital, became the event’s first patient champion in 2012. Her mother, Jill Hile, serves as vice chair of the Columbus Marathon. This year, 24 Marathon Mile Champions were honored along the course, joined by a Remembrance Mile and an Encore Mile recognizing more than 290 patients who have taken part from 2012 through 2025.
The fundraising effort reached well beyond the elite field. A total of 986 Children’s Champions fundraising participants ran in support of the hospital, including Emily Blevins, 31, of Lancaster, who backed the cause after the loss of her child in May. Stories like hers ran through the field all morning, as thousands of runners carried personal reasons alongside their race numbers toward the finish line.
With Swinford’s victory leading a strong day for Ohio athletes, strong winning times in all four races and another enormous turnout, the 46th edition reinforced the Columbus Marathon’s place as one of the state’s signature sporting events — one where fast finishes, first-time racers and the patients of Nationwide Children’s Hospital share the same course and the same celebration.
Photo: Mark Sundstrom, CC BY-SA 2.0