Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon
Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon
( 21 reviews )-
Canton,
Ohio,
United States - April
- 3 miles/5K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon, Relay
- Road Race
- Event Website
Christine Guenther
Spokane, Washington, United StatesOverall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
This year was the first year for the HOF Half and Full Marathon, so there were some pluses and minuses. The race is 7 AM, with a 4 hour 1/2 Marathon time limit and a 6 hour Marathon time limit. You have the option at registration to have your bib and shirt sent to you, a huge relief if you can't make the Saturday expo. The expo is throughout the HOF and on the HOF football field and you get free access to the HOF on Saturday.
On Sunday, runners parked at the Fairgrounds and were shuttled to the start in front of the HOF. One issue is the lines getting into the parking area. Even though I was within 1/4-1/2 a mile, it took 10 minutes to get in and parked and another 20 ish minutes to get to the start, so 2-3 busloads were running to the start with 2 minutes to spare. A decent course throughout Canton with some residential and park views. Expect some hills on the course. Water/Aid stations every 2 miles starting at mile 2.5. One issue I had was that despite having visible paramedics occasionally on course, there was no medical tents with the aid stations, so if you needed them, sorry out of luck! You finish inside the stadium after the half and full split at the 20K mark. Good bling and finishers blanket at the end with a good amount of food and massages.
Bag pick up took awhile and was set up in the bleachers. Felt like there needed to be a better way to organize that part of things. Also, no clear signs of where to exit the stadium.
Shuttles continued to bus back and forth to the fairgrounds. An issue I had leaving was that after you leave the fairgrounds, you're left trying to find the few roads opened that will get you to I-77. It took me a good 20-30 minutes just to figure out how to get 20 I-30 to connect to 77. Think some course alterations need to be done