So running in a hometown race is always beneficial for many reasons; ease of access, family and friends, and most of the ability to sleep in your own bed the night before. While all of that is great, what makes the Akron Marathon so great is the crowd support and the energy that they provide.

Starting from the Expo the day before until the end of the race you will feel a sense of organization! The Expo is held downtown and allows for racers to pick up their bib and race swag, which can vary depending on the distance you are running. Additionally having the ability to check out the new gear coming out is also a plus. Later that evening they put in an awesome pasta dinner, all you can eat, for those that want to carb load!

So a little side bar about my favorite marathon runner of all time, Meb Keflezgihi. I just happen to be walking out of the Expo and yes I ran into him! Talk about a huge pump me up for the race the next day.

So on to race day. The parking for this race is close and abundant and once again set up based on which race you are running. The start line/area is vibrant with music playing and several runners preparing themselves for the run ahead. Several restrooms available as well.

The race starts off at 7am and usually consists of quite a few runners. A great atmosphere and you will find several aid stations along the route. The supporters are amazing and lined up along the whole route. Thinking back I can't remember a time where I didn't have someone cheering me on. This year they had Akron Children Heros along the route...very inspirational.
The course takes you out of downtown, back through, and then finishing on the Akron Rubber Ducks home baseball field. The second half of the course consists of elevation changes, yet the course is fair and challenging overall.

The swag and finishing medals are great and ones that I will cherish for sometime. I recommend those that have the opportunity and want to run in a fun race the Akron Marathon is it!

Finally the day had come and I was about to run my first marathon. The build up, the training, and the early mornings were about to see the fruits of the labor. I had decided it was time to jump off the plank and sign up for my first marathon and what better at the Football Hall of Fame Marathon in Canton, Ohio.

The Expo:
The day before I headed down to the family with the Expo, which was held on the Freshman HS football field at Canton McKinely. It was a chilly day and a nasty rain storm hit just as we were rolling in. With this having been my first expo, I wasn't knowing what to expect. The event was held in a few tents with various vendors and trinkets to purchase for those running in the various races. Overall it was just a basic expo, now that I have had the opportunity to experience several others.

The Race:
The morning of, being the amateur I was, arrived at the off-sight parking at 4:45am for a 7am start time. Geez what was I thinking?!?! So we loaded up on the buses for the 10 min shuttle to the start of the race. As we disembarked off the buses I thought to myself, I am going to be cold for the next two hours. Just a quick note, they did offer parking right next to the start/finish line, however needed to be purchased and was limited in capacity.
The start of the race was congested as we started off on a narrow side street, but soon thinned out by the time you hit the half mile marker. The first half of the race headed into downtown Canton, where along the way to my surprise saw several supporters out cheering us on. The aid stations were plentiful and offered Gatorade or Water and the occasional port-a-toilet. The route then turned back towards the breakoff point for the half-marathoners to finish on the freshman football stadium. (Note: Due to the HoF Football Stadium construction, the finish line was moved.) The second half of the marathon winded through city neighborhoods and was an out an back route. One thing I didn't notice at the time, but thought about it afterwards were the amount of turns we made going up and down neighborhood streets. Definitely caused me to lose my sense of direction a few times, as I was familiar of the area. One thing I did enjoy were how the mile markers were for each football team and kept me aware and looking for my favorite team, "Detroit Lions"! The overall course was not one that had a great deal of elevation changes.

Swag:
The swag was amazing and I loved that my first marathon finisher medal was from this race. The race shirt was of outstanding quality and at the finish line we received a finisher blanket.

I would recommend this race to those as I know that the organizers have made great strides to making this race much better. They had some challenges in 2016 due to stadium construction and therefore had to modify the route and finish line. The 2017 installment will include a new location for the Expo, which will be larger, and a new route. The start/finish lines will now be in downtown Canton, versus next to the Hall of Fame.