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Names on bibs, free racing shoes for finishers make Akron marathon unique
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
Published on Thursday, Sep 25, 2008
It's a place where the course cannot accommodate spectators, so those who organize the race wanted runners to be sure they were not forgotten.
There are signs of encouragement.
And inspiration.
And one that reads: ''Gee, this sounded like a good idea three weeks ago.''
If runners laugh, the idea worked.
A lot of ideas like that have worked very well for the local marathon, for which executive race director Jim Barnett and his staff have included a personal touch that has runners raving.
''There is no marathon that even comes close to Akron for excellent value and good entertainment,'' wrote a gentleman named Mervyn Chin, from Toronto, on a comment page on Marathonguide.com, a Web site that includes objective comments from runners.
He continued: ''Akron is far superior to any race that I have done and should be the standard for all marathons. If anyone is reading this comment and can tell me a better race, then please let me know. Take my word: you will never find a better race. Do Akron and you will be spoiled forever with marathon running.''
If there is such a thing as spoiled with marathon running.
But Barnett and the staff of three of whom he boasts — executive director Anne Bitong, operations director Amy Freeman and runner services director Carrie Washnock — do all they can to ensure the race is positive for the runners and beneficial to Akron.
''We are up against some great events and we needed to do everything we could to provide runners a compelling reason to come to little old Akron, Ohio,'' Barnett said.
Dave Hunter and Doug Trier, the co-chairs of the course committee, wound the 26.2 miles through Akron's neighborhoods, rolling hills and scenery. They take advantage of the Towpath, wind through the University of Akron and take runners through the gardens at Stan Hywet Hall.
But every race tries to make its course pleasing and challenging. It's personal touches that distinguish Akron, starting with something as simple as a name.
How marathon began
Barnett said the idea for a local marathon first came up 10 years ago when Steve Marks and his wife, Jeannine, talked with Barnett about ways to donate money to charity.
They started discussing something lasting that would help Akron, and the marathon was born. Five years later, Barnett — a Class 5 whitewater kayaker, a man who has climbed in the Tetons and to the summit of Mount Denali in Alaska (The view, he said, was ''awesome.'') and who has paddled the length of the Colorado River to the Grand Canyon — was director when the first race was run in 2003.
In trying to make something unique, he and his staff traveled to the top 20 marathons in the country, adopted the good ideas and added their own.
One is the names.
Barnett ran a marathon to appreciate the runners' experience. He remembered how encouraging it was to hear the support of spectators.
But he made it more intimate in Akron. Instead of putting only numbers on runners' bibs, he put names.
Here, the cheers are personal.
''That's just huge to our runners,'' Barnett said. ''We have 100,000 spectators, and shouting individual names means a lot.''
Free beer for finishers
Akron is the only marathon to give each finisher a free pair of Brooks running shoes — ''We buy four to six new pair of shoes anyway'' — and Michelob Light, a sponsor, provides a free beer to those who finish.
''The hours and miles that go into this are extreme,'' Barnett said. ''Often people abstain during training. So we let them have a beer if they so choose.''
Of course, Dasani water and PowerAid also are available, but the beer is very popular.
''The beer at 10:30 in the morning might have been the best I have ever tasted (even better than the 'just finished cutting the lawn' beer),'' another online reviewer wrote.
Runners rave about the fact that Barnett is there to greet everyone who finishes, about the fact Canal Park is filled with fans cheering finishers, that there are 60 spots along the course that provide entertainment (and a diversion from the stress and effort), and that complimentary massages are available at the finish.
Of course, Akron also provides a quality T-shirt and a valuable medallion. ''The shirt is a badge of courage,'' Barnett said. ''And the medallion is a very important keepsake.''
Barnett, 59, moved to the area in 1974 to teach at Old Trail School and set up an Outward Bound program. He lives in Peninsula, and he and his staff's work has catapulted Akron into the top 25 of marathons nationwide.
Here in little old Akron, people are coming from all over to run. Registrations are up more than 45 percent over a year ago, and Barnett said he expects 10,000 runners.
Clearly, word is getting out that something is going very right.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 09:00 AM, 09/25/2008
I have no comment. Is this a snapshot of Romeo Crennel's brain? Nothing there?
