Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon & Expo

Attendees, exhibitors & solutions

Who this event is for

Industry trends

Key trends shaping this market and its wider industry.

Hotel tiers

A range of accommodation options near the venue and across key areas.

Local transport

Get around the city with these convenient transport options.

Frequently asked

Glossary

1

Bib

The numbered race document pinned to your chest and back. At Columbus it carries your timing chip, so it must be worn on the front, unaltered, and never folded or covered by a jacket.

2

Packet pickup

The pre-race collection of bib and shirt, handled at the health and fitness expo in the Greater Columbus Convention Center in the days before the start. Photo ID is normally required and most races do not allow pickup by proxy.

3

Expo

The indoor hall of running shoe, apparel, nutrition, physiotherapy and charity stands attached to packet pickup. It is where last-minute gels, socks, and a replacement race belt get bought, and where race-tour operators and charity teams recruit entrants.

4

Corral

A seeded starting pen. Runners are placed by the qualifying time entered at registration, with faster corrals at the front. Entering a corral ahead of your assigned one slows the runners behind you and is usually policed at the gate.

5

Wave start

Staggered releases from the corrals, minutes apart, so the field spreads out before the first narrow streets. Your wave, not your arrival time at the start area, sets when you cross the mats.

6

Chip time vs gun time

Chip time runs from the moment you cross the start mat to the moment you cross the finish mat. Gun time runs from the starting horn. Age-group and prize decisions usually use gun time; personal results and qualifying claims usually use chip time.

7

Cutoff time

The clock limit for finishing, usually measured from the final wave start rather than from your own start. Roads reopen on a rolling schedule, so runners behind the cutoff are moved to the sidewalk or collected by the sweep vehicle.

8

Sweep vehicle

The trailing bus or van that follows the last runner and picks up anyone who cannot maintain the cutoff pace. Being swept means an official DNF, though most races still record the miles covered.

9

Aid station

Volunteer-run tables spaced along the route serving water and an electrolyte drink, with gels or fruit at later stops. Columbus stations sit roughly every one to two miles, and the exact list is printed in the race guide.

10

Pace group and pacer

A cluster of runners led by an experienced volunteer carrying a sign for a target finish time, for example 3:30 or 4:15. Pacers hold even splits, which makes them useful on a flat course where it is easy to start too fast.

11

Taper

The two to three weeks of reduced mileage before race day that let the legs absorb months of training. The 14-day window is where most travel planning and gear testing should be finished, not started.

12

Negative split

Running the second half of the race faster than the first. On a flat downtown course it is the standard recipe for a personal best and the usual advice given to first-timers at the pre-race briefing.

13

Boston qualifier (BQ)

A marathon whose certified course and measured timing are accepted for Boston Marathon entry. Runners chasing a BQ should confirm the certification status and the qualifying window on the official race site before entering.

14

Seed / qualifying time

The recent race result entered during registration that determines your corral. It must come from a certified, chip-timed race within the window the organiser accepts.

15

Gear check

The bag drop at the start area where warm layers are handed in and collected at the finish. Bags are usually restricted to the clear plastic bag supplied at the expo.

16

DNF and DNS

Did not finish and did not start. Both appear in official results, and a DNS is recorded when a registered runner never crosses the start mat, which matters for deferral and charity-entry rules.