Runners brave the rain as Columbus' OhioHealth Capital City Half Marathon returns

Over 10,000 runners endured a chilly climate and intermittent rain Saturday morning as the OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The marathons — which also included a 5K — started on South High and West Town streets, with runners racing through areas like the Short North and around Ohio State University’s campus. Local sports marketing firm M3S Sports founded the event in 2004.

Runners came from across Ohio and beyond and included various running groups like the Columbus Westside Running Club, Columbus Running Co. and the local chapter of Black Girls Run, an organization that promotes healthy living among Black women.

Read more: Capital City Half Marathon returning to Columbus after two-year hiatus

Capital City Half Marathon is about having fun

Carolyn Thomas — an ambassador of Black Girls Run Columbus — ran her first Capital City Half Marathon in 2014, and ran the quarter marathon this year.

Thomas, 63, said with COVID-19 canceling the marathon the past two years, it’s “epic” to have everyone together again this year.

“It means party on the pavement,” Thomas said. “Just to come together and be with a group with everyone, like-minded people enjoying being outside.”

For her and others, running in the marathon is just about having fun, and putting too much stress into it causes too much anxiety, she said.

“When you do activities like this, it’s about having fun and doing your best,” Thomas said. “You put out what you put in. If you train, OK; if you don’t train, OK; you just got to go with it.”

Capital City Half Marathon participants include both veterans and first-timers

Kimberly Dobbins, of Whitehall, also came back after missing the two years of the marathon being canceled. Before that, Dobbins ran the half-marathon every year since 2009.

“I was in Weight Watchers, and we found out there was going to be a race,” Dobbins said. “I never had done a 5K or anything; I just jumped right into a half marathon.”

And now at 62, while a veteran runner, Dobbins said her goal is to prove that age is not a factor and that people can still run even as they get older.

While the Cap City marathon is not new to many, others, like Venkata Kapuganti, 28, are running it for the first time.

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Kapuganti, of Troy, Michigan, previously ran the Columbus Marathon, but wanted to make the trip down to Columbus again, “because of the atmosphere,” he said.

Vivek Miranda, 57 of Powell, also previously participated in the Columbus Marathon and is a first-time Cap City runner. He said running keeps him grounded, which is what he enjoys about it.

“(Running) breaks away from the stress, keeps you fit,” Miranda said. “I do all my thinking during running.”

But first-time runners also come with first-time supporters. Susan Strohacker, 55, of Columbus, came out to support her daughter Haley, who was running the half-marathon — and her first marathon.

Strohacker stood by the starting line, holding white signs with writing in red saying, “Run, I thought they said Rum! Have fun at the finish line,” and “Momma is Proud of You!!”

Strohacker said her daughter trained with her sister since January, and watching them train was enlightening, especially watching her get healthy, she said.

“My kids are so special to me,” Strohacker said. “I’ll support them for anything. So we support them when they’re in kindergarten; we’ll support them when they’re 23 years old.”

Top women and men finishers glad to be back after two years away

Karter Tow, 21 of Van Wert, was the first to finish the men's half-marathon with a time of 1 hour, 11 minutes, 25 seconds.

Tow, who is also a student at Ohio State studying human nutrition and dietetics, said it was only his second half-marathon, with his first being the previous Columbus Half Marathon, which he ran in October.

“I’ve been training for this since about December; I wanted to pick a race to see how fast I could run a half (marathon),” Tow said. “Today I guess things lined up, and I had a great race; I got the win; it’s awesome.”

Other top men finishers included Tom Sullivan, 24, of Columbus, who finished the quarter-marathon in 36 minutes, 13 seconds. Dustin Hall, 33, of Sunbury, finished the 5K in 15 minutes, 39 seconds.

Top women finishers included Krista Roehlig, who finished the half-marathon in 1 hour, 21 minutes, 32 seconds; Julia Roche, who finished the quarter-marathon in 36 minutes, 9 seconds; and Meagan Ita, who finished the 5K in 19 minutes, 30 seconds.

Hall, who battled injuries and a surgery for the past couple years, said it was good to be back running, especially with the marathon being canceled the past two years.

More: OhioHealth Capital City Half Marathon returns to Columbus: What to know about race day

“It’s like a kid in a candy store, like the feeling of a kindergartner running out to recess,” Hall said. “Just freedom to actually be back out and racing and competing, the whole spectrum of what it means to compete.”

But while he was one of the first-place winners of the three races, Hall said at the end of the day it’s just about having fun.

“Yeah, I definitely have lots of friends who are not as fast as I am, but I feel like we all have the same amount of fun,” Hall said.

mylee@dispatch.com

@leem386

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cap City Marathon: Runners brave rain as races return after two years