Cleveland Marathon
Cleveland, United States · May · Independent
Why people love it
- Rock Hall, Lake Erie and Hope Memorial Bridge views.
- Open entry; pace groups up to 6 hours.
- Starts and finishes downtown.
- New 2026 route has only 3.2 km (2 mi) on the Shoreway.
- Good finish food, chocolate milk and a beer tent.
Watch out for
- Hills near miles 12 and 19 (19 and 31 km) and many turns.
- Water ran out on a 29 °C (84 °F) day in 2024.
- Little shade; highs reached 28 °C (83 °F) in 2025.
- Quiet stretches in Lakewood and on Detroit Avenue.
- The 2026 route is new, so older reviews may not apply.
Race
How racers feel about it, how well it is run, and how it treats a first timer. Counts for 28% of the overall score.
Toughness: Tough
- Racer satisfactionLoved3.6
RaceRaves 3.8 from 34 runners, MarathonGuide 4.6 from 3. Landmarks and logistics please; hills, heat, water shortages in 2024 and thin crowds hold it back. · Medium confidence
- OrganizationWell run3.6
RaceRaves production 4.1 and runners call logistics a breeze, but a 2024 marathoner ran out of water on a 29 °C (84 °F) day. · Medium confidence
- First timer friendlyDoable3.0
Pacers to 6 hours and a reportedly generous cutoff, but hills, turns and heat make it harder than a flat first marathon. · Medium confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- PR potentialAverage2.6
Reviewers call it hillier with more turns than before. Even so, one runner BQ'd with a big PR and 130 qualified in 2025 (7.6%). · Medium confidence
Course
Scenery, road surface, closures, and room to run. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Course sceneryBeautiful3.7
Rock Hall, the lake, Hope Memorial Bridge and Edgewater; RaceRaves scenery is only 3.4 out of 5 and some call the course fine, not great. · Medium confidence
- Room to runSome pinch points3.2
Fewer tight early turns after the 2026 redesign, but earlier reports mention many turns and an out-and-back second half. · Medium confidence
- Road surfaceGood3.5
City asphalt and the Shoreway; no reviewer raises surface problems. · Low confidence
- Road closuresMostly closed3.6
The city publishes closures for downtown and the course, and locals complain about them, which suggests wide closures. Few runner reports. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Course flatnessRolling2.7
Rolling with named climbs into Tremont and near mile 12 (19 km); 201 m (659 ft) is from an older layout. · Low confidence
- Net downhillEven3.0
Loop with a downhill finish into downtown, no meaningful net change. · Medium confidence
Support
Crowds, aid stations, the start, and pacers. Counts for 20% of the overall score.
- Start logisticsSmooth3.7
Aubrey and others call logistics a breeze, easy downtown access, early packet pickup and parking near the start; 2024 hotels near the start were noisy. · Medium confidence
- Pacers and timingGood4.0
Reviewers praise the pacer teams, with groups up to 6 hours. · Medium confidence
- Crowd supportDecent3.1
Strong at the start, Tremont, Ohio City and the bridges; dead zones in Edgewater, Lakewood and late Detroit Avenue, near-empty in rain. · Medium confidence
- Aid stationsStandard3.0
Water ran out for back-of-pack runners on a hot day in 2024; a mid-pack runner had no problems. Finish food and chocolate milk praised. · Medium confidence
Conditions
Air temperature, how predictable the weather is, setting, and spectating. Counts for 14% of the overall score.
- WindSome wind3.1
Lakefront stretches can be breezy; older descriptions note tailwinds on a former layout. · Low confidence
- Air temperatureWarm or cool3.4
Typical start 8 to 18 °C (46 to 64 °F), but 28 to 29 °C (83 to 84 °F) hit 2024 and 2025. · Medium confidence
- Weather reliabilityVariable2.8
May 15 highs ranged 16 to 28 °C (60 to 83 °F) in five years; cold rain in 2025, heat in 2024 and 2025. · Medium confidence
- Spectator friendlySome viewpoints3.3
Downtown and Tremont allow viewing, but spectator parking and tracking were reported difficult. · Low confidence
Course traits, not part of the score
- Low altitudeSea level4.7
About 183 m (600 ft) above sea level on Lake Erie, well below 1,500 m (4,900 ft). · Medium confidence
Stay and travel
Hotels, walkability, getting there, and the town around the race. Counts for 10% of the overall score.
- Hotel availabilityBook early3.4
Downtown hotels sold out for the roughly 13,000 runners in 2026, but the city has many rooms. · Medium confidence
- Hotel valueNormal3.3
City hotel pricing; no price evidence found. · Low confidence
- WalkabilityWalkable4.0
Start and finish at the Mall downtown, within walking distance of many downtown hotels. · Medium confidence
- Travel easeEasy4.0
Major city airport and interstate access; airport distance not found. · Low confidence
- LogisticsSimple3.9
Early packet pickup and easy parking noted; expo had few freebies. · Medium confidence
- Town and foodGood3.8
Playhouse Square, Ohio City and Hingetown restaurants along the route; finish beer tent praised. · Low confidence
Entry
How hard it is to get a place, and what you get for the fee. Counts for 8% of the overall score.
- Getting inEasy4.4
Open entry through RunSignup and not reported as selling out. · Medium confidence
- Value for moneyFair3.4
Fee not found. Finish food and chocolate milk praised, expo lacked freebies, swag 3.8 out of 5. · Low confidence
Key facts
- Location
- Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, United States
- Typical month
- May
- Latest or next date
- 16 May 2027
- Organiser
- Independent
- Field size
- About 1,900 athletes
- First held
- 1978
- Distances
- 42.2 km (26.2 mi)
- Course type
- loop
- Climbing
- 201 m (660 ft)
- Start time
- 07:00
- Boston qualifier
- Yes
- Surface
- Asphalt city streets and the Shoreway
- How to get in
- open
- Sells out
- Rarely
- Air temperature
- 8–18 °C (46–64 °F)
- Humidity
- Moderate to high on warm days
- Altitude
- 183 m (600 ft)
- Nearest airport
- Cleveland Hopkins (CLE)
- Where to stay
- Downtown Cleveland, Playhouse Square, Ohio City
- Booking
- Downtown hotels near the start sell out for race weekend; one 2024 reviewer found hotels near the start noisy.
What racers and reviewers say
- RaceRaves Cleveland Marathon page (34 ratings)Raced 2025 · aggregator · Mixed
Rated 3.8 out of 5 from 34 runners, difficulty 3.0, scenery 3.4, production 4.1. Praised: downtown landmarks and lakefront, strong early crowds and volunteers, easy logistics and good pacer teams, finish food. Criticised: hills and turns (one calls mile 19 the toughest stretch), heat and little shade, water shortages on an 84 °F (29 °C) day in 2024, thin second-half crowds and cold rain in 2025. A 2026 half runner rates it below Flying Pig and Columbus.
“Ran out of water on 84 degree day”
- MarathonGuide race reviews (2021, 2023, 2024)Raced 2024 · aggregator · Positive
Three reviews, 4.6 out of 5 on average, one at 5.0 and one at 4.0. Praise for a scenic long lake stretch, early packet pickup, parking near the start, strong crowds, extra water on a warm day and chocolate milk at the finish. Warns that the 2024 course is hillier with more turns than before, less suited to PRs, and that a long climb at mile 12 (19 km) in 2021 was unwelcome.
- Reddit discussion on Cleveland crowd support (April 2026, via snapshot)Raced 2026 · forum · Mixed
Runners say crowd support is strong at the start, Tremont, Ohio City and near the bridges but modest elsewhere, with Edgewater through Lakewood and the last Detroit Avenue miles quiet; cold or rainy days are nearly deserted. One experienced runner advises the half over the full because of late-May heat and little shade. Spectator parking is inconvenient and road closures draw local complaints.
“I wouldn't plan on crowd support getting you through the race.”
- BibRave Cleveland Marathon reviewsRaced 2021 · aggregator · Mixed
Reviewers split on the hills: one 2024 runner called it much hillier with more turns than the old course and praised a long Lake Erie stretch; a 2021 runner disliked the return to the Shoreway climb at mile 12 and 25.
Raced Cleveland Marathon? Your notes on the course, conditions and logistics help the next athlete decide.
Sources
Pages we used for facts and ratings. See how we rate.
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