30 Years Later: Cleveland Marathon Still Rockin' On
Posted: 05/09/2007
(RunOhio.com) Cleveland has been called many things by everyone from comedians to economic pundits, but one thing that they all should agree on is that Cleveland is a survivor.
The city has faced and prevailed over the oil crisis of the 1970’s, an economic slump that followed the Sept. 11 terror attacks and the exodus of manufacturers that were once the bedrock of the region.
Through it all, the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon has pushed through – literally and figuratively – to victory, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down one bit.
As the marathon celebrates its 30th anniversary, founder Jack Staph reflects on the past and looks enthusiastically toward the future.
“Thirty years ago not many cities had races,” Staph said. “In the developmental stages of this race we thought it would be good to do something to add some glory and recognition to the city of Cleveland that represented health and wellness.”
Staph took a gamble by proposing a marathon for Cleveland at a time when major cities across the country were suffering from uncertain political and economic times. But he believed in his vision: one in which people from around the country and the world would descend upon Cleveland to join a brotherhood of runners, running enthusiasts and all others who were optimistic about a brighter future for the region.
Early challenges included creating a runner-friendly course and enlisting the cooperation of city officials, Staph said. But once those hurdles were passed, the race just got better and better each year.
“The challenge early on was mapping out a 26-mile course and getting the city to be able to support that,” Staph said. “The idea was getting in people who understood racing, so we named Reno Starnone, a Cleveland running legend, as race director. He designed the first course.”
Since then, the Marathon and 10K course has been redesigned to include more interesting city views and landmarks, and to stay within the Cleveland city limits.
The new course begins and ends at The Galleria in downtown Cleveland, takes runners past the Rock N’Roll Hall of Fame and Cleveland Browns Stadium, Jacobs Field (home of the Cleveland Indians), Playhouse Square theater district, the picturesque University Circle and other visually interesting sites in the city.
“The course change was major,” he said. “I think the problem was we were starting to lose runners because it was the same course for so many years. We changed it three years ago because we wanted to highlight the city of Cleveland and make the race more interesting.”
The new course design, along with typically favorable weather conditions that springtime in Cleveland allows runners, make the Cleveland Marathon course among the fastest in the nation, Staff said.
“The course design allows a smooth race, and it’s measured as the fastest,” he said. “The weather generally is cooperative and it’s a good time for running.”
Last year’s race started under gray clouds, unrelenting rain and bitter cold, but ended with blue skies and crisp spring breezes. The finishers among the nearly 8,000 runners included 28-year-old Eric Hartmark, a Michigan runner who broke the finish line tape at 2:22:25. Megan Burns, a 42-year-old runner from Virginia Beach, finished with the top time for women at 2:50:24.
In honor of the marathon’s 30th anniversary, runners can look forward to a post-race concert to take place at the Rock Hall of Fame, done as only the rock-n-roll capital of the world can. Staph said many local bands will be featured, along with an as yet unnamed major act. Plus, local bands will be featured at many points along the race, he said.
“It’ll be bigger than ever; we’ll have more bands and more cheering sections on the course,” Staph said. “We’re going to make it a grand one. We want the runners who come to have such a great experience that they’ll come back and bring other runners with them.”
Long-time marathon participants and newcomers might notice that the gamble that Staph and others took 30 years ago has since paid off in other ways.
A recent study on the race’s economic impact reported that the event pumped more than $8 million into greater Cleveland, and generated $1 million for local and national charities.
“The best way to describe what the marathon does is if we’re not there the city would lose $8 million,” Staph said. “When you look at the impact in that way, it makes you appreciate what this event does for the city and the region”
The Cleveland marathon boasts being the first to offer finishing runners large cash prizes, to invite runners from the former Soviet Union during the Cold War years and to incorporate a 10K race.
Staph, a Cleveland attorney and long-time runner, said he never dreamed the marathon would grow to be one of the oldest and most popular road races in the country, but he is looking forward to perhaps another 30 years of continued growth as the race becomes the pride of Cleveland.
“I didn’t give much thought to how the race would fare in years to come, but after the first couple of years I knew it was something special,” he said. “I’d like to see it grow to a 15,000-person race.”
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