By Okon Ekpenyong

Local central Ohio runners dominated the 44th Columbus Marathon on Sunday, October 20, 2024, with Jack Bertelsen and Christina Murphy winning the first places in the full marathon for male and female, respectively. Jack Bertelsen achieved a first-place finish in 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 8 seconds.

Meanwhile, Christina Murphy, who had previously won the half marathon in 2013 and 2018, secured her third victory in the full marathon, crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 41 minutes, and 29 seconds.

The Columbus Marathon Half & Full-Marathon, a testament to its growing popularity, sold out this year. An estimated 13,500 runners, a record number, participated, making it another successful year for the event and the community. The Marathon this year has inspired runners from all over, including first- and second-generation migrants, participants from all 50 states, and participants from Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and other countries. Despite this, this year’s top finishers are from Central Ohio, a testament to the local running community’s strength and talent.

In the full Marathon, 2204 men and 1379 women participated, while 3357 men and 4406 women ran the half-marathon, which is 13.1 miles. 
“I didn’t know what my post-collegiate career would look like, but this win is incredible. I love the competition of running in a marathon”, Jake Bertelsen, winner of the full Marathon, says. Advise for future generations hoping to run a Marathon one day; Jake says it is the best sport out there, but one must trust the process. He says every mile you run will reflect on your hard work. John Tatter of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, came in second place, finishing with 2:18:43:27, and Zach Kreft of Sunbury, Ohio, crossed the finish line with 2:18:43:38 to take home third place. 

Christina Murphy soared to 1st place in 2013, repeated in 2018, and then in 2024, up her third win in the full Marathon. She is the only three-time winner, male or female. “Running in the Columbus Marathon is special for me; it is my hometown, and the course is gorgeous, showing the city’s beauty. And, of course, the crowd support makes the race even more special”, Murphy says. Ashton Swinford of Hudson, Ohio, achieved a personal victory by finishing second at 2:46:11, while Emily Moran from Kent, Ohio, crossed the finish line at 2:24:42, marking her triumph. 

In the wheelchair competition, Greg McCrabb of Dublin, Ohio, soared to victory, finishing with 2:23:47. Matt Davis of Bowling Green, Kentucky, finished with 1:06:04 to wrap up the Half-Marathon Wheelchair event, a personal triumph for him as well.

James Ngandu, a Kenyan-American who completed his collegiate career in Ohio, finished at 1:04:06 to claim his sixth victory, a remarkable achievement that we all can be proud of. He also won in 2018-2019 and 2021-2024, showcasing his consistent excellence. Meanwhile, Hannah Wymer of Findlay, Ohio, was the half-marathon’s female champion, finishing at 1:17:08, a feat we all can celebrate. In the female half-marathon, Bella Butler of Dayton, Ohio, finished in second place with a time of 1:17:27. Danielle De Agular of Columbus finished third with a time of 1:17:17. In the male half-marathon, Alec Sandusky of Cincinnati finished with a time of 1:04:10, coming in second place, and Ian McVey of Ada finished with a time of 1:06:14.

It was amazing to see people I know out there running. It inspired me even more seeing that the Marathon provides an opportunity to raise funds for Nationwide Children’s Hospital. It was In 2012 that the race started raising money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and this year, the Marathon raised about 1 million dollars, bringing its total to $14.

In this year’s Marathon, the organizers continued their mission to involve past and present patients and their families in some capacity. This year, they arranged for 24 patients who had received care at the hospital to line up at each mile of the race to share their stories and inspire others. Each patient chose a theme for the mile they were at to “celebrate their strength and bravery,” the hospital/organizers said.

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