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Canalway Partners welcomed more than 650 runners to the newly completed sections of the Towpath Trail. For the first time, the annual race was starting and ending at the soon-to-be Canal Basin Park in The Flats.
The race course was completely reconfigured for this 29th running of the event. Runners hit the highlights of the newly-completed Towpath Trail in Cleveland and those running the marathon length made it all the way to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
“We’re thrilled to officially share the newly completed sections of the Towpath Trail with the running community. This is a culmination of decades of work and they’ve been running with us for each of those decades to make the Towpath Trail a reality.” said Mera Cardenas, Executive Director of Canalway Partners.
The race on October 10 was the third and final race of the 2021 Towpath Trilogy. Runners who participate in all three races receive a custom commemorative hoodie. In total, the Towpath Trilogy races including the Towpath Half in April, Towpath Twilight 10-10 in June and THE Towpath Marathon raised over $105,000 toward Canalway Partners and Towpath Trail programming.
The Towpath Marathon was established in 1992 to introduce the Towpath Trail as a new recreational amenity and to promote the establishment of the Ohio & Erie Canalway; in 1993, it was one of ten events that celebrated the completion of the Towpath Trail through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Since its inception the Towpath Marathon has grown to become one of Northeast Ohio’s premier marathons, attracting participants from over 31 states!
Proceeds from the race supports the development and activation of the Towpath Trail, Canal Basin Park, and dozens of projects within the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area, projects that make our community stronger and more vibrant. Key race supports and sponsors include: Hermes Racing, MetroHealth, Fleet Feet, CarbBoom, Kurtz Bros. Landscaping, Eaton, Flats Forward, and the dozens of volunteers that make the race possible.
Foot by foot, and step by step, decades of support from the running community has benefited the development of the Towpath Trail, our free community programs such as Cycle Canalway and RiverSweep, as well as the development of new programs like the Cuyahoga River Rally and Towpath Strolls.
THE Towpath Marathon in 2022 will be held on Saturday, October 8. The other races in the Towpath Trilogy will be on April 10 for the Towpath Half and June 17 for the Towpath Twilight Ten-Ten.
