Jack Staph Unveils New 2026 Route for Cleveland Marathon 2026
The cleveland marathon 2026 will use a redesigned course after organizers changed the route for Sunday’s race. The biggest change trims Shoreway running to two miles from six, while the finish stays at Mall B on St. Clair Avenue Northeast.
Jack Staph said organizers listened to runner feedback before drawing up the new course. About 13,000 runners are registered, and downtown Cleveland hotels are sold out for the weekend.
St. Clair Avenue Northeast Start
The race starts at 7 a.m. on Sunday, May 17, on St. Clair Avenue Northeast at Mall B. It also finishes there, giving runners a downtown start and end point after the route heads west and loops back.
Staph said, “The race starts on St. Clair and it goes out to Lakewood, turns around and comes back, it goes on the Shoreway for a little bit.” The second half of the race, miles 13-26, winds through Lakewood before the final push down Detroit Avenue through Ohio City and Hingetown into downtown Cleveland.
Lakewood To Downtown Cleveland
The marathon weekend is spread across both days. “On Saturday we have the 5K and the 10K and Sunday we have the half and full marathon,” Staph said.
That schedule brings a dense race footprint to the city. The marathon has called Cleveland home for nearly five decades, and Staph said the city has been very cooperative during 49 years of work together as the course has been adjusted after years of construction-related changes.
Ohio City And Hingetown
Staph said, “They’re going to go by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the stadium, and the city has been very cooperative, we’ve been working with them for 49 years, so they know the drill.” He also said, “The great thing is having people run through the city and enjoy it.”
For runners from out of town, the course now offers a longer stretch through Lakewood and a direct finish through Ohio City and Hingetown into downtown. Staph said, “We hope that most of the runners from out of town will love Cleveland when they leave.”
