Daniel Hawk is seen here running in the 2016 Columbus Marathon.
When he crosses the finish line Saturday at home plate inside Canal Park Stadium, Daniel Hawk will be completing just his third marathon since becoming a runner four years ago.
Hawk is one of many in the UA community who will be participating in the 15th running of the FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon & Team Relay, which is the final event for the year in the Akron Children's Hospital Akron Marathon Race Series. Saturday’s race begins at 217 S. High St., at 7 a.m. and takes participants on a winding route through the city’s many neighborhoods.
“I was actually a swimmer in high school and was looking for something to replace swimming,” says Hawk, a biomedical engineering major who will graduate in May. “One day, I just decided to run a mile and see if I liked it. I did.”
From there, he gradually increased his distance and improved his times.
Now an avid runner
“I moved up to 10Ks, then 15Ks, then halves, all the way to full marathons,” adds Hawk, who also is a student assistant in aquatics in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. “My first marathon was last year’s Akron Marathon and my second was the Columbus Marathon, also last year.”
Another runner with UA ties is Dr. Donald Visco, dean of the College of Engineering.
Dr. Donald Visco
“I ran some in high school on the track and field team, but focused on the sprint events,” recalls Visco, who will be running the half marathon for the third time. After running just a few miles at a time over many years, Visco was encouraged by his wife, who had already run a half marathon, to give it a try. He likes “the challenge, both physically and mentally, of running for about two hours at a time.”
One of his competing runners in the half marathon is another familiar face — Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology.
Loves the sport
She’s been running for nearly 20 years and is a marathon veteran.
“I’ve run 15 marathons, including the Boston twice, Chicago, Cleveland, Akron and Tow Path, and, probably six half marathons, give or take,” says Kennedy. “I won the Tow Path Marathon in my age group category — I think in 2007 — and I received a prize, which just kind of blew me away, as I never expected to win any race, particularly a marathon.”
Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy
Along the route, the marathon runners will be cheered on by family, friends and 15 current and former patients of Akron Children’s Hospital chosen as “heroes” for the day. They will be in designated zones along the race route.
The University is a “Hero Zone Sponsor” this year. We will have a tent on Exchange Street, near Lee Jackson Field, where patient Spencer Beal, one of the designated heroes, will be joining us. You can learn more about the Hero Zones, and also about Spencer.
Whether you are coming to campus on Saturday, or you plan to cheer from the sidelines, here is a list of road closures and a map of the full race route.
Visit the Akron Marathon online for more information.
Good luck to all our UA runners!