Expo, schedule and race morning

Packet pickup

• Friday, September 25, 2026: 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

• ONE DAY ONLY. The expo runs Friday 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and that is the entire pickup window - there is no Thursday or Saturday-morning option.
• Packet pickup is mandatory at the expo. The race site states plainly: 'There is NO packet pick-up the day of the race.' A runner arriving Saturday morning without a bib has no recourse.
• Race morning is Saturday at 7:00 a.m., so anyone driving in Saturday morning cannot run. You must be in Akron by Friday evening.
• Your shirt is NOT in the packet. Shirts are picked up separately at the exit of the Expo hall - easy to walk past and lose.
• Proxy pickup is allowed: a friend or family member may collect your packet if they can verify your registration information (age, gender, emergency contact). Have those three facts ready for whoever you send.
• Race Series participants also collect their series medal rack at the expo.
• Registration stays open at the expo unless the race caps are reached first.
• The Kids Fun Run starts at 6:00 p.m. Friday during expo hours - if you have a kid running, plan the expo around it, since the Fun Run start is at 214 W. Bowery St., not at the Knight Center.
• Expo is free and open to the public.
• Expo contact listed on the site: Katie Riley, [email protected].

August 2026

The published weekend schedule

2026 dates: expo and Kids Fun Run Friday September 25; marathon, half marathon and team relay Saturday September 26 at 7:00 a.m. All times above are from the akronmarathon.org events listing and individual event pages as of August 2026. The site's own race page and events listing agree on the September 26 / 7:00 a.m. start; no contradictions were found between pages. The site links a Participant & Spectator Guide (a Google Drive PDF) that likely carries corral, gear check and post-race detail - it was not opened.

Getting there

Plan on foot power and your own car, not public transit. Metro RTA's Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center at 631 S Broadway St, downtown and a few blocks from the Canal Place finish, opens at 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays, which is cutting it far too fine for a marathon start and gives you no realistic pre-race option. The workable modes are: walk from a downtown hotel, take the single 6:00 a.m. hotel shuttle, or drive in and park downtown before roads close. The race says runners should park downtown specifically so they can reach their vehicle after the race, free parking is available at all downtown decks and lots, and there is no parking along the race course between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on race day. Course closures start affecting downtown access if you arrive after 6:50 a.m.; closures concentrate downtown and near the University of Akron.

• Driving in: the 6:50 a.m. wall. The race's FAQ states course closures begin affecting downtown access if you arrive after 6:50 a.m. Treat that as a deadline, not a guideline, and target 6:00-6:15 a.m. in a deck. The full street-by-street closure grid is published only as a map/PDF grid I did not open, so verify your specific approach in the Final Instructions email the race sends about two weeks out.
• Where to park and the delayed-exit trap. Free parking at all downtown decks and lots. The race warns that certain lots and decks along the course route have delayed exiting, particularly along High Street and Broadway. If you have a flight or a drive home, park in a deck off those two streets so you are not held until the course reopens; the no-parking-on-course window runs 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• The 6:00 a.m. shuttle is one departure, not a service. DoubleTree, Holiday Inn Express and Hilton Garden Inn all share the same pattern: a single 6:00 a.m. run downtown, dropping at Main Street and State Street. There is no second bus. Be in the lobby by 5:40.
• Getting back to your room after finishing. From a downtown hotel you walk, since the finish is at Canal Place / Canal Park on South Main. From a shuttle hotel, returns begin at 10:00 a.m. and go every 30 minutes until the last at 1:45 p.m. A marathon finish past roughly 1:30 p.m. plus medical, gear and food time puts you outside that window, so if you are running over about 5 hours arrange your own ride or base downtown.
• Metro RTA Transit Center. 631 S Broadway St, Saturday hours 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Useful as a landmark and for a post-race trip, not as a way to make the start.

Parking near the course endpoints

These are mapped garages near the course, not a promise of race-day access. Check closures and pre-booking rules with the organizer.

• Parking Deck2 minute modeled walk to start
• Lot 269 minute modeled walk to start
• West Campus Parking Deck10 minute modeled walk to start
• P1 Bowery Parking Deck - Akron Children's Hospital11 minute modeled walk to start
• Exchange Street Parking Deck13 minute modeled walk to start
• P3 Buchtel Parking Deck - Akron Children's Hospital13 minute modeled walk to start
• P2 Exchange Parking Deck - Akron Children's Hospital15 minute modeled walk to start
• Lot 116 minute modeled walk to start

Published entry tiers

Checked 2026-08-27; fees and tiers can change.