First run in 1978 and held annually since 1980, it features a flat, fast course which saw nearly 20 percent of finishers qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2010.

The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all registrants automatically receiving full refunds.

The course begins in downtown Columbus and takes athletes east through Bexley, Ohio, past the Governor's Mansion and Capital University; back through the historic Franklin Park Neighborhood and the festive neighborhood of Old Town East; south through German Village; up High Street through downtown Columbus and the Short North Arts District; a jaunt through Ohio State University, including past The Oval and through Ohio Stadium, home of the football Buckeyes, and through Upper Arlington, through the tree-lined streets of Victorian Village and back to a huge crowd awaiting finishers outside Nationwide Arena in the Arena District.

More than 50 Olympians have run in Columbus, including the 1980 men's Silver Medalist, Gerard Nigboer, 1984 Women's Gold Medalist, Joan Benoit, 1984 Men's Fourth Place Finisher, Joseph Nzau and 1984 Women's 6th Place Finisher, Priscilla Welch.

Only 3 would qualify for the team and their quest for a medal at the Summer Olympics: Steve Spence, Ed Eyestone, and Bob Kempainen.