COLUMBUS — Thousands of runners took to city streets Sunday for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon, and waiting for them at each mile was a reminder of why the race carries a hospital’s name: 24 Marathon Mile Champions, young patients whose recovery journeys are celebrated with a mile of their own along the course. Ten of this year’s Champions are from central Ohio.
Among them is Hayden Laycock, 18, a senior at Grandview Heights High School who has been a Nationwide Children’s patient since before he was born. Diagnosed prenatally at 21 weeks with a congenital heart block, he was delivered nine weeks later by emergency C-section and received his first pacemaker at four days old. Today he plays on his school’s volleyball team, performs in theater and competes on its esports team — and on Sunday his mile was there to push tired runners through theirs.
Laycock’s mother, Sabrina, said another specialist once put her son’s chance of survival at zero percent before the family came to Nationwide Children’s. “They didn’t give me false hope, but they gave me hope that as long as his heart kept beating, we would keep fighting for him,” she said. Laycock hopes his story does the same work for strangers: “Just keep going. The other side is there, absolutely. Trust me,” he said.
Also championing a mile is Quentin Halsey, 9, whose fever on Halloween in 2021 led to a diagnosis of Burkitt leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer that put him into chemotherapy immediately. Nearly five years later, he is in the maintenance phase of his treatment, healthy and active, fond of Pokémon, LEGO sets and mountain biking.
For Quentin’s mother, Lindsey, the marathon is full circle: she ran the Columbus half marathon a month before her son was admitted, and ran it again the year after his port was removed, wearing a homemade shirt thanking the doctors and nurses on the 12th floor for saving her son. Stories like theirs have been part of the race since the marathon partnered with Nationwide Children’s in 2012, though the race itself has taken over Columbus streets nearly every year since 1980.
Race director Darris Blackford, in his 17 years leading the event, says the Champions change how runners experience the hardest miles. “You really think when you’re running or walking, I am doing this for fun, even though maybe I’m hurting at this moment, but those kids are going through real life challenges,” Blackford said. “And if I’m struggling at mile 22 of a marathon, well, boo-hoo, that kid is going through some real hard stuff. I can get through this challenge.”
Race day also reshaped getting around the city. COTA rerouted nearly 18 bus lines Sunday, with most downtown stops closed from 5 a.m. and more than 800 stops closed at various points across downtown and nearby neighborhoods. Transfer points moved to Spring and Long streets near Fourth Street, and reroutes were expected to lift after the marathon concluded mid-afternoon. For runners still on the course, though, the math was simpler — one Champion, one mile, at a time.