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Runners cross the finish line of the 2025 FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, & Team Relay. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)
The marathon, half marathon and team relay races looped through Akron‘s downtown, south and west sides starting at 7 a.m. Saturday. This year’s new course map changed the runners’ direction, so they initially headed south from the Akron Art Museum toward Firestone Park as they followed “the Blue Line” to the finish at Lock 3.
First-place men’s marathoner Aaron Davidson of Flagstaff, Arizona, who also won last year, finished the 26.2-mile race route in 2:18:59, followed soon after by women’s winner Ashton Swinford of Hudson, who finished in 2:51:24.
The FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon & Team Relay welcomed athletes from 36 states and four countries.
In the half marathon, Eric Westog of Chelsea, Michigan, claimed the men’s title in 1:07:54, while Alyssa Thomas of North Royalton won the women’s division in 1:15:25, marking her third victory and second consecutive.
In the non-binary category, Noah Chavez from Cleveland claimed first place in the marathon.
The Akron Marathon Race Series Corporate Challenge, sponsored this year by the County of Summit, had 1,806 participants from 26 organizations. Final standings for the Corporate Challenge will be announced later this fall.
Runners step off from the starting line during the FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, & Team Relay. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Women’s marathon winner Ashton Swinford makes her way over a bridge at the ford crossing in Sand Run Metro Park. Swinford’s time was 2:51:24 — she also won the Cleveland Marathon in May for the fourth time in a row. (Michael Francis McElroy / Signal Akron)Isla, Justin and Aimee Pownell (left to right) along with friend Charles Whyde (right) cheer on runners during the 2025 Akron Marathon, Half Marathon and Team Relay races Saturday. Justin and Aimee said they ran the Pittsburgh and Akron half marathons and the community support was awesome, so they wanted to get out there and cheer on the runners and show their support. (Michael Francis McElroy / Signal Akron)Runners make their way down East Mill Street during 2025 FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, & Team Relay races. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Akron resident Angela Rizzo receives a medal after competing in the 2025 Akron half marathon. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)A runner from the 415 Group relay team catches his breath and wipes away some sweat after the last big hill on West Market Street in West Hill during the 2025 Akron Marathon, Half Marathon and Team Relay races. (Michael Francis McElroy / Signal Akron)Runners step off from the starting line during the 2025 FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, & Team Relay. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)A group of runners makes their way through Sand Run Metro Park during the 2025 Akron Marathon, Half Marathon and Team Relay on Saturday. (Michael Francis McElroy / Signal Akron)Josh Sommers nears the finish line during the 2025 Akron Marathon, Half Marathon and Team Relays Saturday. (Michael Francis McElroy / Signal Akron)Marathon volunteer Darryl Kleinhenz places a medal around the neck of a runner after the finish line of the 2025 John Latkovic hugs his daughter Holly Latkovic, of Mentor, after she ran the half marathon in the 2025 Akron Marathon Race Series. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Oaklyn Nobel, 5, of Ontario, Canada, holds a sign cheering on her mom, Danielle Nobel. during the 2025 FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, & Team Relay. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)The two early men’s marathon leaders, Jacob Kocis lV, left, and Aaron Davidson (right) make their way through Sand Run Metro Park during the 2025 Akron marathon races. Davidson would go on to win with a time of 2:18:59. (Michael Francis McElroy / Signal Akron)Runners start to make their way up the last hill along West Market Street near Bittman Street in the West Hill neighborhood during the 2025 Akron marathon, half marathon and team relays Saturday. The hill is in the last half mile of the course, the last challenge for runners as they near the end of the race. (Michael Francis McElroy / Signal Akron)Signs abound on the sidelines of the 2025 FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, & Team Relay races. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Ashton Swinford of Hudson crosses the finish line as the winner of the women’s division of the 2025 Akron marathon. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Runners make their way down East Mill Street during the FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, & Team Relay. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Medals hang at the ready for runners completing the 2025 FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, & Team Relay. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)John Latkovic hugs his daughter Holly Latkovic, of Mentor, after she ran the half marathon in the 2025 FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, & Team Relay. John’s wife, Renee Latkovic, stands to the right.(Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)Runners pass the rubber worker statue in downtown Akron during the 2025 FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon, & Team Relay. (Ryan Loew / Signal Akron)
Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.
