You might not know it, but a lot of great things have come out of Akron, Ohio. Oatmeal, the waffle ice cream cone, caramel corn, and the legendary hamburger are all said to have originated in the city. Even more impressive (and exponentially healthier): the Akron Marathon.

The Akron Marathon is a world-class race organization that puts on The Akron Children’s Hospital Akron Marathon Race Series. The three races in the series are The National Interstate 8k & 1 mile, The Goodyear Half Marathon & 10k, and the FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon and Team Relay. The race was founded by avid runners Steve and Jeannine Marks. While traveling the country for various races and marathons, they noticed the need for a marathon in their area. Akron had a lot to offer and the founders knew that the community would embrace the opportunity to come together on the race track.

The marathon is widely known for its devoted and encouraging supporters. “We would never be able to give our runners the race experience they’ve come to know and love without the support of our community,” says Katie Kline, Project Manager for the Akron Marathon. “People come out at 7am to cheer on runners they’ve never met in their life and never will.” With 13,000 runners, 2,000 volunteers, and over 100,000 spectators, the race is a way to unify the community, promote health and fitness, stimulate the local economy, and benefit charitable organizations.

Before using VolunteerLocal, that community was managed by using a volunteer platform that was a shoot off of Akron Marathon’s runner registration platform. The platform worked but wasn’t easy to navigate and didn’t allow for volunteers to see or update their registration. “Since moving to VolunteerLocal, we have gotten so much positive feedback from our volunteers on how easy it is to register and view their profiles,” says Kline. “As the main user of VolunteerLocal for our organization, I cannot say enough nice things. The system is user friendly and intuitive.”

“I’ve been amazed at how much time VolunteerLocal has saved me over the last two years. I would absolutely recommend this system to anyone who manages large groups of volunteers.”

Feeling energized and ready to join the community? Find volunteer opportunities for the FirstEnergy Akron Marathon and more.