'I just love running': Hudson’s Ashton Swinford wins 5th straight Cleveland Marathon women’s title

The 2026 Cleveland Marathon weekend is here, and 3News has been following everything you need to know about the events, including routes, road closures and more. Ashton Swinford 5-peats in women's division In the full marathon, the men's field was led by Jacob Kocis, a 25-year-old from Kentucky running in his first Cleveland marathon. The women's division was taken, once again, by Hudson resident Ashton Swinford for her fifth straight Cleveland Marathon women's championship. Swinford broke the tape with a time of 2:44:36 — nearly seven minutes faster than her winning effort from last year. Swinford, who runs won her first Cleveland Marathon in 2022. "I love the Cleveland Marathon," Swinford told reporters after the race. "It's not hard to want to come back and want to do it every year, especially because the community brings me out. I love the support I get, the fans. Everyone's out running, doing the best. I just can't miss it." Swinford said she felt good about her training in the weeks ahead of the race and expected to run a faster time than last year; she entered Sunday morning just three weeks removed from running a personal best time at another marathon, she said. "I wonder, how long can I keep this going?" Swinford said of her Cleveland Marathon championship streak. "It's just more like a fun experiment. You know, I want to keep it going, but if I don't, that's also fine because I always just try my best. But now I'm just like, I wonder, like, can I do it again next year? I don't know. Can I do it til I'm 40? I don't know, let's see." Our 3News cameras captured Swinford as she crossed the finish line Sunday morning during a live interview on WKYC. READ MORE: https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/winners-every-event-2026-cleveland-marathon-jacob-kocis-ashton-swinford/95-cc4d5f2c-cc09-4174-b9cc-dfe0599f09f9 At 3News, we’re here to share the stories that matter most to you. Share your ideas, thoughts, concerns and engage in conversations about the communities in which we all call home. Follow 3News on Social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wkyc.channel3/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wkyc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wkyc3/ Visit our site: https://www.wkyc.com/ And be sure to download our app here: https://wkyc.com/app