Your Miles Help Keep Scouting and a Northwest Ohio Treasure Moving Forward

When you line up for the Scouting America Half Marathon and Tenderfoot 5K in Bowling Green this fall, you’re doing more than testing your training. You’re helping keep a piece of Northwest Ohio running strong for the next generation. This race is one of the good ones — the kind where every finisher’s medal represents something bigger than a personal record. Here’s exactly where your miles go, and why it matters so much to our region.

More Than a Race Through Bowling Green

The Scouting America Half Marathon and Tenderfoot 5K support the Erie Shores Council of Scouting America, which serves young people throughout Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wood counties, along with eastern Fulton County. Through outdoor adventures, leadership development, service projects, and age-specific programming, the council helps kids across our region build confidence, character, citizenship, and practical life skills that stick with them long after summer camp ends. Your registration doesn’t just fund a race-day experience — it helps the council care for the physical places where all of that growth happens.

Camp Miakonda: A Northwest Ohio Landmark Worth Protecting

One of those places is Camp Miakonda at the DeVilbiss Scout Reservation, a 160-acre camp in Toledo and one of the oldest Scouting America camps in the entire country. Walk the grounds and you’ll find rustic cabins, campsites, a swimming pool, a lake, a chapel, a dining hall, a museum, miles of trails, meeting facilities, and the historic Fort Scheib.

Keeping a property that size safe, useful, and welcoming isn’t a one-time job — it’s year-round work. The council’s own property guidelines lay it out plainly: trail maintenance, brush removal, landscaping, tree planting, cabin upkeep, wood splitting, stream cleanup, and campsite restoration all have to happen, every year, so Miakonda can keep serving the next group of kids who walk through its gates. That’s where race day comes in. Every runner, walker, and 5K finisher helps fund that work.

Camp Miakonda Serves More Than Scouts

Here’s what makes this camp special to Northwest Ohio, Scout or not: its impact reaches far beyond a typical camping weekend. Camp Miakonda hosts Cub Scout day camps, where elementary-age kids from around the 419 spend their days swimming, hiking, shooting archery, exploring STEM activities, and learning outdoor skills many of them have never tried before. The camp also offers financial assistance that can help cover the cost of attendance for families who might not otherwise be able to send their child.

The property opens its gates to the wider community too. In July 2026, Camp Miakonda hosted Path Finders Camp, a program run by Hospice of Northwest Ohio for grieving children and teenagers. Over four days, licensed counselors, social workers, and trained volunteers helped participants honor loved ones, understand their emotions, build healthy coping skills, enjoy time outdoors, and connect with other young people who understood exactly what they were going through. Thanks to local donors and sponsors, families paid nothing to attend.

That’s what a well-maintained Camp Miakonda makes possible. It’s a place where:

• Scouts discover the outdoors and build leadership skills that last a lifetime
• Families access affordable community programs close to home
• Kids attend camps they might not otherwise be able to afford
• Local organizations create safe, meaningful experiences for the community
• Grieving children find support, healing, and connection when they need it most

Every Registration Has an Impact

When you sign up for the Scouting America Half Marathon or Tenderfoot 5K in Bowling Green, your entry fee helps fund:

Historic camp properties Maintenance of cabins, campsites, trails, activity spaces, the lake, and gathering areas at Camp Miakonda and other Erie Shores Council properties across the region.

Outdoor opportunities for young people Camping, hiking, swimming, archery, STEM activities, leadership development, and hands-on learning that’s hard to find anywhere else.

Access for more families Camperships and other financial assistance that help make Scouting available to kids regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.

Programs that strengthen Northwest Ohio Spaces for Scout activities, public events, family experiences, and community partnerships — like Hospice of Northwest Ohio’s Path Finders Camp.

Generations of future Scouts Your support today helps make sure these properties and programs are still here for the next child, the next troop, and the next generation of Northwest Ohio kids.

Run for Something Bigger This Fall

The Scouting America Half Marathon and Tenderfoot 5K give you a flat, scenic course through Bowling Green — and a genuine reason to be proud of every mile you log. Whether you’re chasing a fall PR, testing your training before a bigger marathon, or walking the 5K with your family, your entry fee goes to work the moment you cross that finish line.

FAQ

What organization does the Scouting America Half Marathon support? Proceeds support the Erie Shores Council of Scouting America, which serves youth throughout Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Wood, and eastern Fulton counties.

Where does my registration money go? Race proceeds help maintain Camp Miakonda and other Erie Shores Council properties — covering trail maintenance, cabin upkeep, campsite restoration, and program costs like camperships for families who need financial assistance.

Is Camp Miakonda open to the public, or just Scouts? While it’s an active Scout reservation, Camp Miakonda also hosts community programs and events, including Cub Scout day camps and partner programs like Hospice of Northwest Ohio’s Path Finders Camp.

What is Path Finders Camp? Path Finders Camp is a free, four-day program hosted at Camp Miakonda by Hospice of Northwest Ohio, designed to support grieving children and teenagers through counseling, outdoor activities, and peer connection.

How can I support Scouting if I’m not running the race? You can register for the virtual half marathon or virtual 5K option, volunteer on race day, or donate directly through the race’s Scouting support page.

Where and when is the Scouting America Half Marathon? The race starts and finishes at the Wood County Fairgrounds in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 7:30 AM.