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UH Cleveland Marathon Announces Partnership with Cleveland Crunch

University Hospitals Cleveland Marathon Announces Partnership with Cleveland Crunch

CLEVELAND - (December 1, 2025) — The University Hospitals Cleveland Marathon today announced a new partnership with professional indoor soccer team the Cleveland Crunch. Through the partnership, the UH Cleveland Marathon and Cleveland Crunch will collaborate on in-game and event promotions, social media engagement and giveaways, and other digital and experiential marketing efforts.

“They say running isn’t much of a team activity, but I like to think we do partnerships pretty well,” said Race Director Ralph Staph. “Cross-marketing programs like this, which support strong sports franchises inextricably tied to Cleveland, are really big wins for the city and our fans. This will promote increased awareness and engagement across two fan bases that may previously have been unaware of each other. We love that. We love supporting Cleveland sports.”

“This partnership is coming at a really exciting time of growth for us,” said Luciano Ruscitto, Cleveland Crunch co-owner and president. “We were selling out 700 seats at our previous venue and with the move downtown, into the Wolstein Center, this is really a dream come true for us to be a part of the fabric of a great sports town like Cleveland and start bringing in more fans. Working with an institution like the marathon that’s been around this city for nearly 50 years - it means a lot.”

The 5x Indoor Soccer Champion Cleveland Crunch will begin its sixth season on the road on Dec. 6., and will make its home debut at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University on Jan. 10, 2026 against the Chicago Mustangs. Home games will continue through March. The Cleveland Crunch were originally formed in 1989 as an expansion team in the Major Indoor Soccer League. After a 15-year hiatus, the Crunch were reformed in 2020 under new ownership and quickly amassed two additional titles.

Registration is open for the 49th University Hospitals Cleveland Marathon welcoming runners back to The Land May 16 - 17. As northeast Ohio’s premier distance running event, race weekend features activities for all ages and skill levels, from the 5k, 10k and Kids Fun Run to the half and full marathons and Two-Day Challenge Series. The University Hospitals Cleveland Marathon is committed to working with organizations featuring the diverse talent and ingenuity across northeast Ohio.

For more information on the University Hospitals Cleveland Marathon or to register, head to clevelandmarathon.com. For more information on the Cleveland Crunch, including a full schedule and tickets, theclevelandcrunch.com.

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The Cleveland Crunch was formed in 1989 as an expansion team in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and played 16 seasons in three separate leagues under two different names. The team played three seasons in the original MISL, later known as the Major Soccer League (MSL), before joining the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1992. After nine seasons in the NPSL, the team joined a second incarnation of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) in 2001. In 2002, the team was rebranded to the Cleveland Force in honor of the former team of the same name. After four seasons in the second MISL, the team folded in 2005.

The Cleveland Crunch franchise was revived in 2020 under new ownership. The team joined the Major Arena Soccer League 2 (MASL 2) for the 2021 season. In its first season back, the team earned its fourth league title, defeating the Wichita Wings 11-6 to win the MASL 2 Championship. By its third year, it transitioned to Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS) and won its fifth championship title in the 2023-24 season against the Omaha Kings.