| Williams Route 66 Marathon | |
|---|---|
 Rock the Route! | |
| Date | November |
| Location | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Marathon |
| Established | 2006 |
| Official site | Williams Route 66 Marathon |
The Williams Route 66 Marathon is a road running race in Tulsa, Oklahoma, established in 2006 that attracts 10,000 participants annually.[1]
Founded with the goals of establishing a marquee athletic event in Tulsa and showing off the city to out-of-town guests, the annual event now contributes more than $8 million per year to the local economy and hosts approximately 10,000 participants from all 50 states and 10 countries. The Williams Route 66 Marathon includes an entire weekend packed with exciting events, including the Health and Fitness Expo (free and open to the public), marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5k run and walk, one-mile fun run and walk, mascot dash and the worlds shortest ultra-marathon: The Center of the Universe Detour.
The Williams Route 66 Marathon is only possible through the help of many talented volunteers dedicated to ensuring a successful event serving the entire Tulsa community.
Course
Run on the Mother of all Roads, Route 66. The Williams Route 66 Marathon showcases downtown Tulsa, home of the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture outside of Miami, as the course rolls through Tulsa’s vibrant and diverse neighborhoods and the campus of the University of Tulsa.
The marathon and half marathon courses run together until around mile 11, where half marathoners head to the finish at Guthrie Green.
The Williams Route 66 Marathon is a USATF certified course and a Boston Qualifier (see Boston Athletics Association for qualifying times)
Distances include: Marathon, Half Marathon, Marathon Relay, 5K Run/Walk, Fun Run/Walk and Ultra Marathon (the Center of the Universe Detour).
The 5k Run and Walk starts and finishes at Guthrie Green, taking runners on a 3.1-mile tour of Tulsa’s artistic and hip Tulsa Arts, Blue Dome, Pearl District and through downtown Tulsa.
World’s Shortest Ultra Marathon
Unique to the Williams Route 66 Marathon, The Center of the Universe detour offers runners the opportunity to run the 'World's Shortest Ultra Marathon'. While not an officially recognized ultra marathon, the Center of the Universe Detour is a fun and unique feature that adds 0.3 miles to the marathon when participants choose to take the detour to the Center of the Universe attraction located between mile 25 and 26 along the marathon course.[2]
Guinness World Record at Route 66 Marathon
Fastest marathon in a superhero costume (female). The fastest marathon dressed as a superhero (female) is 2 hr 48 min 51 sec and was achieved by Camille Herron (USA), dressed as Spider-Man, at the 2012 Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, on 18 November 2012. Camille actually woman the female category of the marathon, finishing fifth overall, and knocked over 20 minutes off the previous record.[3]
Charity Challenge
The Williams Route 66 Marathon partners with multiple charities annually through the Charity Challenge. 2022 Charity Challenge partners:
- Kicks for Kids, the official charity of the Williams Route 66 Marathon
- Ainsley’s Angels
- Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma
- Tulsa SPCA
Kicks for Kids, the official charity of the Williams Route 66 Marathon, works with youth in Tulsa’s underserved Title I schools.
Ainsley’s Angels[4] is an organization that was founded with the mission of building awareness about the importance of inclusion, through action, while transforming populations into all-inclusive communities.
The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma provides food to Tulsa’s food-insecure families and has been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the economic impact of the virus.
The Tulsa SPCA provides a haven for the community’s homeless animals.
Corporate Challenge
The Corporate Challenge at the Williams Route 66 Marathon provides the opportunity for local organizations of all sizes to promote workplace wellness, support a local charity and build teamwork. Organizations are divided into five divisions based on the total number of employees in the organization.
References
- ↑ Glenn, MaKayla (Nov 20, 2022). "Runners converge in downtown Tulsa for Route 66 Marathon". News on 6.
- ↑ Muchmore, Shannon (Feb 19, 2019). "Detour adds distance to the marathon". Tulsa World.
- ↑ "Fastest marathon dressed as a superhero". Guiness World Records.
- ↑ "Ainsley's Angels of America".
External links
