The Williams Route 66 Marathon presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is excited to announce its new course for the 2018 race event. The new course will run north on Riverside Drive for approximately three miles, taking participants past Tulsa’s newly opened $465 million, 66.5-acre park, the Gathering Place. The Williams Route 66 Marathon is honored to be the first race to offer participants a preview of Tulsa’s crown jewel!

“There’s no better way to get to know a city than by foot,” said Destiny Green, executive director of the Williams Route 66 Marathon. “Our race offers a 26.2-mile tour of Tulsa and takes our visiting participants to parts of our city that they might otherwise never have the chance to see. We can’t wait to show off the Gathering Place, and we know that the flatter course will be popular with runners.” 

The race starts at 5thand Main in downtown Tulsa, showcasing the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture outside of Miami. The course then proceeds through Midtown, giving participants an intimate look at Tulsa hot spots such as the popular Brookside district and the Maple Ridge Neighborhood before taking participants along Riverside Drive. 

“Running through the new tunnels that act as land bridges to access the Arkansas River on Riverside will be a really exciting part of the race,” Green commented. “We believe that this is our best course yet, and we expect the race to sell out quickly. Our participants are in for a treat, and we know Tulsa is going to shine on race day.”  

The closure of Riverside Drive for the past three years has required changes to the marathon course and numerous other local events. The reopening of Riverside will allow the Williams Route 66 Marathon to add yet another spectacular Tulsa landmark to its already beautiful course.

The thirteenth annual Williams Route 66 Marathon kicks off with the Health, Fitness and Sustainability expo on Friday, November 16, 2018 and continues throughout the weekend with a 5K run and walk, one-mile fun run and a mascot dash on Saturday, November 17, 2018. The marathon, half marathon and marathon relay events will be run on Sunday, November 18, 2018. Registration is still open for all events but is expected to sell out soon.

About the Williams Route 66 Marathon

Since 2006, the Williams Route 66 Marathon has hosted a world-class marathon weekend in the heart of Tulsa. Now in its thirteenth year, the event has grown into “Oklahoma’s biggest block party” featuring a marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5k run and walk, one-mile fun run, mascot dash, and Health, Fitness & Sustainability Expo. The 2018 events will be held November 16-18, 2018. With a focus on fun, the event offers participants spectator support that is unparalleled in its class; it’s not uncommon for neighborhoods along the course to host their own unofficial aid stations and block parties to welcome the runners! The race also offers award-winning finisher medals and race premiums that are inspired by the classic cars from the Route 66 automobile era. Named a “Must Do Fall Race” by Runner’s World magazine, the Route 66 Marathon is truly a 26.2-mile long party. The event brings more than 12,000 runners to the Tulsa area from all 50 states and over 10 countries each year and has an estimated economic impact of over eight million dollars. Runners who complete the Center of the Universe Detour, which adds an extra 0.3-mile onto the marathon, can also proudly proclaim they’ve completed the World’s Shortest Ultramarathon. And yes, there’s beer at the finish line! To learn more, visit route66marathon.com.