The Williams Route 66 Marathon presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is pleased to announce its inclusion in the 100 Half Marathons Club annual list of the best half marathons throughout the country and the world. For 2017, the organization, which celebrates those who have completed 100 lifetime half marathons or more, awarded the Williams Route 66 Marathon as the Best Half Marathon in Oklahoma. 

“We are so humbled to receive this recognition from the 100 Half Marathons Club,” Route 66 Marathon Managing Director Kim Hann said. “These runners have participated in half marathons throughout this country and around the world. They have high standards and know a quality race when they participate in it. This event has put Tulsa on the global running map and we want to thank their members for the recognition, and we’re already hard at work to make sure we live up to their standards in 2018 as well.”

In addition, the 100 Half Marathons Club awarded the marathon the Best Race Shirt and Best Volunteers in their annual awards.

“These two recognitions are equally important to us,” Route 66 Marathon Managing Director Destiny Green said. “It will be no surprise to Tulsans to hear that we were selected as the marathon that had the best volunteers, but we are so happy that the rest of the world is hearing about the wonderful people we have helping make our race such a success.”

To select each year’s winners, 100 Half Marathons Club members fill out an annual survey to recognize their favorite half marathons by state and by category. Members voted on their own personal experiences with races, and the responses are based strictly on their opinions. No paid promotion is accepted by the organization to keep judging and voting free from bias. 

To see voting results and a full list of all the winning marathons, visit the 100 Half Marathons Club website: www.100halfmarathonsclub.com/2017votingresults.html.

The 2018 Williams Route 66 Marathon presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma will kick off Friday, Nov. 16 with a health and fitness expo. The weekend will continue with 5K, Mascot Dash, fun run, marathon relay, half-marathon and marathon. The races begin in downtown Tulsa, surrounding runners will a large concentration of Art Deco architecture. The marathon course then takes runners through Tulsa’s vibrant and diverse neighborhoods and the campus of the University of Tulsa. To register, visit route66marathon.com. After you register, read more about the three-day event, the race route, how to volunteer, suggested hotels for out-of-town guests and much more. 

About the 100 Half Marathons Club

The 100 Half Marathons Club is a racing club that celebrates those who have achieved the accomplishment of completing 100 lifetime half marathons (or more), and it encourages and supports those who are on the way to reaching this goal. The group loves the 13.1 race distance, and members enjoy sharing their experiences and feedback on events to help each other select better races. For more information, please visit  www.100halfmarathonsclub.com.

About the Williams Route 66 Marathon

The Williams Route 66 Marathon, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded by Chris Lieberman in 2004. Chris, a lifelong Tulsan, Holland Hall and University of Tulsa graduate, worked with Jack Wing, former Tulsa Run Race Director, Tim and Lori Dreiling, Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa owners, and Trani Matthews, Tulsa Runner owner, to start the first marathon. Having experienced such tremendous growth over the last 12 years, it now takes two full-time staff positions, 30 year-round volunteers and 1,500 volunteers during the weekend-long event to produce the Route 66 Marathon. The marathon was named the Route 66 Marathon to honor the spirit of Cyrus Avery and his role in making the Mother Road a destination instead of just a road.