Destination kicks

In its 11th year, the Williams Route 66 Marathon continues to grow

In its 11th year, the Williams Route 66 Marathon has grown into a huge event, and is gaining widespread recognition as a prime destination for runners across the nation and even the world.

The marathon, along with a half-marathon and a relay, takes place Sunday, Nov. 20, finishing at Guthrie Green in downtown Tulsa, and will feature runners from all 50 states, and 15 foreign countries. 

Including the 5K Run and Walk, a one-mile “Fun Run” and a Mascot Dash all on Saturday, Nov. 19, over 13,000 participants will take to the Tulsa streets. The first Route 66 Marathon event in 2006 featured about 3,000 runners. 

“Obviously, bringing people to Tulsa from all over the world, it’s really important to us,” said race executive director Kim Hann. “We’ve changed their perception of what Tulsa is for the positive. Tulsa’s a great city and it’s a big part of our mission to help everybody realize just how great Tulsa really is and why people should come here and why companies should come here and invest in our city. We’ve been named a best destination race.” 

Dave Darcey is one of just 10 runners to have participated in all 10 prior Route 66 Marathons and he will be out there again on Nov. 20 for number 11. As an experienced marathon runner, he is happy to see how Route 66 has grown into a highlight race for national running clubs like the Marathon Maniacs (which has a minimum requirement of completing two marathons within a 16-day span or three within 90 days) and the 50 States Club (which requires finishing marathons in at least 10 different states to join).

“That’s one of the things that most excites me, just seeing how many out-of-town visitors come in to Tulsa,” said Darcey, 55, who also happens to be the vice president over strategy and market intelligence for Williams and is in charge of the company’s sponsorship of the event. “It feels like this marathon is a major stop for the Marathon Maniacs – they keep coming back and that’s pretty cool. I’m really proud of Tulsa and how we’ve made this a destination run.” 

It has also turned into a fun event for Tulsans not actually running. All along the race route, mass gatherings of spectators and well-wishers root on the runners, and the participants do appreciate the support.

“I think we’ve got a route that pretty much showcases the best of Tulsa, and that’s neat just seeing the excitement down there,” said Darcey, whose best Route 66 finish came in 2009 at age 48 when he completed the course in 3:55:08 and came in 295th. “The refreshments that we get in some of the neighborhoods, whether it’s the Jagermeister shots or the Jell-o shots – maybe Tulsa has a drinking problem here, but it’s fun. The neighborhood just south of the University of Tulsa and the neighborhood along Cincinnati around 26th, those are some neighborhoods that really come out and make it fun for the runners with their pit stops.” 

The continual increase in participation over the years has translated into an even larger amount of money the race raises for five local charities. As a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, the Route 66 Marathon donates all profits, which this year will be split between the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, the Folds of Honor Foundation (an Owasso-based group that provides scholarships to spouses or children of soldiers killed or disabled in service to America), Tulsa Habitat for Humanity, the Tulsa Area United Way, and the Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). 

“We allow our participants to fund-raise for entry,” Hann said. “Last year, we raised, with our participants, over $75,000 directly to our charities. 

“We’re a zero-waste event, so everything that we don’t use is either donated or re-used. It’s part of our sustainability effort. It’s a huge component for us to be able to give back to our community.”

The city also benefits greatly by all the money brought in by all the out-of-towners.

“We have an average of over $5 million economic impact on the city,” Hann said. “Participants, especially out-of-state participants, will typically come in on Thursday or Friday, and stay through Monday – so that’s everything from hotels to restaurants to shopping, visits to museums, just spending money in Tulsa through the entire weekend.”

Also included in the Route 66 Marathon’s web of events is the Health, Fitness & Sustainability Expo at the Cox Business Center downtown on Friday, Nov. 18 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., which has over 100 vendors and is free to the public.

For more information, visit route66marathon.com. For more from John, read his article on the Tulsa Oilers strong start to the new season.