Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

I am closing in on 100 marathons and completing the 50 state circuit twice. I am really glad I ran this race and it is toward the top of my list. The residents in the community were awesome. The course was nice. The museum afterward was incredible. Oklahoma City should be your race if you are a 50 Stater. Only bad was the weather which you can't control. Tornado warnings not fun. Only real beef is man the course ran long. I don't complain about these things but my GPS had 27.6. I am never that far off. Others were making similar comments. I wonder if something was amiss.

Excellent organization and pre-race communication. Packet pickup easy and pre-race logistics very reasonable. Springtime in Oklahoma can be very windy and race day was not ideal weather with high humidity, high chance of rain (though very little fell during the race), and strong winds. Spectators were significant and if that's your thing, OKC is hard to beat. Course was fairly boring and missed some of the prettier parts of OKC. Running down Classen straight south into a strong headwind for several miles in the last 10K was torturous and unnecessary. A few turns would have made a huge difference, both mentally and physically. Overall, race was well done, but would like to see some course changes.

This race honors those killed, those injured and those changed forever by the 1995 bombing. It is the primary source of funds for the ongoing maintenance and operation of the memorial and museum. Loved the course, the atmosphere and most of all the incredibly positive spirit and support of the locals. The people are awesome, loud and generous with their own snacks and drinks right in front of their houses in addition to the official race water stops. They are so appreciative of the runners who travel to support their race, their memorial and their community. One of my all time favorite races and experiences!