Pacific Northwest Marathon
Harrisburg, OR
- Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
At the Pacific Northwest Marathon, anything is possible. We help people overcome the most difficult challenges in order to achieve their fitness goals. The Pacific Northwest Marathon is one of the fastest, flattest Marathons in Oregon. Run from the beautiful, quaint town of Coburg, Oregon to Harrisburg, Oregon. Along the … MORE
Local Historical Weather (Sep 19):
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| H (°F) | 81 | 78 | 74 | 76 | 68 |
| L (°F) | 50 | 49 | 46 | 47 | 54 |
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Flat and fast with no scenery
extremely flat (under 100 ft of elevation) course through Oregon farm land. some mountains in the distance but no scenery other than that. Aid station every ~2 miles with water, … MORE
extremely flat (under 100 ft of elevation) course through Oregon farm land. some mountains in the distance but no scenery other than that.
Aid station every ~2 miles with water, gatorade, banana and oranges. One con was the plastic cups which couldn’t fold so had to stop and drink or you spill all over yourself. Hopefully they fix that before next time.
Volunteers were very nice, as you run up they’d ask if what you needed and cheered loudly.
Expo was minimal.
Post race had plenty of food and drinks. Finisher medal was a piece of wood on a string, so if you chasing bling look elsewhere.
A fast and supportive race!
This race was a fast and flat race in scenic rural Oregon with a very supportive crowd and race director. The course was extremely flat, as advertised. The race director … MORE
This race was a fast and flat race in scenic rural Oregon with a very supportive crowd and race director. The course was extremely flat, as advertised. The race director was very excited for all runners and I recommend this as a good race for a first-time runner, as you will be encouraged by many volunteers and other runners. Logistics were simple. Only critiques would be to make the mile marker signs larger (it was very hard to see them coming up) and improve the aid stations a bit (make the drinks clearer or ask the volunteers to hand them out rather than just place on a table). Everyone was super kind and it is a fun race to do!
Nice race, questionable medal
It's a beautiful race and the race director puts his heart and soul into it! I would recommend it but there are a few caveats: There's no gel on the … MORE
It’s a beautiful race and the race director puts his heart and soul into it! I would recommend it but there are a few caveats: There’s no gel on the course and the medal is a little piece of wood on a string. Very disappointing. Prerace, at the packet pickup there was a bit of entertainment and giveaways, which was fun and I really liked the race shirts. We got to pick our color-they are bright and not obnoxious with tons of ads.
Nice race
Flat course with some great views. Course support was great, lots of helpful and happy volunteers at the aid station , great pacers and good food at the end MORE
Flat course with some great views. Course support was great, lots of helpful and happy volunteers at the aid station , great pacers and good food at the end
The race that took me to Boston!!
This is a point-to-point flat, fast course among farm fields on paved country roads. It's scenic if you enjoy farm fields: Fortunately I grew up in Wisconsin so this was … MORE
This is a point-to-point flat, fast course among farm fields on paved country roads. It’s scenic if you enjoy farm fields: Fortunately I grew up in Wisconsin so this was familiar! It’s a smaller race: Bless the hearts of the volunteers! I’m not sure those working the water stops were very experienced at this, as they were filling large cups to the brim with fluids whereas we really don’t need that much. But they were enthusiastic and I appreciated them. My recollection was there were ample water stops and porta-potties. There is very little shade on the course and a few curves where you try to run the tangents but need to be cognizant of the rare car or tractor that comes along. You can hear the finish line from a ways out but cannot see the finish line or clock until the last quarter mile or so just because of the way the final turns are laid out. My goal was to run 3:35 or better to be 5 minutes under my BQ time. The clock was a few seconds over 3:35 as I crossed, and I thought I missed it. The start line was a few hundred runners so I expected chip time to be close to gun time. It wasn’t until the next evening when I logged onto the web site that I saw chip time was 3:34:51 … I had met my goal afterall! I believe this was also a BQ2 weekend, where a BQ qualifies one for the next 2 years of Boston (provided they don’t change the BQ thresholds, which they did). In any case, I ran Boston 2019 and the Pacific Northwest marathon is the one that got me there! Side note: Since you’re in Eugene, pay tribute to the Prefontaine memorial (photo attached) . And if you like hiking, plenty of opportunities in that area.
From the pace perspective
Bonnie Wilson's thoughts: I have been a pacer for this race since their first year in 2015 so I have seen how much this race has grown since day 1. … MORE
Bonnie Wilson’s thoughts:
I have been a pacer for this race since their first year in 2015 so I have seen how much this race has grown since day 1.
Now let me be flat out honest. If you are looking for a race with a bunch of frills, lots of swag, tons of people and flash this is not your race. This is a small, budget friendly, all-abilities race that caters to a different crowd. Your entry fee gets you your race, your choice of t-shirt color and styles (this is a rarity and the shirts are always my favorite every year) and your medal.
Packet pick up is a small affair at Dicks Sporting Goods. One thing that got my attention when I first started running this race is because this race is so small the race director greeted a lot of runners by name as they came in. His team is invested in you, and invested in your story. It was a simple and well organized process to pick up packets which consisted of your shirt, number and a couple coupons.
Race morning starts with an early start at 6am for the slower paces. This course is one of the few in the Northwest that is open for 7 plus hours for the marathon giving everyone a chance to reach for their unicorn moment. Once you arrive you can check your bag with the registration volunteers and do what you need to start.
This race is small enough there is zero need for corals. You line up by following the pacer closest to your pace and we all went out as one group.
For me, the course is one of the biggest highlights. You get to travel through Springfield from the city streets and nicer houses all away back into the Springfield backcountry. This course is extremely flat with a few gentle inclines spread out here and there.
This course is also well supported by both runners and volunteers a lot. This is the one race a year that feels like the elite runners are pulling for those of us who wish we could be faster, there had been so many high fives and nice comments out there. Also the volunteers truly had been excited even through the rain. They made it a point to share a smile with you.
The course is well marked (though the GPS had it run long) and had water stops just about the right intervals that had been well stocked with everything that you possibly could need.
Once you finished you had been met by a small party atmosphere. You collected your medal to the roar of the crowd at Crescent Village and got a chance to refuel with a home made buffet including sandwiches and burritos. The MC interviewed first time runners and runners who PR’ed on the course to share the inspiring and motivating energies.
As I write this, the perfect way to look at this race is think about running with some of your best most supportive group running friends while still getting your medal. Add to the fact that you are celebrated no matter the pace or ability. This has turned into one of my favorite races every year.
Flat, Friendly Course
The course is flat, it's out and back. It was really cold, and there was no shelter (we snuck into the bib pick-up area). Some of the turns are confusing, … MORE
The course is flat, it’s out and back. It was really cold, and there was no shelter (we snuck into the bib pick-up area). Some of the turns are confusing, and if you don’t see any runners in front of you, it’s best to memorize the course so you don’t get lost. Otherwise, fun experience overall.