Zach Landtroop's Staging Area

This year marked 30 years since the Oklahoma City Bombing and the 25th year of the marathon. To say the event is a big deal to the city is an understatement.

The expo experience was smooth and energetic. Much more focused on welcoming/supporting the runners than merchandizing. You could spend 5 minutes or a few hours at the convention center.

Morning of the race kicked off with a very solemn prayer and moment of silence, reminding runners of the significance of the event. There are more than enough bathrooms, bag drop was quick, and the corrals were well sized and very well regulated.

The first 6-7 miles are combined with half and full runners, and the crowd support was the most extensive here. After the split, there are a few quiet areas, but the neighborhoods are extremely excited to host the course and often had tailgates, bouncey castles, and runner support throughout (in addition to the official aid stations every mile). I particularly loved the pride each neighborhood took in their roadside displays – you can tell this is an important day for the city.

Nature never called, but there was adequate portajohn coverage on the course.

The finishing stretch takes you back downtown, on the same route as the half marathon but separated by cones. Running towards the finish line, you take in all the names and faces of the victims. The energy at the finish rivals NYC in Central Park.

The post-race area was really special – live music, refreshments, medals & another shirt for finishers, all taking place in a beautiful park. I felt a great sense of community and spent far more time at the post-race celebration than my previous marathons.

Overall, this is a can’t miss race – for any distance. The heat definitely had an impact on my performance, but the OKC locals kept the energy up and their adult aid stations didn’t hurt either. Beers and jell-o shots might be my new fueling strategy!

This was only 6 weeks after my first marathon (NYC), so I intended to run a party pace and enjoy the day.

Packet pickup was direct, and a lot of giveaways from local businesses and a supplement company. Finisher shirt (long sleeve) and medal are both very nice, but the additional merchandise for purchase wasn’t anything to write home about.

A bit of arrival traffic, but everyone is getting to the same large parking garage so it clears up. 6am race start is great – no waves or corralling, but not really enough runners to make a difference. Race director did a great job hyping everyone up, and I made about 10 new friends by the time the race started.

Course is an oblong figure 8 that is run twice for the marathon. While this can get a little boring, it allows you to keep seeing people you know that could be miles ahead or behind you throughout the race. It was a lot of fun to cheer on the half marathon finishers as I ran past for my second loop.
I helped pace my new friends for the first half, and then continued to see them afterwards and it definitely helped push me to tighten in to 3:44.
Water, gatorade, and gels (Gu) were done very well for this size of a marathon. Volunteers were a lot of fun and the spacing was perfect.

Finish line energy is electric and plenty of beer and food immediately after. The bars nearby were generous hosts of the finisher crowd and the celebration extended well into the evening.