Welcome Letter

Welcome!

Welcome to Tulsa! I am so excited to welcome you to the 16th annual Williams Route 66 Marathon weekend. Whether you’ve run the Tulsa streets hundreds of times or this is your first trip to our amazing city, we’re so glad you’re here. We have lots of excitement in store for you this weekend! As you may have heard, the Williams Route 66 Marathon now features a brand new course that gives marathoners the opportunity to explore the Gathering Place, Tulsa’s crown jewel and site of the largest private gift to a public park in U.S. history, thanks to the George Kaiser Family foundation. This year’s course will take marathoners on a tour of the Gathering Place at mile 17, running along paved trails in the park and offering exciting new sights for participants and spectators to see and enjoy. Finishers of this weekend’s events will also receive the second in our Route 66 Icons finisher medal series. Starting last year with our medal honoring Buck Atom, the Atomic Space Cowboy, our medal series honors iconic Route 66 landmarks in the Tulsa area leading up to our 20th anniversary event. This year’s medal is styled after the popular Goodwill store sign located on Route 66 (Southwest Boulevard) and features a 1950s retro feel that evokes a bygone era with an eye towards the future. While you’re in Tulsa, stop by 3110 Southwest Boulevard and snap a photo with the real sign and your medal! We might just feature your photo on one of our social media accounts. You may also notice more young runners than you’re used to at other races. Participants in Kicks for Kids, the official charity of the Williams Route 66 Marathon, will be running and walking the 5k on Saturday after training hard all school year. We hope you’ll cheer extra loudly for them! Kicks for Kids pairs Williams Route 66 Marathon race directors with local Title I Elementary Schools to help kids complete their first 5k at the Williams Route 66 Marathon race weekend. It’s our goal to make sure that we can buy a new pair of running shoes for every child that participates in the program, so we hope you’ll consider donating to this worthy cause and spreading the joy of health and wellness to Tulsa youth. The Route 66 Marathon is Tulsa’s biggest block party, so I’d like to thank the many spectators, businesses, and neighborhoods that give the race its party atmosphere.

WE HOPE YOU LOVE EVERY STEP OF YOUR 26.2-MILE PARTY THROUGH TULSA!