Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is an annual commemoration of the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that claimed the lives of 168 individuals. Conceived in April of 2000 by two friends to celebrate life and to understand its value in the light of the tragedy that instantly snuffed out lives without warning, the inaugural event was held that year. Since then more than 10,000 runners participate every year, making "Runner’s World Magazine" classify this event as one of the world’s "12 Must Run Marathons."

The "Run to Remember", as the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is called, isn’t only a physical activity, but also an emotional one. It’s an activity that enables people to remember the ones they’ve lost not only through the bombing, but through other tragic events as well, as well as to forget the gloom and the sorrow and to look forward to the future.

The day begins with a service at the Survivor Tree, followed by 168 seconds of silence – a second for each of the victims of the bombing, and then the much anticipated race. Beginning at Robinson, located at the National Memorial’s east entrance between NW 6th and NW 5th, the course has remained unchanged since the inception of the race except for the avoidance of a hill in the last mile. The finish line is in a block between NW 6th and NW 5th, on Broadway.

168 banners are created for the marathon representing each victim. Each participant could register at the booth in honor of one of the victims and carry the corresponding banner. Runners sometimes also honor others they know who may not be related to the Memorial.

The 2009 edition of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon will be held on April 26. The menu includes the main 26.2 mile single loop marathon, a 13.1 mile half marathon, a 5 person marathon relay of 5, 10 and 12k legs, a noncompetitive 5k Memorial walk, and a 1.2 mile marathon for kids. The Health and Fitness Expo and the Memorial Pasta Dinner the day before are the other attractions of event.

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