Run on the Mother of all Roads. The Williams Route 66 Marathon showcases the best of what Tulsa has to offer! Start your race in downtown Tulsa, home of the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture outside of Miami, and then make your way through Tulsa's vibrant and diverse neighborhoods and the campus of Tulsa University. If there's one thing you can count on at the Williams Route 66 Marathon, it's tons of on-course support from the local community and plenty of fun. Our neighborhoods host block parties all along the course to welcome and cheer on the runners! The Williams Route 66 Marathon is a USATF certified course and a Boston Qualifier.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are above the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. You may need to adjust your time goal, especially if you are not acclimated to higher temperatures and/or humidity.
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How does the Route 66 Marathon Rank?
The Route 66 Marathon was the 73rd largest marathon in the U.S. last year and was the 67th largest in 2022.
Last year 4.6% of finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon and 5.4% of runners qualified for Boston in 2022.
This gives the Route 66 Marathon the 355th highest percentage of Boston Marathon qualifiers in the U.S. last year and the 316th highest percentage in 2022.
Its Course Score of 98.21 ranks it as the 301st fastest marathon course in the U.S. and the 3rd fastest course in Oklahoma.
The typical race time temperature and humidity levels are within the ideal range for optimal marathon performance. This, coupled with the Course Score, gives the Route 66 Marathon a PR Score of 98.21. This PR Score ranks it as the 242nd fastest marathon in the U.S. and the 2nd fastest in Oklahoma.
Learn more about PR Scores and Course Scores on the FAQ page.
Route 66 Marathon Elevation Chart
Max Elevation: 793 feet (241m) Min Elevation: 623 feet (189m)
The expo was nicer than many these days, especially after COVID, and the light jacket instead of a shirt was a nice bonus, but seemed a bit of a downgrade compared to what their website showed for last year's race gear.
The course is hilly, especially at the beginning and the end and I did not give in sufficient respect for that in preparation. Crowd support was limited, but it was drizzling all day long, so that's to be expected.
The finish line seemed a bit disorganized and haphazard, again perhaps in part because of the weather. I finished around 100 overall and they were already asking people to take water OR Gatorade, not both, for fear of running out.
Race Tips
Respect the hills and don't go out too fast, because more are coming, when you want to see them least.
Tulsa put on a wonderful event, truly. Police presence was amazing and the expo, swag, organization, energy, course - it was all super impressive. I'd totally run it again (we had a VRBO on the course, so I got to see my friends and family 4 times without them ever leaving the front porch. :) However (and this is a big however): it is hilly. And I train in hills because I live in hilly Texas. I underestimated the toll it would take - the first 9 miles are hilly and the last 3-4 are as well. I PRed by 5 minutes but had trained and planned to run at least five-seven minutes faster than that. The hills are no joke.
Many hotels right by start- you can leave 15 minutes before start if it's cold.
Anonymous's review of 2021 Route 66 Marathon.
3 /
5 Stars
Review
Route 66 has always been a hometown favorite but this year, maybe due to COVID it did not live up to the hype it's always been given. Very disappointed overall. The lack of volunteers, runners and community support unfortunately ruined the race experience this year.
Race Tips
This is a hilly course that runs through some beautiful neighborhoods in Tulsa and alongside the Arkansas river and through the University of Tulsa campus.
Love the way the city gets behind the runners. Different neighborhoods have music, drinks (even a few shots :) ) It is just a fun race.
Race Tips
The 2nd half of the race is the toughest. At mile 14 or so.... for almost two miles is a gradual uphill run. I have ran this one twice and that area kills me every time.
