The Sunday before Thanksgiving is quickly approaching. For a bunch of us, that means running the Route 66 Marathon.
This race is where I cut my teeth on the marathon, and I’ve run the half marathon a number of times. So of course I’m running it again, as are thousands of you.
What you’re going to get is the same great event as always, But there are going to be some course changes, and from what I see, they are for the better.
So the purpose of this is to go over the course, and maybe give you a few observations before you toe the line on Sunday.
The marathon and half marathon follow the same initial loop right up into the 13th mile, when marathoners head out of downtown for their second loop. Here are some things you need to know…
Don’t be fooled by that first mile. It’s mostly downhill, so it’s fast, and the excitement of the race will amp up a lot of people’s paces. Soon after reaching 15th Street, you will meet a really big hill. You’ll climb part of it, then turn off into a neighborhood by Maple Park. Then it’s back east on 21st and a sizable hill. It will be the biggest incline you face until you hit Mile 11.
The hill gives way just before Utica Avenue, but the hilliness of the course won’t stop for a while. Running through the neighborhoods near Woodward Park is scenic, but there is a lot of up-and-down between Mile 2 and Mile 7. Pace yourself accordingly.
The hills will relent as you go through Brookside, then turn west on 41st Street. Turning north on Riverside will remain flat. The big change in the course happens here. In the past few years, the course ducked back into the neighborhood and a long, gradual climb on Cincinnati Avenue. The detour was made because of construction at the Gathering Place park. The park is open now, and so is Riverside Drive all the way to downtown. Runners will enjoy a flatter stretch through the park, and that should help with people’s times. It will also help you save some energy as you get ready to head into downtown and into Mile 11. And then it gets real.
First, you’ll turn west and cross the Arkansas River on the 11th Street bridge, a stretch that is part of the historic Route 66. At the end of the bridge, you’ll turn around and run back into downtown.
At Southwest Boulevard, you will begin the climb back into downtown, and it’s not small, lasting the better part of a mile, comprising of two hills. Just past Mile 12, you’ll turn north at Denver Avenue and start heading north and downhill toward the Tulsa Arts District. Marathoners will turn back east at Second Street to begin their second loop while those doing the half will continue north on the last mile — one more short climb, then a mostly flat finish.
For those going the full 26.2, it’s another trip out to midtown, but in different areas. You get to avoid the hills of 15th Street to start, instead eventually making your way south on Peoria between Mile 13 and Mile 15. Here, you’ll turn back east on a familiar road, south past Utica Square, but then farther east into different neighborhoods. I’ve found these areas not as hilly as Maple Ridge, but that will change soon enough. The mellower grades continue from Mile 15 through Mile 18 as you head north toward the University of Tulsa.
You hit one small but steep climb on 21st Street, then a long, gradual uphill slog toward the university between Mile 18 and Mile 20. The uphill continues through the school, then relents a bit as you leave and go back south on Delaware.
And then, my friends, comes the biggest mental test of the full, at least in my estimation. Just before Mile 22 begins, you hit 15th Street (also known as Cherry Street), and its sizable hills. Between Delaware and Peoria, they are big and somewhat steep.
Just when you think another huge hill awaits, you turn north back on Peoria (between Mile 23 and Mile 24) to start the trek back downtown. Fortunately, the hills of midtown are behind you. If you have any gas left in the tank, you can make some time here. If you don’t, at least gravity won’t be devouring you the entire way there. A slight grade up takes you from Mile 24 to Mile 25, then a gradual downhill on First Street to Denver Avenue lets you coast.
If you want to do the Center of the Universe Detour, it pulls off the course in the middle of the First Street stretch. It’s a party up there, and they give you a commemorative coin for your trouble. Back on the main course, you go downhill fast on Denver Avenue, under a bridge, then one last, short uphill climb to the Tulsa Arts District and the final, mostly flat portion of the course to the finish.
Last few observations…
First, I hope you did some hill training. Though only a few of the hills are big and there are some sizable flat spots, this is not a flat course. At all.
Second, expect good course support. Organizers have lots of aid stations along the way, well-stocked and well-manned.
Third, watch the weather forecasts. It’s going to be a cold start, with gun-time temps about 28 degrees. The high is expected to top out at 42 degrees, and it will be cloudy with a north breeze. Dress accordingly, and keep watching the forecast. Weather in this state can be fickle.
Fourth, the start corral has a different format. It will be a spoke corral to work around a construction site on Main Street: A and B corrals will be on Main Street south of Fifth while the C and D corrals will be on Fifth Street on either side of Main. And I’ve been told to tell you all that you have to enter each corral from the back – no hanging out at the roundabout fountain at Fifth and Main and jumping in another corral will be allowed.
Last, enjoy it! I’ve run this one a few times, and it stacks up well with any race I’ve done. The course is scenic and challenging, which always makes for a good time.
Bob Doucette