Route 66 is often called the Mother of All Roads, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, is its capital. This iconic road opened on November 11, 1926, stretching 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. Twenty-eight of those miles are in Tulsa.
The road was one of the U.S. Numbered Highway System’s first highways. While motoring down Route 66 is the classic way to travel, Tulsa’s Route 66 Marathon traces a section of the route on foot. This year’s event takes place November 23-24. And 2026 will be really special as Tulsa will be buzzing with Route 66 centennial events.
See what this race has in store with our guide to the Route 66 Marathon.
Route 66 Marathon map and courses
The Route 66 Marathon started in 2006. Executive director Destiny Green began working with the race the following year. I met with her at a café in the Tulsa Arts District, which she has also been very involved with developing. Green explained how the route follows the best parts of Route 66 while avoiding more industrial areas.
“Predominantly it’s a scenic tour of Tulsa with as much Route 66 as we can get,” Green said. Runners curious to tour the race course can find Route 66 Marathon maps here. There’s even a video tour showing off the 2022 marathon route.
The race offers the full marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5K, fun run, and a mascot dash. “On Saturday, that’s our 5K and fun run day,” Green said. “We try to get kids really engaged. So we ask a bunch of the local mascots to come out. They do basically a 30-yard dash in their costumes. It’s very fun. We have a big dance party afterwards and the kids love it.”
People can participate in both days’ events by doing a double. That’s running the 5K on Saturday and the marathon or half marathon on Sunday. Double finishers receive a special double challenge coin in addition to finishers’ medals and other swag.
The world’s shortest ultramarathon
The Route 66 Marathon also offers a chance for runners to complete the world’s shortest ultramarathon. “An ultra is anything bigger than a marathon,” Green explained. So 26.5 miles counts. At about mile 25, course signage indicates the optional detour. The ultra takes runners through the Center of the Universe, an acoustical anomaly involving an echo you only hear while straddling a crack in a bridge.
“You do three-tenths of a mile and you get a cool Center of the Universe detour coin,” Green said. “And a beer. You cross back over and you finish your race. If you’re going to PR or you’re really running for your time, you’re obviously not going to do it. But all the fun people do.”
A marathon that likes to party
The kitschy atmosphere of Route 66 draws many people who may be more excited about being there than about running. Green calls it a 26.2-mile block party.
“Runner’s World Magazine once was quoted saying we have more liquor on our course than any other race in North America,” she said. “Tulsa likes to party.” The course support is also phenomenal, as people who live along the route cheer on runners. “They’ll bring their couches out and their liquor. They make drinks for runners.”
The traditional drinks are mimosas, Fireball whiskey, and Jello shots. “We have approximately 8,000 Jello shots on the course,” Green said. People love the atmosphere and often return to run the marathon in subsequent years.
Route 66 Marathon swag
Green works hard to ensure the medal designs appeal to Route 66 aficionados. Recent years have featured some of Tulsa’s best buildings along the Mother Road. Finishers also get more than a T-shirt to wear. “Usually something like a full zip or quarter zip jacket,” Green said. “Our swag is legit.”
A welcoming race
The race welcomes locals as well as visitors. “People come from all 50 states and at least 10 countries every year,” Green said. Seven thousand people participated in last year’s Route 66 Marathon. The event is still building back to its pre-COVID peak of 13,000.
Visitors include Route 66 fans who aren’t necessarily runners. “The course is open for six and a half hours. So if you keep up a 16.5 minute per mile pace, you can finish,” Green said. “If you don’t stop and partake of the block party shenanigans.”
The marathon also encourages local kids to embrace the sport by setting up running clubs. Green loves running with these kids. “We go into local Title I schools,” she said. “We coach and mentor them. They run a free 5K that we pay for. We put them in a brand-new pair of shoes at the end. Which is the best part of my job.”
