Oakland Marathon
The Lowdown
The Oakland Marathon, presented by Kaiser Permanente, is a one-loop marathon through the East Bay held every March, now in its second decade since launching in 2010. The course starts and finishes at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts near Lake Merritt, threading Oakland's Little Saigon neighborhood, Grand Avenue and the Grand Lake Theater, Telegraph Avenue's Fox Theater, and Downtown Oakland before an out-and-back onto the Bay Bridge to Yerba Buena Island -- a stretch that makes it the only marathon in the United States to cross the Bay Bridge. It is a certified Boston Marathon and NYC Marathon qualifier with a 7-hour time limit, open to runners 18 and older. The full race weekend also includes a Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and Kids Fun Run, and drew over 11,000 total registrants across all distances in 2026. Finishers receive an event shirt and medal. The next edition runs race weekend March 19-21, 2027, with the marathon starting Sunday, March 21 at 7:00 AM.
Race Day
Weather Forecast
Elevation
Terrain Profile
Relatively flat course
Participants
Field Size
Large field
Crowd Rating
Spectator Support
Good crowd energy
Boston Qualifier
This race is a certified Boston Marathon qualifying event. Achieve your qualifying standard here on a verified course.
Lake Merritt
Bay Bridge (out-and-back to Yerba Buena Island)
Grand Lake Theater
Fox Theater (Telegraph Avenue)
Little Saigon neighborhood
Downtown Oakland
Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts (start/finish)
Other distances available during the event weekend:
Oakland, California, United States
US
Average rate for 3-star accommodations near the start line
Eligibility
- Runners must be at least 18 years old on race day to enter the full marathon
Required Documents
- Government-issued photo ID for in-person packet pickup
Entry Methods
- Online registration via Race Roster
- Charity/fundraising entries through official nonprofit partners
Cancellation & Refund Policy
Entries are generally non-refundable; deferral to a future year's race may be offered for a fee, consistent with standard policy for this event
Presented by Kaiser Permanente; proceeds benefit the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation's Oakland youth programming
2026 edition (March 22, 2026) drew a record 11,000+ total registrants across all distances
One-loop course; only U.S. marathon that crosses the Bay Bridge
Training for this race?
Track your training, follow a plan, and prepare for race day with MarathonOS.
Scan to download
Community
Stories, tips, and race-day snapshots from runners who have tackled this course.
Community Reviews
Learn from fellow runners and share insights that will help the next person toe the line.