Route 66 Marathon

The Route 66 Marathon is a USATF-certified, Boston-qualifying marathon run through downtown Tulsa's Art Deco Historic District, the University of Tulsa campus, and along the Arkansas River, celebrating the Mother Road's legacy. Race weekend (currently sponsored by Williams Companies as the 'Williams Route 66 Marathon') runs Saturday and Sunday, with the full marathon, half marathon, and marathon relay held Sunday alongside a Saturday 5K/fun run and one-mile races. The signature feature is the optional Center of the Universe detour: a free 0.3-mile side trip to Tulsa's Center of the Universe, a spot where a person standing in the middle of a brick circle hears their own voice echo while people just outside the circle do not. Runners who take the detour complete the self-styled 'World's Shortest Ultramarathon' and receive a commemorative color-inlaid coin. The course draws heavy neighborhood support, with block parties along the route, and finishes at Guthrie Green in the Brady Arts District.