I've looked at running this race for a few years now, and in 2019, it finally fit the calendar! The history and meaning behind this race was part of the draw for me. What an amazing thing to be part of!

This race is the sole fundraiser for the OKC Memorial. They are able to earn enough money from this event to completely support the memorial, so there is no cost to taxpayers, etc.

The run starts right in front of the Memorial with a staggered start. Every 5 minutes or so, another wave goes off. This was awesome as it really helped to keep congestion on the course down! I have run many other larger races that I feel like I am running elbow to elbow with other runners until mile 6. Never happened here!

Be ready fro rolling hills! No, nothing huge or monumental, but there are a bunch of them! The gals I fell into step with and ran 90% of the race were running strictly for fun (as was I) so we enjoyed walking up anything that looked or felt like a hill (yeah we were enjoying the day and the race, taking everything in). One of my favorite parts of the course was Gorilla Hill at about mile 8. We are talking everyone in the neighborhood out, inflatable, food and beverages! If there was a particular food you were looking for, chances are, someone was handing it out! The only bummer is that the half marathoners are running on the opposite side of the divided street so we missed out on some of the treats and the huge inflatable arch and fun pics of the HUGE inflated gorilla!

After turning the corner at the top of Gorilla Hill, you enter the Memorial Miles. The next few miles are a tribute to all those who lost their life that day. There is a separate banner for each individual lining the side of the route. The entire few miles is very humbling, emotional and so much more than I could have imagined. I learned how the girls I was running with were affected by the bombing, why they fun this race every year and it completely changed my feelings about the race.

Overall, the course was fun, the community support was amazing, the aid stations were well stocked and the finish line party was pretty fabulous!

One other fun part about this race is that not only did I receive a shirt with my race packet, but there was a second finishers shirt too! How cool is that!