The Route 66 Marathon is run on the Sunday before Thanksgiving in Tulsa, OK, which is about 100 miles east of OKC. Oklahoma weather can be very unpredictable at any given time of the year. Usually, late November temperatures average in the 60s, but the last two years, Oklahoma was hit with early snow storms the week before the race. This year, we were lucky that the weather cleared up for the weekend of the race.

This year, I ran the half marathon course with my Norman RunHers women's running group. I ran the Route 66 full marathon in 2010, but since then, the course has changed and the race has grown with about 8,000 runners participating in Sunday's race. One change I noticed from when I ran the event in 2010 is that the 5K, Fun Run and Mascot Dash are held on Saturday. This is a fantastic way to build the anticipation for the marathon and half marathon on Sunday.

The Tulsa community support was unbelievably supportive of all the runners! Most of the half marathon course weaves in and out of beautiful neighborhoods with the residents sitting out on their driveways cheering for the runners. Local high school students volunteered at many of the water stations and graciously cheered us on as we ran. There was a party atmosphere for almost every mile of the half marathon.

In my opinion, this course would be very difficult to run a PR. It is very hilly, especially through the first 10 miles. Since I only ran the half this year, I cannot speak of the second half of the marathon course. If you decide to run the full marathon, I would suggest including a great deal of hill work into your training to prepare for this challenging course. It is no fun to burn out the legs before the second half of the race! This year, I ran for pure enjoyment and felt that 13.1 miles were quite enough for me on this day.

This is a great race to either enjoy with your family or with your friends for a quick weekend getaway. The Oklahoma hospitality can't be beat! After the race, the local restaurants were open and welcomed all runners. We had our pick of different types of food, atmosphere, and did not have to wait long for a table at all. I will definitely be back next year!