The 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon was underway Sunday as 30,000 runners filled downtown Oklahoma City for the main race, while Floyd won the OKC Memorial Quarter Marathon and said he was still recovering from an injury.
“It’s a great cause,” Floyd told News 9’s Chris Williams after the finish. The weekend had already brought the 5K, senior and kids races on Saturday morning, with hundreds of children taking off after motivation from Rumble the Bison and George Bowers winning the Senior Marathon. Eli Janzen won the Kids Marathon.
News 9 planned live updates throughout the weekend, including winners, weather and course updates, and video. Jennifer Pierce reported from the starting line as runners began making their way through downtown Oklahoma City, while Elizabeth Fitz also was live at the start. Colby Thelen and Lisa Monahan reported from Gorilla Hill, about 7 miles into the race, and David Payne tracked the lead marathon runner.
The marathon weekend also included smaller moments that helped define the day. Runners stopped for pictures with Rumble the Bison as they moved through downtown, and Haley Hetrick spoke with Kari Watkins before the race began about hopes for the 2026 event. Ashley Carreon, who won the 2025 Oklahoma City Women’s Memorial Marathon, finished the 5K this year while 8 months pregnant and pointed to the 168 banners along the course honoring those killed in the 1995 bombing.
That history is the reason the marathon draws so much attention every year, and it also explains the scale of the weekend. The event is not just one race but a series of runs and services, including the Blessing of the Shoes held the night before at First Church at 5th & Robinson.
There was friction too. A closure along NW 10th Street near Interstate 235 affected access into downtown Oklahoma City ahead of the races, and drivers were told to plan alternate routes and allow extra time that morning. By Sunday, though, the downtown core belonged to runners, volunteers and spectators, with the city’s memorial weekend again turning a painful history into a public gathering.
What remains after the medals and finish-line photos is the marathon’s larger purpose: a crowded, moving tribute that still asks Oklahoma City to remember as it runs.
