OKC Memorial Marathon 2026: Route, results, how to track runners
Get ready for the OKC Memorial Marathon 2026: Schedule, Route, and Tracking Info

The London Marathon will host a record 59,000 runners this year, raising nearly ÂŁ100 million for charity. The event reflects a growing interest in running, particularly among younger women and Gen Z.
There is always magic in the air on a London Marathon morning. But this year the event promises to dazzle and soar more than ever. A world-record 59,000 people will take part in Sundayâs race, raising close to ÂŁ100m for charity while swallowing 93,024 Lucozade gels from Greenwich to the Mall. There are also whispers of a menâs world record attempt. But the biggest noise of all is coming from those hailing a new golden era of running.
The numbers are astonishing. The facts indisputable. More than 1.1 million people entered the ballot for this yearâs race â 750,000 more than four years ago. Notably, a third of those were in the 18-29 category, with female entrants making up the biggest percentage of those under 30.
The London Marathon is now so big that, as the Guardian revealed last month, organisers plan to split it over two days in 2027 so that 100,000 can take part. But the running boom, that has been fuelled by gen Z, women, and social media, is one that few people saw coming.
The BBC presenter Sophie Raworth remembers that when she started running, at 38, she didnât bump into many other women on the roads. But when she began training for what will be her 13th London Marathon in January she was stunned by what she saw.
âI met with a group by a bike shop near the River Thames,â says Raworth, whose new book, Running on Air, is a love letter to the sport. âThe first run we went on, 220 people turned up. The average age was 29 and most of them were women. It was 7.45am on a Sunday morning. I was thinking to myself: when I was that age I was still asleep. Itâs amazing.â
The explosion in this new breed of running clubs or âcrewsâ has been key to the boom. Unlike a traditional club, their emphasis isnât usually on super-fast times but on being inclusive, enjoying a run and a chat, and a coffee afterwards.
And it is gen Z women who are embracing them most of all. According to Jenny Mannion, who founded the female-running group Runners and Stunners in 2023, it is because they are searching for different real-life experiences after the pandemic than millennials like her.
âI used to be such a party girl pre-lockdown,â says Mannion, who holds regular events for slower-paced joggers in London, Bristol, Brighton and Manchester. âInstead of finding human connection by going to the pub they are choosing to run.

The London Marathon is expected to raise close to ÂŁ100 million for charity this year.
A record 59,000 runners are set to participate in this year's London Marathon.
The increase is largely driven by Gen Z and women, with a significant number of entrants aged 18-29.
Organizers plan to split the London Marathon over two days in 2027 to accommodate 100,000 participants.
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Tigst Assefa basks in the glory of winning the womenâs London Marathon in 2025. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
âAll this has also exploded massively because of social media. A lot of 18- to 30-year-olds use Tiktok and Instagram. When they give running a go, they find itâs so good for your mental health. Itâs also so empowering to run in a group of 200 women on a Saturday morning.â
That is echoed by Lillie Bleasdale, who runs the online female coaching company, Passa. She also cites another factor: running in a group makes women feel safe, and makes newcomers more likely to stick with it even if they struggle at first.
âWomen are actively seeking out spaces where they feel comfortable and safe â when that environment is provided, they donât just participate, they stay and bring others with them,â she says. âWord of mouth has been a huge driver of our growth. For many women, feeling safe and supported is fundamental to staying consistent with exercise - and thatâs something these groups are increasingly prioritising.â
Meanwhile the worldâs biggest sports brands are increasingly making shoes that are plusher and more comfortable than traditional running attire â while also being fashionable.
Kevin Fitzpatrick, the vice-president of running at New Balance, says this approach has helped the company to record-breaking revenues.
âWhat weâve seen happen since the pandemic is just a total rewrite of run culture and what it means to be a runner,â he says. âWeâre seeing a lot more inclusivity. Whatâs really exciting is that the surge has been driven by younger runners. A lot of creatives have also come into running from music, art, fashion, thatâs creating a much more creative and diverse community, and itâs a place now that people want to belong to.â
He points to New Balanceâs recently-released Ellipse shoe, that he says has brought fresh customers to the company. âWeâve been a running brand since the early 1950s, but itâs really critical that weâre constantly keeping our pulse on how the culture is evolving, and make sure we maintain a two-way conversation with that culture,â he adds.
It is all a far cry from when the London Marathon started in 1981. Back then there were just 6,255 finishers, 95% of them men. Even 15 years ago the race was still overwhelmingly male.
The London Marathon race director, Hugh Brasher, says he is delighted by these developments and the huge growth in running generally. And in a world riven by conflict in the Middle East, fears over AI and so much economic uncertainty, he makes a final point about why Sundayâs race is so important.
âI think the one of the popularities of marathon running is it genuinely brings people together,â he says. âWe know we are far more similar than we are different. Iâve travelled from London to Cape Town on a motorbike. You meet people, and you realise how kind they are, and that the vast majority of people are unbelievably welcoming. Thatâs what the London Marathon shows. And I think we need more of that community spirit and togetherness.â