Steven Baker won the 2026 OKC Memorial Marathon men's race with a personal record time of 2:23:18. He expressed that winning was a bonus, as he aimed to race hard.
Key points
Steven Baker won the men's race at the 2026 OKC Memorial Marathon
His winning time was 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 18 seconds
Baker felt confident nearing the finish line
He aimed to race hard rather than just focus on winning
But nearing the finish line, curiosity finally won. Baker took a glance over his shoulder and saw nothing but open road.
For the first time all morning, reality hit that this race was his.
āI felt good ā just that straightaway, knowing you were about to win,ā Baker said. āBut that's not why I came here. I just wanted to race hard. Winning a big race is a bonus.ā
Baker ultimately crossed the finish line with a personal record time of 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 18 seconds.
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Scenes from the 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
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See our best photos of runners competing in 2026 OKC Memorial Marathon
Scenes from the 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
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See our best photos of runners competing in 2026 OKC Memorial Marathon
Scenes from the 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
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See our best photos of runners competing in 2026 OKC Memorial Marathon
Scenes from the 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
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See our best photos of runners competing in 2026 OKC Memorial Marathon
Scenes from the 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
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See our best photos of runners competing in 2026 OKC Memorial Marathon
Scenes from the 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
Baker won the marathon by a comfortable margin while running the course at a 5 minute, 28-second pace. Nick Taubenheim took second with a time of 2:27:21, and Jesse Nix followed in third at 2:27:45.
āI was just trying to get to the finish,ā Baker said. āThe last, like, 3 miles are pretty difficult, so time went out the window. But I knew I was on pace for something, maybe a personal record, but I didn't think too much about my record or PR time.ā
The win came in Bakerās first appearance in the OKC Memorial Marathon
Heās a 2009 graduate of Tulsa Union High School where he ran track before attending Rogers State University in Claremore. He took a break from running after graduating and got back into long distance running events in 2020.
Since then, heās steadily rebuilt himself into a champion.
He won the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa in 2023 with a time of 2:26:47, but even that performance didnāt define his approach Sunday.
āThat race was a few years ago, so that's changed,ā Baker said. āI got a little older, but I trained, trained pretty hard. That was key for me. You know, just trusting my fitness.ā
Baker began training for the OKC Memorial Marathon in January.
Months of preparation saw Baker running miles on end in Tulsa in order to reach Sundayās milestone. He embraced the grind, refusing to shy away from the daunting thought of tackling a 26.2-mile course.
āThat's a runner's thing,ā Baker said. āYou know, once you run one marathon, youāve just gotta keep on running marathons. And I did Tulsa, and now I did this one. So Iām pretty happy with the results, it's pretty cool.ā
As for a return trip next year?
Donāt count on another full marathon for Baker just yet.
āIām thinking about it ā maybe the half marathon,ā Baker said with a laugh. āThis was a lot of work. Iām drained man, I'm done.ā
Steven Baker wins the men's Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
Steven Baker wins the men's Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
Canadian runner Rory Linkletter wins the menās half marathon
Rory Linkletter didnāt initially plan on racing hard when he arrived in Oklahoma City.
Fresh off a career-defining run at the 2026 Boston Marathon earlier in the week, the Canadian standout arrived with lighter intentions. He planned for something closer to a recovery jog than a title chase.
That didnāt last long.
"I kind of left the (Boston Marathon) pretty arbitrary," Linkletter said. "I thought I'll probably just have some fun, run it easy. And I got in here, felt pretty good, got carried away, started trying to win the race and had a lot of fun doing that. So I maximized my fun."
Linkletter was the winner of the 2026 OKC Memorial half-marathon with a final time of on 1:10.56.
Muse Rnz narrowly finished secondĀ with a time of 1:11:23, while Kyle Ginn followed in third place at 1:12:46.
The 29-year-old previously set a personal best time of 2:06:04 at the 2026 Boston Marathon on Monday, making him the second fastest Canadian of all time over the distance.
Sunday marked Linkletterās first visit to Oklahoma City, where he competed as a Memorial Marathon ambassador. But beyond the race itself, it was the eventās purpose that stuck with him.
After learning more about the Oklahoma City bombing, Linkletter found added motivation down the stretch.
āIt really is beautiful what we do at the beginning and at the end of this race,ā he said. āThe moment of silence ā 168 seconds for those we lost ā and then running through the finish, seeing every name and every photo. It's a great tribute to remember those people."
āThis is also just a great celebration of what people can do when they come together. I'm so glad I got to experience it."
Rory Linkletter crosses the finish line to win the half-marathon race during the 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
Rory Linkletter crosses the finish line to win the half-marathon race during the 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
Extra points
After finishing second in last year's race, Glenn Pemberton won the 26.2 mile-wheelchair marathon with a time of 1:47:10. David Satre finished second with a 3:07:13 final time.
Chris Floyd won the menās quarter marathon with a time of 36:25. Luis Chavez and Brooks Linse finished second and third. Floyd also won the menās half marathonĀ in 2025.
Ryan Walker won the menās 5K for the first time with a time of 15:11 after finishing second a year ago. Ethan Brooks and Luis Chavez finished second and third.
Jordan DavisĀ covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached atĀ jdavis@oklahoman.comĀ or on X/Twitter atĀ @thejordancdavis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletterĀ to access more high school coverage. Support Jordanās work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing aĀ digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
