This year was the largest Portland Marathon in nearly a decade, attracting 9,000 registrants
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Marathon presented by OHSU Health, one of the longest-running consecutive marathons in the state of Oregon, sold out its 52nd annual event with 9,000 registrations. The Portland Marathon presented by OHSU Health took place on Oct. 6, and offered four distances, a marathon, half marathon, the Quantum Fiber 10K and the Doernbecher Kids 1 Mile Run, which all offer their own scenic tours of the Portland area. This was the first year the 10K distance was offered at the Portland Marathon.
Runners took off onto the multiple courses offered where they toured some of Portland’s most notable landmarks and neighborhoods, including the Waterfront Park, Old Town, the Pearl District, Sellwood-Moreland, Reed College and experienced multiple bridge crossings over the Willamette River.
Archibald Casteel, the men’s marathon champion and overall first-place finisher, completed the 26.2 miles in 2:22:14, beating the course record set last year of 2:27:51. Casteel traveled to Portland all the way from Stockholm, Sweden to visit some of his local family while also attempting to beat the Portland Marathon course record. Casteel plans to return next year to defend his title.
Coming in after Casteel was the men’s marathon second-place finisher, Robert Pedersen. Justin Roisom took the third-place spot for the men’s marathon. The women’s marathon course was led by Rachel Peters, who finished with a time of 2:48:21. Second and third-place finishers for the women’s marathon were Alexandra Aeschliman and Lauren Ross. Leah Brown claimed first in the gender expansive division with a time of 3:33:35, followed by second and third-place finishers Marcus Carmicle and Dawson Durig.
The men’s half marathon division was led by Noah Rasmussen, who finished with a time of 1:05:55, while Erin McDonald led the women’s division with a time of 1:15:50. Jess Otto, the gender expansive division leader completed the course with a time of 1:26:25. First-place finishers of the men’s, women’s and gender expansive divisions for the Quantum Fiber 10K were Grady Daniels with a time of 32:24, Kyra Becker who finished in 33:53 and Luca Tarasow who led the gender expansive division with a time of 52:50.
“We are thrilled with the growth of the Portland Marathon, climbing over 20% in the last year,” said Phil Dumontet, CEO of Brooksee, producer of the Portland Marathon. “We have put the runner’s experience at the forefront of our efforts while continuing to produce the Portland Marathon, and to see these great results shows that our efforts are not going unnoticed. Even with a sell-out race this year, we hope to expand the field in future years and continue to grow this top-tier event in the beautiful Rose City.”
Spectators at the Portland Marathon presented by OHSU Health also had the opportunity to earn a prize on race day. The event annually hosts a “neighborhood cheer station” competition, where running groups and neighborhood associations can gather a group to cheer on participants. This can include fun signs, music, dressing in costumes, or any other unique way the groups come up with to encourage the runners. Participants on the course vote for their favorite cheer station and the group with the most votes take home a prize of $1,000. Votes are currently being counted and the final winner will be announced on a future date.
Race weekend also featured a shakeout run the day before on Oct. 5, in partnership with Portland Running Company and 10 local running clubs. Over 300 locals and visitors took part in the free event. On that same Saturday was the Health and Lifestyle Expo, which hosted a variety of vendors offering runner-friendly products and services to help prepare participants for the eventful weekend.
For more information about the Portland Marathon, visit www.portlandmarathon.com and follow the event on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
ABOUT THE PORTLAND MARATHON AND BROOKSEE
The Portland Marathon was established in 1972, and has since grown into one of the state’s largest marathon events hosting up to 10,000 participants. The event includes four distances, a marathon, half marathon, the Quantum Fiber 10K and the Doernbecher Kids 1 Mile Run, which all offer their own scenic tours of the Portland area. The Portland Marathon is produced by Brooksee, an endurance event production and services company committed to elevating the event experience for endurance athletes. Brooksee was founded in 2012 and was created in the vision of an all-in-one event production powerhouse where technological innovation and endurance events collide. Brooksee produces a portfolio of premier road races, including the Portland Marathon, the Mesa Marathon and the REVEL Race Series. For more information, visit www.brooksee.com.
