Trying to add a payment method? You can do this on the 
QuickTake:
At the end of April, runners will flock to Eugene for the Eugene Marathon, half marathon and 5K in larger numbers than ever. Distance running is experiencing a post-COVID boom.
The Eugene Marathon is expecting masses of runners for its three races April 26-27 with all three races selling out weeks before the event.
- The 5K, (April 26) with 2,700 entrants, sold out March 14.
- The marathon, (April 27) with 5,000 registrants, sold out by March 18.
- The half marathon, (April 27) with 5,300 runners, sold out by March 31.
Not everyone will show up, of course. And some runners will double up, running both the 5K on Saturday and either the marathon or half marathon Sunday. Still, race organizers expect somewhere around 4,000 runners Saturday and 9,000 Sunday, which will be a record.
Last year, the three races had a combined 8,856 finishers, according to published results.
Race organizers expect runners from all 50 states and 29 countries. And 3,667 of the registrants are coming from Springfield and Eugene.
What’s behind the popularity? The event has a reputation among the running community for top-notch organization and a scenic course that’s not too hilly. The races finish inside Hayward Field, which is a draw as well — runners across the globe are familiar with the stadium, because it was home to the 2021 and 2024 Olympic track & field trials and the 2022 World Athletics Championships, events that drew worldwide TV audiences.
“If you have any interest in track and field at all, you’re going to know about Eugene,” said Becky Radliff, director of marketing and events at the Eugene Marathon.
But the real driver of marathon participation?
Gen Z, or runners between ages 16 (the minimum age for marathon participation in Eugene) and 28. According to Radliff, director of marketing and events at the Eugene Marathon, 30 percent of the marathon field is from Gen Z.
“Gen Z loves marathons,” she said. The organization has made social media a focus of its marketing and increased its appeal to that age group. A reel posted April 13 to Instagram has nearly 26,000 views.
Nationwide, the United States is experiencing a third running boom.
The first was in the 1970s. Frank Shorter won the Olympic marathon gold in 1972 in Munich; Jim Fixx published his Complete Book of Running in 1977.
The second running boom was in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The first Eugene Marathon was held in 2007.
The pandemic interrupted the growth of events — the Eugene Marathon was not held in 2020 or 2021 — but running was a safe form of exercise. And now those runners are flocking back to starting lines.
“Road races are filling up and selling out faster than they have since before the pandemic,” said Jay Holder, executive director of Running USA, the nonprofit organization that tracks trends in the running event industry. “And that demand is not just limited to big cities and major marathons. Races of all distances across the country are feeling the impact of this new running boom.”
