Credit: Oakland Marathon / Lindsey Pfeiffer; click to enable lightbox
15th edition celebrates thousands across the finish line on a picture perfect Oakland morning; Stephen & Ayesha Curry surprise finishers with high fives and smiles; 1,000 kids in the Eat. Learn. Play. Kids Fun Run presented by Kaiser Permanente
OAKLAND, Calif. – (March 17, 2024) – On a beautiful, blue sky Sunday in downtown Oakland, the 15th Oakland Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K celebrated thousands of runners and walkers completing their journey across the Kaiser Permanente Finish Line adjacent Lake Merritt and Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts. The event enjoyed a 20% increase in registrations from 2023 and also saw a record turnout on Saturday for the Eat. Learn. Play. Kids Fun Run presented by Kaiser Permanente with 1,000 Oakland kids tackling ÂĽ mile, ½ mile and 1 mile distances.Â
Proceeds from the event provided support and resources for Oakland students in partnership with Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation; the pair, on Sunday, surprised runners and walkers with high fives along the finish line near Lake Merritt.
On Sunday morning, the participants ran courses throughout Oakland, passing iconic landmarks as well as the Bay Bridge for those completing 26.2 miles. In the Marathon, Simon Ricci of San Francisco (Men), Sara Bagnell of San Francisco (Women) and Makani Swan of Alameda (Non-binary+) won the Marathon, clocking 2 hours, 28 minutes, 48 seconds, 2:57:43 and 3:58:55, respectively.
In the Men’s Marathon Pushrim Wheelchair, William Hastings of Berkeley won in 4:05:53Â
Eat. Learn. Play. CEO, Chris Helfrich, who also completed the Marathon, kicked off the morning to welcome the Marathon and Half Marathon runners, while Oakland’s District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife greeted the 10K & 5K participants.
- The Half Marathon was won by Jacob Potere (Novato), Sierra Castaneda (Palo Alto), and David Eik (San Francisco) in 1:09:03, 1:19:47 and 1:12:41, respectively.Â
- The 10K winners were Anthony Cortes* (Half Moon Bay), Mary Brownell (Oakland), and Artie Evans (Oakland) in 31:45, 35:26, and 40:43, respectively.Â
- The 5K was won by Dan Milechman (Oakland), Kurstin Kalisek (Oakland) and Llwellyn Jalbert (Oakland) in 16:18, 19:15 and 21:00, respectively.Â
Complete race results can be found at: https://oaklandmarathon.com/race-resources/results/
After the completion of their runs, participants enjoyed the Ronald McDonald House Charities Celebration Village overlooking Lake Merritt, including live music from Whit the DJ, DJ Enzo and Grand Nationxl.
“We are grateful to the community of Oakland in supporting the 15th anniversary celebration of the Oakland Marathon,” said Run Local Founder J.T. Service. “Our new home at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts provided an incredible event backdrop to celebrate Oakland and the greater Bay Area running community. Thank you to the entire Eat. Learn. Play. team for whom this event benefits and their work in support of Oakland youth. And also a big thank you to all the runners, volunteers, artists, musicians, sponsors, city agencies and everyone cheering on their friends and family to the finish!”
The Kaiser Permanente Thrive Expo kicked off race weekend on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16. It was the first mass participatory event at the remodeled Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Art.
FAST FACTS
- 15th Edition, first full year produced by local event producers, Run Local®
- Oakland’s largest participatory endurance event
- 1,000 Kids ran in the Eat. Learn. Play. Kids Fun Run. Thanks to Eat. Learn. Play. all OUSD students were invited to participate for free
- 8,000+ registered runners across event distances
- 1,000+ volunteers and staff
- 200 participating with local youth club, Running for a Better Oakland
- 66 person strong Marathon & Half Marathon Pace Team powered by On Pace and Lake Merritt Joggers & StridersÂ
- Produced Locally, Enjoyed Globally
- 90%+ travel from within 100 miles of Oakland
- 40 states and territories as well as 16 countries represented
- 25 students from the Porto Business School (Portugal) x UC Berkeley Haas School of Business participated.
- 85 Running for a Better Oakland participants in the 5K
- 50% Female, 48% Male, 2% Non-Binary+ / Prefer not to disclose
- Youngest / Oldest
- Youngest – 1 year, 8 months (Eat. Learn. Play. Kids Fun Run)
- Oldest – 90 years, 2 months (Half Marathon)
- 10 entertainment zones, including the Start & Finish at Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts
- 13 Aid Stations, including the Start & Finish at Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts
For more event information, go to oaklandmarathon.com or follow the event on social @oaklandmarathon.
About Run Local®
Founded in 2012, Run Local’s mission is to inspire movement in your community™. It has produced events in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout California, including the Oakland Marathon (March), San Jose Half & 8K (June) and the Santa Barbara Half presented by HOKA & 5K (November). Each of its events celebrate the local running community, artists and the unique diversity of each region. For more information, visit runlocalevents.com and also join us on social @runlocalevents.
About Eat. Learn. Play.
Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is an organization dedicated to unleashing the potential of every child, paving the way for amazing kids and opening doors to bright futures. Founded by Stephen and Ayesha Curry in 2019, Eat. Learn. Play. launched with a focus on improving the lives of kids and families in Oakland, the Bay Area and across the country. Rooted in three of the most vital pillars for a healthy childhood—nutrition, education and physical activity—Eat. Learn. Play. is working to ensure that every child in Oakland has access to the nutritious food they need to be healthy and thrive; resources to learn and love to read; and safe places and equitable opportunities to play. For more information, visit eatlearnplay.org and join us on social @eatlearnplay.
