Tulsa's Steven Baker outran a strong regional field to win the 25th edition of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, crossing in 2:23:18 to come within striking distance of the course record. Maddie McQuirk took the women's title in 2:53:06 over a course that climbs more than is widely advertised and runs through the heart of a city built around the memorial it commemorates. A record 30,000 entrants across the marathon, half marathon, quarter marathon, 5K and kids' events made this the largest "Run to Remember" in the event's history.
Baker, a former Oklahoma State athlete who races for a Tulsa-based club, controlled the front of the marathon from mile 14 onwards and finished more than two minutes clear of his nearest pursuer. His time was the fastest at the race in three years and the first sub-2:24 winning performance in Oklahoma City since 2022. McQuirk, who took up marathon racing after a college career on the track, ran a measured negative split through Lake Hefner and into the closing miles down North Robinson Avenue to break clear of a chase pack that had been within striking distance until 22 miles.
The half marathon went to Canada's Rory Linkletter, the recently minted national record holder, who used the race as a high-altitude tempo session on the way to a planned summer track block. Jaci Smith won the women's half in a personal best, and Chris Floyd and Mariela Rodas of Guatemala took the quarter marathon titles. The wheelchair division went to 71-year-old Steven Scalzo, whose seventh appearance at the event extended a streak that has come to symbolise the race's identity as a celebration of resilience as much as speed.
Founded in 2001 in the wake of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, the marathon weaves through the downtown memorial site at the start of the race and finishes within sight of the survivor tree. Race officials added a new wave structure for 2026 to handle the swell in entries without compromising the 168-second moment of silence that traditionally precedes the gun. Organisers say they fielded more than 11,000 charity runners across the weekend, raising funds for the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
The Oklahoma City Memorial sits at a crowded point on the spring marathon calendar — wedged between a record-shattering London Marathon a week earlier and a sold-out Pittsburgh Marathon the following weekend — yet entries climbed by roughly 12 percent year on year. With the race confirmed to retain its world-record-eligible certification through 2028 and a deeper elite field already being courted for the 26th edition, organisers say a sub-2:20 men's winning time and a more competitive women's pacing plan are firmly in their sights for next April.