March 18th, 2020-

After carefully considering options for the 2020 race, we have to share the sad news that there will not be a Eugene Marathon this year. As runners ourselves, we understand the deep disappointment this will cause to our participants, as well as the impact this has on our sponsors, vendors, partners and community. All of us at the Eugene Marathon are heartbroken by this outcome.

Due to the uncertainty of the current situation, postponing to a later date has proven not to be a viable option. With the possibility that the many medical volunteers we rely on for medical support will be assisting patients in local hospitals over the next several months, not to mention the resources that would be required from the City of Eugene, the University of Oregon, and numerous other partners, it has become clear that we need to set our sights on 2021.

All registered participants in the Marathon, Half Marathon, Eugene 5K and Kids Duck Dash will receive free deferral to either next year’s race (scheduled for April 23-25, 2021) or to the 2022 race (scheduled for April 29 – May 1, 2022). If you have previously deferred to the 2021 race and paid the $30 deferral fee, that fee will be automatically refunded.

Click here for instructions on how to process your deferral. Deferrals cannot be processed automatically; participants must take this action themselves. Participants will have through the end of the year (Dec 31, 2020) to process their deferral and choose which future race to participate in.

As a local business, we make every effort to procure products and services for our event locally and sustainably. We have a no refund policy in order to preserve our ability to pay our business partners for the year-round work that goes into planning and producing the race, and to protect our employees, even in the event of a major disruption like the one we’re all experiencing.

Please know that the many hours and miles you put into training for the 2020 race did not go to waste. Now, maybe more than ever, we are being forced to focus on the things we can control and the things that bring us happiness. For us, running is one of those things. Even though you won’t find us at our favorite group runs in the near future, we’ll be out there on the roads and trails with you in spirit as we all work through the disappointment of this race being canceled and the larger impact our communities are all facing.

We hope that on April 26th, you lace up your shoes and go for a run or a walk. It won’t be the race you planned for, or that we have planned for, but almost nothing is happening according to plan right now. So we do what we can: we lace up and do our best move forward.

Thank you all for your continued support during this time. We will be in touch regularly over the coming months via email and snail mail and we look forward to seeing you on the start line in 2021.

March 15th, 2020-



It is with heavy hearts that we announce that the 2020 Eugene Marathon will not take place next month as planned. We are adhering to the CDC’s recommendation that “for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States”.

All of us at the Eugene Marathon hoped that we could safely host the event on April 24-26. However, it has become clear that doing so could jeopardize the health and safety of our participants, volunteers, and community as a whole.

Our team is now working through what this means for our 2020 participants, sponsors, and vendors. We appreciate your patience and will share our intended next steps within the next 72 hours.

At this time, we are unable to respond to individual emails or inquiries. We understand the many questions that our participants will have and we will do our best to answer those by Wednesday.

We are all in this together. Please be safe and join us in taking the necessary steps to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

March 12th, 2020-

Last night, Oregon governor Kate Brown announced a four week ban on public gatherings larger than 250 people. The 2020 Eugene Marathon falls outside of that four week timeline, and as of now we’re continuing to plan for a successful event weekend. With large sporting events being canceled around the country, this is an unprecedented situation that we’re doing our best to react to as quickly as possible. Recognizing that cancelation of our event is a possibility, we’re reaching out to update you on how we’re currently proceeding. We are taking these steps in planning for the Eugene Marathon: Temporary suspension of registration (should the event proceed, registration will reopen at the current prices)

Planning for increased sanitation measures, including increasing the number of handwashing stations and modifying volunteer roles to minimize hand to hand contact. Should the event be canceled for any reason, our policy will be: Free deferral for currently registered Marathon and Half Marathon participants to the corresponding 2021 Eugene Marathon event and to refund any previously paid deferral fees. We recognize the countless hours that our participants put into training for the Eugene Marathon. We have poured our hearts into planning for the event. We’re proud of the impact the Eugene Marathon has on our local community and beyond. From our Run for a Reason Charity partners to our sponsors, vendors, contractors and volunteers, we understand the impact our event has, and the consequences that modifying or cancelling it would cause. The running community is special and at times like this we take comfort in knowing we’re a part of that community. We don’t know exactly how our event will be impacted by COVID-19 but you can count on us to do everything we can to make the best of a challenging situation and to work on solutions with your interests in mind. Specifically, we will do everything we can to avoid a last-minute cancellation. After all, we’re runners too.

March 11th, 2020-

The Eugene Marathon team continues to plan for event weekend. However, due to the uncertainty regarding the status of events like ours across the country, we have decided to delay the price increase that was set to take effect this weekend. The next price increase will now take effect Saturday, March 28th. Additionally, we plan to update the event status before then, in order to keep both registered participants and potential participants informed as best we can. The situation regarding COVID-19 is changing daily, and in some cases hourly. We will continue to closely work with Lane County Public Health, and monitor communications from the CDC and other health authorities. The Eugene Marathon team is committed to open communication with our participants, volunteers, partners, and the entire Eugene and running communities. We will update the status of our event as often as possible. Our number one priority is to put on a safe event.

March 9th, 2020 – The Eugene Marathon continues to monitor the developments relating to COVID-19. We continue to stay in constant contact with Lane County Public Health regarding the virus. Currently, there are no confirmed cases in Lane County. Participant health and safety is always our number one priority. At this time, the race is continuing as planned. We are planning to institute additional safety precautions during race weekend to keep all of our volunteers and participants safe. We are working with multiple agencies to define those precautions.

March 2, 2020 –

The Eugene Marathon is carefully monitoring the developments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19). We will continue to closely follow updates from organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Public Health, and World Health Organization, and will adhere to any policies put forth by the federal government.

Based on what is known about the virus in the U.S. at this time, the race will proceed as planned.

This is a dynamic situation and if anything changes with the status of the event we will update this webpage.

Resources:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019