Runners from near and far descended on Tulsa over the weekend. The 19th annual Williams Route 66 Marathon saw people young and old hit the pavement on a sunny, warm day for late November.
Competitors from the Sooner State won big during the main event Sunday, with Brianna Stinnett of Claremore taking the top spot in the women’s overall.
Even more remarkable: Stinnett’s win came during her first marathon ever.
“Me and my husband just finished up collegiate running and we still loved it and wanted to keep doing it,” Stinnett said. "We started back in July, just doing workouts and training together and we’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time.”
Other Oklahoma-based runners came away with wins.
Steven Baker and Ashleigh Siska, both of Tulsa, won this year’s half-marathon in their respective divisions. Baker won the full marathon last year and set a new course record in the process.
This year’s full marathon winner in men’s overall was Caleb Bendewald of Texas.
Those who ran marathon events in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City received a commemorative “Oklahoma standard” medal honoring their achievement.
