Sunday April 19, 2020
“Trust me, this is the latest addition to YOUR 'Running Bucket List'. You won’t regret it. Prepare to be blown away." – Matt Rasmussen, Run Oregon
Recent news
Update - March 25
Hey Everyone, we want to thank you profusely for those of you that have embraced the Bend Marathon changes with compassion, realizing we're all trying to get through this thing the best we can. Our running community is strong and will persevere through this just as we do in our training for that next running goal we have. We would like to encourage you to reach out to your fellow runner that you know that may need a little extra support during this time and do what you can to take care of those needs and help where it is needed.
Please help us by making a selection (virtual, deferral, partial refund) as to what you would like to do with your race this year by April 1st. We're still planning for a fun virtual event and knowing who is doing what will help a lot.
If you are deferring to next year please also go to your RunSignUp account, click on Manage Registration, and make the deferral to next year. (In addition to making the initial deferral selection on the menu)
For those of you requesting a partial refund, we'll begin processing those in about a week when most of the racers have made a selection.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding during this difficult time for all of us. We truly hope that you're able to continue to run and get outside. Please stay safe.
The Bend Marathon Team - Kari and Max
Please help us by making a selection (virtual, deferral, partial refund) as to what you would like to do with your race this year by April 1st. We're still planning for a fun virtual event and knowing who is doing what will help a lot.
If you are deferring to next year please also go to your RunSignUp account, click on Manage Registration, and make the deferral to next year. (In addition to making the initial deferral selection on the menu)
For those of you requesting a partial refund, we'll begin processing those in about a week when most of the racers have made a selection.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding during this difficult time for all of us. We truly hope that you're able to continue to run and get outside. Please stay safe.
The Bend Marathon Team - Kari and Max
COVID-19 UPDATE - MARCH 17
It is with heavy hearts that we're sending this out to you. It has become clear that due to the COVID-19 developments and updated CDC guidelines, it is in the best interest of our running community to cancel the upcoming Bend Marathon on April 19. It was our dream to provide you with an amazing event that we've been working on since July, and provide you with an experience that you wouldn't soon forget. It was going to be awesome!
We know how important this race was for many of you, whether it was traveling to Bend from around the country to experience all it has to offer, or you were coming from across town for your very first half marathon. You are all an important and critical part of making this a great event and we thank you for choosing us.
Up until late yesterday we were working on creative ways to still hold the races while adhering to social distancing mandates. We believed that we could modified our course, allowed "rolling" starts to keep everyone safe, and provide a virtual option for those that opted not to travel. The new guidelines will not even allow this level of distancing with an event of our size, and we do not want to compromise the health of our participants, volunteers, vendors and others who help make this event possible.
However, while the physical event must be cancelled, we are going to try and turn the 2020 Bend Marathon into the most fun virtual event you've ever been a part of. Keep reading:
OPTIONS - Please visit your RunSignUp account to select an option below.
Moving forward, you have several options regarding your existing registration:
Option 1) Virtual Race:
To choose this option, you won’t have to do anything right now other than select this option on the RunSignUp site. We’ll automatically transfer the events to virtual events and you’ll be entered in the virtual event. Then get ready for a fun virtual race on April 19, 2020. (This is our recommended option because it's still going to be more fun than doing nothing! See below for more information.) You will also receive a 20% race credit toward any race of your choice next year.
Option 2) Deferral to 2021:
You may defer your entry to the 2021 race with a 50% credit. When you register next year, you'll receive the 50% credit to the race of your choice. To take this option, you need to log into your RunSignUp account, go to "manage registration", and select the option to defer your registration to next year.
Option 3) Partial Refund:
A refund of 25% will be credited back to you if you don't want to do the virtual race or deferral option if you select this option on the RunSignUp page. You will also receive a 20% race credit toward any race of your choice next year.
BE A PART OF OUR FUN VIRTUAL EVENT ON SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020
We're super bummed because we know how much you were looking forward to running an amazing race in Bend, Oregon. We want to make sure you still feel a sense of accomplishment and take part in a fun community event, while still receiving your swag. We’re just trying to turn lemons into lemonade, so-to-speak.
So, here's how to participate in a virtual run:
1) Go out and run the distance you signed up for on your own or get a couple of your friends together (keeping the appropriate social distancing, of course) and run with them. You can do this any time between April 12 to May 31st, but since your training has been geared toward April 19, that would be the best day to do it (see below for more details). You can do it over any route of your choice, including the original Bend route if you're in town (please be cautious of traffic). You’ll likely see a few others out there running on the course as well.
2) Think positive. This pandemic isn't fun for anyone, but we can make the most of a terrible situation by celebrating our health that we have. We never expected this to happen, so let's be optimistic and make some special memories.
3) Build a virtual community.* I know you're all great on social media, which makes it easy for us to connect (even from across the country). Take photos and videos on your virtual run and post them to Instagram or Facebook. Tagging Bend Marathon while you're out on your route using the following: #BendMarathon
*On April 19, we'll be on site at the Old Mill District with a live Facebook feed to get our virtual community run kicked off during the scheduled start times for each race. We'll post course photos leading up to the race so you can picture yourself running through the best parts of Bend. The last thing we want is to leave you all hanging with no connection to the Bend Marathon when April 19 arrives.
4) Post your virtual results. There are several ways to do this, but to be listed in the official results you must post your time on RunSignup. We’ll let you know how to do this in a separate email.
Strava Community Challenge: We've also created a Strava Challenge for each Bend Marathon Race so you can upload your data to Strava and see how you stack up against others and track your effort.
5) You still need your SWAG! After your run, we'll ship you a swag package that will include all the cool stuff you were expecting when you signed up for the race. We're working with our sponsors to do even more, but at a minimum you'll receive your one of a kind “Socially Distanced Edition” bib number, Bend Marathon t-shirt, unique handcrafted race medal, coupons from our awesome sponsors, a HydroFlask Pint (Half and Full Marathon only), and a special Bend Marathon “Socially Distanced Edition” sticker so you can remember this monumental year. You won’t HAVE to post results to get your swag but hey, it would be more fun that way.
We know how important this race was for many of you, whether it was traveling to Bend from around the country to experience all it has to offer, or you were coming from across town for your very first half marathon. You are all an important and critical part of making this a great event and we thank you for choosing us.
Up until late yesterday we were working on creative ways to still hold the races while adhering to social distancing mandates. We believed that we could modified our course, allowed "rolling" starts to keep everyone safe, and provide a virtual option for those that opted not to travel. The new guidelines will not even allow this level of distancing with an event of our size, and we do not want to compromise the health of our participants, volunteers, vendors and others who help make this event possible.
However, while the physical event must be cancelled, we are going to try and turn the 2020 Bend Marathon into the most fun virtual event you've ever been a part of. Keep reading:
OPTIONS - Please visit your RunSignUp account to select an option below.
Moving forward, you have several options regarding your existing registration:
Option 1) Virtual Race:
To choose this option, you won’t have to do anything right now other than select this option on the RunSignUp site. We’ll automatically transfer the events to virtual events and you’ll be entered in the virtual event. Then get ready for a fun virtual race on April 19, 2020. (This is our recommended option because it's still going to be more fun than doing nothing! See below for more information.) You will also receive a 20% race credit toward any race of your choice next year.
Option 2) Deferral to 2021:
You may defer your entry to the 2021 race with a 50% credit. When you register next year, you'll receive the 50% credit to the race of your choice. To take this option, you need to log into your RunSignUp account, go to "manage registration", and select the option to defer your registration to next year.
Option 3) Partial Refund:
A refund of 25% will be credited back to you if you don't want to do the virtual race or deferral option if you select this option on the RunSignUp page. You will also receive a 20% race credit toward any race of your choice next year.
BE A PART OF OUR FUN VIRTUAL EVENT ON SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020
We're super bummed because we know how much you were looking forward to running an amazing race in Bend, Oregon. We want to make sure you still feel a sense of accomplishment and take part in a fun community event, while still receiving your swag. We’re just trying to turn lemons into lemonade, so-to-speak.
So, here's how to participate in a virtual run:
1) Go out and run the distance you signed up for on your own or get a couple of your friends together (keeping the appropriate social distancing, of course) and run with them. You can do this any time between April 12 to May 31st, but since your training has been geared toward April 19, that would be the best day to do it (see below for more details). You can do it over any route of your choice, including the original Bend route if you're in town (please be cautious of traffic). You’ll likely see a few others out there running on the course as well.
2) Think positive. This pandemic isn't fun for anyone, but we can make the most of a terrible situation by celebrating our health that we have. We never expected this to happen, so let's be optimistic and make some special memories.
3) Build a virtual community.* I know you're all great on social media, which makes it easy for us to connect (even from across the country). Take photos and videos on your virtual run and post them to Instagram or Facebook. Tagging Bend Marathon while you're out on your route using the following: #BendMarathon
*On April 19, we'll be on site at the Old Mill District with a live Facebook feed to get our virtual community run kicked off during the scheduled start times for each race. We'll post course photos leading up to the race so you can picture yourself running through the best parts of Bend. The last thing we want is to leave you all hanging with no connection to the Bend Marathon when April 19 arrives.
4) Post your virtual results. There are several ways to do this, but to be listed in the official results you must post your time on RunSignup. We’ll let you know how to do this in a separate email.
Strava Community Challenge: We've also created a Strava Challenge for each Bend Marathon Race so you can upload your data to Strava and see how you stack up against others and track your effort.
5) You still need your SWAG! After your run, we'll ship you a swag package that will include all the cool stuff you were expecting when you signed up for the race. We're working with our sponsors to do even more, but at a minimum you'll receive your one of a kind “Socially Distanced Edition” bib number, Bend Marathon t-shirt, unique handcrafted race medal, coupons from our awesome sponsors, a HydroFlask Pint (Half and Full Marathon only), and a special Bend Marathon “Socially Distanced Edition” sticker so you can remember this monumental year. You won’t HAVE to post results to get your swag but hey, it would be more fun that way.
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REFUNDS
We recognize that the COVID-19 crisis will create significant financial challenges for some of our participants. If you feel you are in this category and are experiencing an undue financial burden on you and your family, we understand and ask that you please contact us so that we can help with some form of refund. We will work something out.
We need you to all please also understand that we are a small business comprised of two people who have families with our own expenses, and we worked all year long to provide a great event for you on April 19. The reality is that almost all of the work has been done, the service providers paid and swag (medals, t-shirts, etc.) has been purchased. We also intend to honor commitments to our volunteer groups that will be desperately in need of funds after this is over. Some larger races are able to support broader refunds and still remain sustainable. Unfortunately we are not in that financial situation, and ask for your understanding as we instead work to provide you with a great virtual race experience and/or options to participate in next year's race.
Thank you for understanding. We are grateful to have a running community that is supportive and resilient and that we know will make the most of this difficult time, and for the kindness already extended by so many of you. We also ask that you please be patient with us during this time of transition, as this is all new territory. We will have more details about the "best virtual race experience ever" coming soon! We look forward to staying connected.
We wish you and your loved ones all the best. Please be safe and stay well.
Thank you,
Max and Kari
REFUNDS
We recognize that the COVID-19 crisis will create significant financial challenges for some of our participants. If you feel you are in this category and are experiencing an undue financial burden on you and your family, we understand and ask that you please contact us so that we can help with some form of refund. We will work something out.
We need you to all please also understand that we are a small business comprised of two people who have families with our own expenses, and we worked all year long to provide a great event for you on April 19. The reality is that almost all of the work has been done, the service providers paid and swag (medals, t-shirts, etc.) has been purchased. We also intend to honor commitments to our volunteer groups that will be desperately in need of funds after this is over. Some larger races are able to support broader refunds and still remain sustainable. Unfortunately we are not in that financial situation, and ask for your understanding as we instead work to provide you with a great virtual race experience and/or options to participate in next year's race.
Thank you for understanding. We are grateful to have a running community that is supportive and resilient and that we know will make the most of this difficult time, and for the kindness already extended by so many of you. We also ask that you please be patient with us during this time of transition, as this is all new territory. We will have more details about the "best virtual race experience ever" coming soon! We look forward to staying connected.
We wish you and your loved ones all the best. Please be safe and stay well.
Thank you,
Max and Kari
COVID-19 UPDATE - MARCH 15
Hi Everyone. We hope you are healthy and doing well during this very difficult time.
We wanted to provide another update to share what we know. At this point we still hope to hold the 2020 Bend Marathon. We continue monitoring the national and state guidelines, and are in ongoing conversations with Deschutes County Public Health and with the City of Bend. The situation is evolving daily, and we will only be able to proceed if we have the support of local public health, city, and county agencies. We have another meeting with authorities in a few days, and hope to have more information to share then.
The health and safety of our participants, volunteers, and community is our top priority.
We will share additional information as soon as possible.
Take good care,
Kari and Max
We wanted to provide another update to share what we know. At this point we still hope to hold the 2020 Bend Marathon. We continue monitoring the national and state guidelines, and are in ongoing conversations with Deschutes County Public Health and with the City of Bend. The situation is evolving daily, and we will only be able to proceed if we have the support of local public health, city, and county agencies. We have another meeting with authorities in a few days, and hope to have more information to share then.
The health and safety of our participants, volunteers, and community is our top priority.
We will share additional information as soon as possible.
Take good care,
Kari and Max
COVID-19 UPDATE - March 11
The team here at the Bend Marathon wants you to know that hosting a safe event is our first priority. At this time we do not plan on cancelling the event, however, the situation is changing daily and even hourly and ultimately we will not have the final say. We are monitoring the health department's recommendations regarding gatherings and events and will take their advice as we get closer to the event date.
We apologize that we cannot give a more concrete answer at this time but we want you to know that is our desire to host a spectacular race weekend here in Bend, but extenuating circumstances may require that we adapt and change to keep the public, participants, spectators, vendors, and volunteers safe. We ask for patience and understanding in this time of uncertainty due to circumstances outside of our control.
If, in the circumstance that we need to cancel the physical event, we are trying to set up options to host a virtual Bend Marathon event wherever you may be so all of the hard training and preparation you have put in does not go un-noticed or un-utilized. We will have more info on this when the time comes.
We will update the status of the event on the home page at www.bend-marathon.com as changes are made. We are being advised by the Deschutes County Health Department and monitoring the Oregon Health Authority site for information daily.
Our utmost priority is your health. We will do everything possible to host a safe event. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for updates and cross your fingers that we are able to have a race.
Be well and stay safe.
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GIVE THE GIFT OF THE BEND MARATHON, HALF, 10K, OR 5K!!
We think you'll agree, the gift of an experience is so much more rewarding than anything else. That's why we're offering you the option of gifting a race entry this year. Need a training partner? Someone you know need a little kick in the pants? Maybe your Aunt Martha needs a good excuse to come visit Bend. We've got you covered. Head over to the online store, select the race distance you'd like to gift to someone special. Within 48hrs we'll send you a certificate that you can personalize and wrap up with a bow for them. |
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WE ARE GOING CUPLESS FOR 2020! This change is consistent with our commitment to sustainability and the environment. Seeing how much waste events like a marathon generate, we felt compelled to do all that we can to minimize our impact on the environment while still providing an efficient and enjoyable race experience for our runners and walkers. Find out what that means for you on our INFO PAGE. |
NEW BEND MARATHON INITIATIVES FOR 2020
Accepting the challenge of taking on the Bend Marathon was no easy decision but one thing we knew for sure was that we wanted to turn it into an event that gave back to the community of Bend and took better care of the environment. We want to be a leader in the sport of road running in sustainability and to do that we're needing to make some changes. Some will be easy, other's not so easy.
Over the next few months we'll be rolling out changes to how we operate in order to be better stewards of our town and our planet. We hope you'll agree that it's the right thing to do.
Accepting the challenge of taking on the Bend Marathon was no easy decision but one thing we knew for sure was that we wanted to turn it into an event that gave back to the community of Bend and took better care of the environment. We want to be a leader in the sport of road running in sustainability and to do that we're needing to make some changes. Some will be easy, other's not so easy.
Over the next few months we'll be rolling out changes to how we operate in order to be better stewards of our town and our planet. We hope you'll agree that it's the right thing to do.
2019 Photos are up!!
There are some great photos of you out on the course. Check out all the race photos at GoActionPhotos.com
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New cheer stations for family and friends
check out our spectating guide
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NEW COURSES, NEW SWAG, AND A NEW BIGGER BETTER FINISH PARTY! |
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Get ready for a great 2020
We're underway with planning for the 2020 race weekend. like last year we're pouring everything we have into this event. We'll be changing a few things around to make it even better and making sure it all goes off without a hitch.
Join us in 2020 for the best weekend of the year!
To make your stay easier and give you all the info about the race you'll need go through the Get Ready, Get Set, GO checklist below. You'll find all your pre-race and race day info you'll need in there.
Welcome to the Bend Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and 5k. We're already gearing up for another exciting race weekend. The April 19, 2020 events will be the best mountain town races anywhere. These are spectacularly scenic courses through West Bend emphasizing everything that makes Bend, Oregon great. You'll cruise around neighborhood parks, through ponderosa pine forests, along the mighty Deschutes River, and finish in a beautiful iconic Bend location to a hoppin' afterparty where the kombucha and craft beer are flowing, delicious food is waiting, and you can relax because you just finished your best race ever! Join us for the 6th edition of the Bend Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and 5k.
Media partershipsProud to be a part of the 2020
Oregon Half and Full Marathon Series. 
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2020 premier Community partners
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2020 Sponsors
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Check out this great 2016 Race Day video:
Want More Bend? Check out our official 2016 Race Day video:
Welcome to the Bend Marathon and Half (10k/5k)
April 19, 2020
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