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Oakland Marathon – Our Best Foot Forward

By Aimee Allison | Published March 25, 2010

Courtesy MarathonFoto

The Oakland Marathon will transform the entire city this week – and you’re not going to want to miss the excitement.  6000 runners will participate in Saturday and Sunday Oakland Running Festival events. There’s a big party at Lake Merritt Saturday night – and for many like the Downtown YMCA running group it’s the first time many are attempting a long distance run.  It’s a culmination of months of training for some and a coming-out party for the town. Plan to make at least some of the fun happenings – the schedule is below.

Also, you may not know that this festival concept is unique and had its roots in Baltimore.  When Corrigan Sports first planned the Baltimore Running Festival marathon route, it included some of the poorest areas of the city. Some runners protested but the organizers insisted that it was a way to unite diverse areas of the city.  Experience proved that theory correct.  Based on a decade of staging the race, the biggest crowds of spectators and most boisterous support of runners came from Baltimore’s flatland-equivalent neighborhoods.  Oakland’s route has the same diversity and runners will get a glimpse of Oakland’s beauty, culture and life from many angles.

The course goes through a collection of amazing neighborhoods, including Lakeshore, Uptown, Downtown, Temescal, Rockridge, Montclair, Eastlake, Fruitvale, West Oakland and Jack London.  Get a chair, and bring snacks and watch the fun.  And if you are down for volunteering, there are still many opportunities for that.  Also, we’re publishing the best photos and reflections from this weekend – send yours to editor@oaklandseen.com.

Saturday, March 27th

9am – 6pm: Packet Pick-Up, Sports Expo, and Late Registration

6-8pm: Kick-Off Party with Live Music and more! at Lake Merritt

6:30pm: Twilight 5K Race at Lake Merritt

8pm: Twilight 5K Awards Ceremony

Sunday, March 28th

7:15am: Opening Remarks and National Anthem

7:30am: Marathon and Team Relay Races Start

8am: Kids’ Fun Run Start

9am: Half Marathon Start

9am – 2pm:  Sports Expo and Celebration Village Activities

10am – 2pm: Live Music on the Stage

12:00pm: Awards Ceremony

Marathon Course Map

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About this Oakland Seen Blogger »
Aimee Allison Aimee Allison Aimee Allison founded OaklandSeen and was host and producer of the KPFA Morning Show. She is a regular guest on KQED's This Week in Northern California, Link TV, and has appeared on CBS, ABC, and Democracy Now. Her writing is featured on the San Francisco Chronicle and Bay Citizen news sites. Aimee hosted Comcast Newsmakers for five years, a public affairs program airing on CNN Headline News. She is the author of Army of None (Seven Stories Press, 2007) and a fellow at the Women's Media Center. Aimee holds a BA and MA from Stanford University.
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One Response to “Oakland Marathon – Our Best Foot Forward”

  1. Oakland finally gets a Sunday Streets! Plus, highlights of this week’s blogoaksphere. : A Better Oakland Oakland finally gets a Sunday Streets! Plus, highlights of this week’s blogoaksphere. : A Better Oakland says:
    March 28, 2010 at 9:41 pm

    [...] through Ghosttown, where she lives. Aimee Allison shared a similar excitement about how well the marathon showcased the city, and then last night posted some really sweet stories from participants in yesterday’s [...]

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