A perfect Sunday for race day is on tap! The Portland Marathon is back this weekend, and it’s promising to be an unforgettable event in 2023 with near ideal conditions (not too hot, not too cold, no blister-causing rain-soaked socks.) After the sweltering conditions of last year, participants and spectators alike are rejoicing as the weather forecast predicts a cool, beautiful weekend ahead for thousands of athletes from PDX and beyond take to the streets.

This annual event has a rich history of attracting both seasoned marathoners and newcomers to the world of long-distance running. It’s a celebration of fitness, determination and the vibrant running community that calls Portland home. Bring the whole family!

The Portland Marathon is a 26.2-mile journey through the heart of our picturesque city. Participants will wind their way through downtown, around the Moda Center, Sellwood, Reed campus and across multiple bridges all the while being cheered on by energetic spectators giving the runners that extra boost (or beer!) to get to the finish line. The Half Marathon (13.1 miles) runs along a similar, but abridged, course.

If you’d like to offer your cheering support, the SE Portland neighborhoods offer the easiest park & plop access such as Sellwood, Moreland and Brooklyn. If you’d like to watch people cross (stagger?) to the finish line, the start and finish are right by the downtown Waterfront.

We’re proud to announce that Windermere is a race sponsor and has provided a few entries for our fellow Windermere office buddies, who we’ll be cheering on starting Sunday at 7 am! We’ve even got our own team member Kaya returning for a second round of “pure pain” after vowing she’d never do another one after last year’s scorcher. But running highs and that all-satisfying sense of accomplishment keep people (maniacs?) coming back for more and Kaya’s goal this year is to beat her time of 4:26 last year and hopefully break the elusive 4-hour mark.

If you’d like to track any participants, here is the link. Just type their last name in at the bottom and you’ll get alerts when they cross (blaze thru?) certain mileage points.

If you have downtown plans on Sunday, just be advised that many roads will be shut down for the first half of the day for the safety of our athletes. And best of luck to all participants, from the invaluable volunteers to each and every runner/walker/superstar going out there for the agony and the ecstasy of running SO VERY FAR!

And if you’re carbo-loading downtown on Saturday, stop by Mother’s Bistro who is graciously donating a portion of sales to the Windermere Foundation!