The weather’s been mildly warm, but the calendar says it’s summer, which means it’s time for the latest in race organizer Uberthons’ seasonal half marathon series. The Oregon Summer Marathon will take place on July 20 in Banks, which is where the Oregon Marathon started back in 2015.
Unlike the other seasonal events, this one is the only one that includes a full marathon distance option on a USATF-certified course.
The course is point-to-point and follows the Banks-Vernonia State Trail and ends in Greenville City Park in Banks. Runners will park at the finish area and take buses to the starting line.
Large portions of the course are in a forest, so there should be some decent shade, though the end part can get a sunny, especially later in the morning.
If the marathon isn’t to your liking, there are also half and quarter marathon options. The half marathon starts at the middle of the marathon course, and a nice bonus about that is that the middle of the marathon also corresponds to the highest point of the course — meaning it’s an overall downhill run for the half marathon. This is also a point-to-point course with busing to the starting line.
Unlike the other two distances, the quarter marathon is not point-to-point, but an out-and-back starting and ending in Greenville City Park. About one-third of the quarter marathon goes through downtown Banks, with the remainder on the Banks-Vernonia trail.
As with all Uberthons events, there is a big shiny finisher’s medal, plus medals for overall/masters/seniors winners, and pins for age group winners. Marathoners and half marathoners get race shirts. And everybody gets to eat at the hamburger/hot dog bar after the race!
This is a great event!
Oregon Summer Marathon
When: Saturday, July 20, 2019, at 6:30 am (marathon), 7:30 am (half marathon), 8:00 am (quarter marathon)
Where: Greenville City Park, Banks, Oregon
Register: Online here ($90 for marathon, $75 for half marathon, $60 for quarter marathon)
Pre-race packet pickup: Friday, July 19, 2019, from 4 pm to 7 pm at Fairfield Inn & Suites, 6100 SW Meadows Blvd., Lake Oswego, Oregon
