Sold-out Eugene Marathon raises record funds for local charities

The sold-out Eugene Marathon has become bigger than a finish line on Hayward Field’s track. With more than $535,000 already raised for 20 charities and thousands of runners set to fill Eugene streets, the April 24-26 weekend will bring both congestion and a cash infusion to local nonprofit groups.

The marathon, half marathon and Eugene 5K presented by OCCU sold out in mid-January, and the waitlist is closed. After that, the only way in was to join a charity team through Run for a Reason, a move that brought in more than 1,000 new runners signing up for charity bibs. The fundraising surge has far outpaced the program’s $350,000 goal.

That pace marks a sharp jump from recent years. Eugene Marathon said the 2025 Run for a Reason campaign raised just over $284,000, while the 2026 teams had already surpassed $535,000 with about two weeks left before race weekend. In 2022, 10 teams with 115 runners raised $75,000. A year later, the total climbed to $175,000. Now the event is operating on a much larger scale, with charitable giving growing alongside the race itself.

The marathon and half marathon are scheduled for Sunday, April 26, starting at 7 a.m. on Agate Street in the shadow of Hayward Field before finishing inside the stadium at the University of Oregon. The Eugene 5K and Kid’s Duck Dash presented by OCCU are set for Saturday, April 25. For drivers, transit riders and anyone trying to move around the University of Oregon campus that morning, the early start will make access and parking around Hayward Field especially tight.

Becky Radliff, the marathon’s director of marketing, said the program supports a mix of local charities, including groups such as A Family for Every Child and CASA of Lane County. Other 2026 teams include Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley, Community Supported Shelters, Relief Nursery, Ronald McDonald House, Susan G. Komen and several others tied directly to Lane County and beyond.

The race’s reach extends well past Eugene. In 2024, more than 12,000 registrants came from all 50 states and 28 countries across the marathon, half marathon, Eugene 5K and Kid’s Duck Dash, and Travel Lane County estimated track and field and running events generated about $50 million in economic impact during the 2024 TrackTown season. For downtown businesses, hotel operators and campus neighbors, the marathon remains one of the clearest examples of Eugene’s recurring tradeoff: a morning of disruption in exchange for a weekend that sends money to charities and visitors into the local economy.