Press Release - Portland Marathon - 9/18/17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

         Permit Received, New Course Measured & Trees for the Gorge
 
PORTLAND, ORE. - The Portland Marathon is pleased to announce that the 
event has been issued its City Permit for the October event and thank the 
City for its help this year.

The Portland Marathon Committee is excited to be working on details for 
enhancing the new course provided by the. Organizers note that it is a 
faster course. It takes in nearly all the iconic sights and includes nearly 
all of the route of the most recent prior course. However, it is an out and 
back course rather than a loop.

The new course has been measured and will be certified for Boston 
qualification and other organizations such as the IAAF and AIMS. Axiom 
Events and about 1,000 local volunteers will service and direct runners 
along the course during the event. Runners and walkers from all 50 States 
and about 15 countries are expected to participate in this year's event.

As it has done in past years, the Portland Marathon will again provide 
grants, donations and contributions to volunteer groups, nonprofits, 
service clubs, school activity groups and school athletic teams.

This will be the 25th year that Portland Marathon finishers will again be 
offered a fir tree seedling to plant and commemorate their achievement. 
Organizers estimate that more than 150,000 Portland Marathon seedling trees 
are planted across the region. Some of those seedlings are now quite large 
trees. This year any extra trees or trees that runners and walkers wish to 
donate will be given to an official resource as part the coming effort to 
replant and reforest areas of the beautiful Columbia River Gorge that are 
being damaged by the Eagle Creek forest fire.
 
The Portland Marathon, which began in 1971, is rated as one of the premier 
marathons in the U.S., one of the top 10 road race events in the U.S, and 
one of the top 40 races of all types and distances.

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