There are four divisions based on the total number of employees: 1-249, 250-499, 500-999 and 1000+ employees. Corporate Challenge teams are awarded points in three areas: participation, performance and fundraising. The winning teams from each division will be awarded with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma Cup. Corporate benefits from signing up for the challenge include free or discounted registrations, invitations to VIP events and access to the special a special Corporate Challenge VIP area on at the finish line. 

"Wellness is a key component to having motivated, productive employees. This corporate challenge program is a great avenue to establish a healthy workforce while fostering a sense of camaraderie and raising money for the Tulsa Area United Way," said Bert Marshall, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma. "We are literally challenging other corporations to take this step toward a healthier community."

Click here for more information or to register your team in the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma Corporate Challenge.

Are you training for the Williams Route 66 Marathon? Make your efforts even more meaningful by joining our fundraising efforts for the Tulsa Area United Way. Participants can sign up for the Run United! campaign during registration.

"Run United! is a great opportunity for participants to make the most of their marathon experience," said Chris Lieberman, Executive Director of the Route 66 Marathon. "Runners are encouraged to leverage their passion for a good cause."

Each participant who registers online and opts to become a fundraiser during registration will receive an e-mail prompting them to personalize their fundraising webpage. Participants can also login to Active.com to customize their page, upload photos, send e-mails and communicate with supporters.   

All fundraising participants have the opportunity to earn the following incentives: 

• $100 – $249: Run United! Running Cap
• $250 – $499: Run United! Long Sleeve Technical Running Shirt
• $500+: Run United! Running Jacket

"We are excited about partnering again with the Route 66 Marathon," said Mark R. Graham, President and CEO of the Tulsa Area United Way. "Marathon participants will have the opportunity to support the community, helping our 61 partner agencies to provide much-needed services to more than 600,000 people in the Tulsa region."

Run United! fundraising aligns with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma Corporate Challenge that will be new in 2012. Through this program, companies can compete while fundraising for the Tulsa Area United Way.

Already registered? No problem! Registered runners can still create a fundraising page. For fundraising tips and guidance, contact Route 66 Marathon by email at info@route66marathon.com.

Run for a cause. Run United!

Marathon runners take their hardware seriously, and rightly so after journeying 26.2 miles to cross the finish line. After finishing second and third the last two years, the Williams Route 66 Marathon finisher medal has been ranked number one among U.S. marathon medals, according to the May/June issue of Marathon & Beyond magazine.

The 2011 medal is designed to look like a hood ornament on a classic 1941 Cadillac. In Paul Gentry’s article, “Chasing the Flying Goddess,” the Williams Route 66 medal has been recognized for capturing the spirit of the marathon. Judges especially liked its elegant, sleek and shiny design that makes it look “fast.”

Marathon & Beyond formed a 23-member panel made up of marathoners from across the country and Canada to judge the 2011 marathon medals. There are an estimated five hundred marathons in the U.S. This is the third year in a row that the Williams Route 66 Marathon medal has placed in the top three, something no other event in the country has ever done.

“The attention paid to marathon medals has really escalated over the years,” said Rich Benyo, editor of Marathon & Beyond. “The perfect medal is one that perfectly symbolizes the area through which it runs, and the Route 66 medal does this perfectly!”

Gentry said of the marathon’s medal, “Without a doubt, Tulsa is the center of the ‘medal’ universe!  To be in the top three for three straight years is truly amazing, especially considering that Marathon & Beyond has a completely different panel of judges each year.  I am a proud finisher of this event, and I smile with pride every time I see my Flying Goddess hanging in my den.”

“This is a tremendous honor,” said Chris Lieberman, Director of the Williams Route 66 Marathon. “Of course, we wanted a medal that reflected the essence of the event and the history of Tulsa, but more importantly, we wanted the medal to be worthy of the effort of finishing the marathon.”

The Williams Route 66 Marathon is the only event in Oklahoma to hold ReSport Certification.  To date, 36 different events have achieved such certification, serving more than 570,000 athletes.

“I am proud of our sustainability director, Jessica Hargis, and her green team for their amazing dedication to helping us prove that you can produce a world-class event in Oklahoma with minimal impact on the environment,” said Chris Lieberman, executive director of Tulsa Route 66 Marathon Inc.  “I hope that our event will serve as an example for others to follow in the future.”

To qualify for certification, the marathon showed participation in six categories: waste; climate; equipment and materials; community and outreach; health promotion; and innovation.

“The fact that the Williams Route 66 Marathon is a large event which strives to reduce its environmental impact is a point of pride for Tulsa,” Hargis said.  “As we grow in the future, it’s our responsibility to continually work toward an event that is good for Oklahoma, for the running community and for the environment.”

Efforts that were taken to provide a greener race included reducing the use of supplies like paper and plastic as much as possible; providing avenues for runners to participate such as recycling, opting out of receiving a participant shirt, and recycling used running shoes at the event; offering a bike check at events; carpool and shuttle opportunities; and an option for runners to purchase green tickets during registration used to purchase renewable energy credits.

“Most events approach ReSport Certification from the environmental side of the ledger,” said Keith Peters, executive director of the Council for Responsible Sport. “The folks in Tulsa did a remarkable job with their green initiatives, staging a zero-waste event, but really broke new ground with some of their socially oriented initiatives.”

Peters added, “two programs in particular focused on at-risk youth in their community. Youth Services of Tulsa, an agency that serves homeless youth, stuffed race packets, which were actually reusable cloth bags, and earned $3,000 for their efforts. And, presenting sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield sponsored 300 participants in the YMCA’s Kids Training Program, even paying the 5K entry fee for those kids who completed the training program.”

On the environmental side, achieving zero-waste is an accomplishment in itself. Other initiatives of note included use of the Hydra Pour self-serve spigot for dispensing beverages quickly and easily at all Gatorade stations; making arrangements for cups collected on course and at the finish to be turned into fuel pellets; use of compostable food service products at the Pasta Dinner; and, finally, calling attention to all these efforts by actually referencing them in the name of the Health, Fitness and Sustainability Expo.

The Council for Responsible Sport provides an independent, comprehensive certification for event directors to incorporate environmental and socially responsible initiatives into their events while informing consumers about events that adhere to higher standards of sustainability. CRS Certified events range in size from the ParalympicsGB Training Camp at the University of Bath in the UK, with some 150 athletes participating, to the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia, with 55,077 timed finishers.

The current version of the Council for Responsible Sport’s certification standards were developed by an outside working group of 18 sustainability experts and reviewed by a wide range of stakeholders. ReSport Certification is modeled after the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System, which certifies buildings and materials according to resource conservation and energy efficiency criteria.

Registration kickoff specials.

Take advantage of the discounted prices through May 6th.

Marathon

Half Marathon

Marathon Relay

5K Run and Walk

Fun Run and Walk

Click here for additional pricing and registration information.  

This is the second year in a row Derks took first place in the Williams Route 66 Marathon.  A member of the Michelob Ultra team, Derks improved his time from 2010 by approximately four minutes.

“This is becoming one of my favorite races,” Derks said. “It’s a good size and it’s a fun, friendly atmosphere.  Thanks to the race directors for putting on a great race.”

Maggie Nelsen, 29, was the overall female winner of the marathon, with a time of 2:57:03. From Tulsa, she now holds the course record, and is the first woman to run the Williams Route 66 Marathon in under three hours.

Jennifer McConnell, also of Tulsa was the overall female winner of the half marathon, finishing in 1:28:57.

Janelle Stevens of Mission, KS was the first female in 20:40.

The award recognizes an individual who impacts the world in an uplifting way and is named in honor of Kjell Tovander who died while trying to complete the Williams Route 66 Half Marathon on Nov. 16, 2008.  Tovander, only 21 at the time of his death, spent three years studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was preparing for a career in the Navy.

“Kjell was filled with joy and passion and always happy, a rare person indeed,” said Margaux Tovander, Kjell’s mother.  “He was always inspiring or teaching and helping others and never complained about his adversities. Kjell never wanted recognition or asked for anything in return. As a mother I am proud to know that the Williams Route 66 Marathon will recognize and honor my son Kjell every year with this honorable award and that is a wonderful gift to me and my family.”

At age 7, Davis, (34), was diagnosed with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD), or Legg Perthes disease, a form of osteonecrosis of the hip that is found only in children.

“I remember laying in bed crying at night because of the pain,” said Davis.

The pain led to multiple hospital visits, but no relief, as doctors were unable to accurately diagnose the rare disease until Davis was referred to the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

“I can’t emphasize enough how much the Shriners changed my life,” said Davis. “I fully intend to send them a letter once I finish the marathon and let them know none of this would have been possible without their help.”

The Shriners selected Davis for their family assistance program, which entailed taking care of his entire medical costs; transportation for treatment, which took place in Shreveport, La.; and complete living assistance while being treated.

While a cure was available, the road to recovery was not easy.  The degenerative disease left Davis nearly immobile for almost two years as he endured multiple surgeries that included recovery time in a full body cast.  Before the age of 14 Davis had two hip surgeries, a knee surgery and two different stints in a full body cast.

It was years before Davis would fully recover, but once he did, he was unstoppable. He went on to play high school football and later joined the Marines after a little persistence.

“The Marines didn’t want to take me because of the disease, but I knew if they just let me take the physical exam I would pass,” said Davis.

Determined, Davis wrote a letter to his congressman asking to be given the chance to submit to a full physical exam.

“I wrote our state representative and said, ‘I’m not asking you to get me in, I’m asking you to get me an exam.’”

Davis served in the Marines for eight years before returning to Elk City, near his hometown of Sayre, Okla., and settling down with his wife, Kristina, and starting a family.

After years of inactivity and unhealthy eating, Davis saw an episode of The Biggest Loser featuring Broken Arrow native Danny Cahill in which the statistic was given that one-tenth of 1 percent of people complete a marathon. Viewing this as a challenge, Davis made the decision that day to stop making excuses and get healthy again.

“I realized I was making excuses to not do things with my kids because I was too lazy to get out of the recliner,” said Davis.

In January of this year Davis weighed 227 pounds. A lean 158-pound Davis will cross the finish line of his first marathon at the Williams Route 66 Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 20.  His journey has inspired others including his wife; 10-year-old daughter, McKenzie; and friends and coworkers who have a combined weight loss of approximately 200 pounds.

On Friday, Nov. 25, Davis’s influence will spread to approximately 200 more people and hundreds of kids when Elk City holds its inaugural Christmas Wishes 5K organized by Davis and a co-worker, Shaun Maniatakes, and benefitting the local Toys for Tots. Overwhelming support from the community has allowed him to lead the way in raising nearly $6,000 for the charity, nearly double the budget shortfall of last year.

“Tom Davis was chosen to be this year’s recipient for the Kjell Tovander Award because I feel he deserves to be recognized for a life full of strife and for being so humble,” said Tovander.  ‘Tom overcame disease and he also served in the Marines honorably and did the things he felt he needed to do even though it probably never entered his mind that he couldn’t do them. He did them anyway and he did them well. Tom is an all around good person without any thought of recognition and has helped his community and a lot of people, especially kids.”

Participants can register for the marathon, half marathon and marathon relay at the expo.