Calling all runners! The 2022 Williams Route 66 Marathon Charity Challenge registration is now live, which means it’s your turn to help the community that hosts us each year. Not sure what the Charity Challenge is? The Charity Challenge is a win-win scenario in which participants commit to fundraising for one of our charity partners in exchange for a free race entry! That’s right – you run for free and our local charities get to help more deserving recipients.

The Williams Route 66 Marathon partners with four charities as part of this year’s Charity Challenge:

•        Kicks for Kids, the official charity of the Williams Route 66 Marathon
•        Ainsley’s Angels
•        Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma
•        Tulsa SPCA

Kicks for Kids, the official charity of the Williams Route 66 Marathon, works with youth in Tulsa’s underserved Title I schools. Student participants receive a free pair of running shoes, a free t-shirt, and a free race entry to the Williams Route 66 Marathon 5k in addition to weekly coaching from one of the marathon’s race directors.

Ainsley’s Angels is an organization that was founded with the mission of building awareness about the importance of inclusion, through action, while transforming populations into all-inclusive communities.

The Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma provides food to Tulsa’s food-insecure families and has been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the economic impact of the virus.

The Tulsa SPCA is dedicated to providing a safe haven for the community’s homeless animals and has also experienced an uptick in need as a result of the pandemic.

The amount each runner is required to fundraise in order to earn a free race entry varies depending on the distance of their preferred race. Each participant is provided with a personal fundraising page and lots of helpful tips to make your fundraising efforts a success!

When you think about it, it’s a no-brainer. Join the Charity Challenge and help support the community that supports us and get a free race entry while you do it!