San Francisco Marathon closes its 49th edition
The 49th Annual San Francisco Marathon officially concluded on July 26, 2026, with more than 30,000 athletes crossing the finish line along the Embarcadero, according to a race announcement dated July 27. Race director Lauri Abrahamsen described the weekend as remarkable, highlighting ultra-runners who began in darkness on Saturday night before merging with full and half marathoners as the sun rose over the Bay Bridge. The San Francisco Marathon has been held annually since 1977 and uses a USATF-certified, Boston Marathon-qualifying course.
Course and race format
The two-day program was headlined by a 52.4-mile Ultramarathon and the classic 26.2-mile Full Marathon. The double-loop Ultramarathon kicked off at 10:15 p.m. on Saturday, sending runners through an overnight 26.2-mile loop before the main full marathon field departed at 5:15 a.m. on Sunday. Participants navigated the Embarcadero, Golden Gate Bridge, Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, and Oracle Park, with results honored across Male, Female, and Non-Binary+ divisions. Organizers announced that registration is open for the 50th anniversary event, scheduled for July 24–25, 2027.
Gress breaks her own Juneau women's masters record
At the Juneau Marathon on July 25, 2026, Shannon Gress, 41, set a new women's masters division record with a finish of 2:55:27 at Douglas' Sandy Beach. The time bettered her previous mark of 3:03:35 set a year earlier and left her within reach of the 2:51:33 women's open record she established in 2014. Gress placed fourth overall.
Mitchell tops the Juneau men's field
Sitka's Liam Mitchell, 25, a U.S. Coast Guard member originally from St. Louis, won the men's title in 2:43:44 in what the Juneau Independent described as his 10th marathon, pulling away early from the starting arch. Auke Bay's Grant Werthman, 29, took second in 2:46:17, with Jared Marling, 41, of San Francisco, third in 2:55:18. Randi Zuckerberg, 44, of Amonk, New York, finished second in the women's race in 3:35:46, and Juneau's Suzanne Morris, 42, took third in 3:57:05.
Half marathon crowns decided in Juneau
In the companion half marathon, Juneau's Jenna Wiersma, 40, won the women's race in 1:43:59 and placed 19th overall, followed by Joanna Suewing in 1:45:35 and Danielle Dunivin in 1:48:16. Brendan Fant, 21, of East Lyme, Connecticut, took the men's title in 1:16:57, with Juneau's Jason Norat second in 1:23:04 and Brandon Ivanowicz third in 1:25:49. Top finishers were also awarded Juneau Trail and Road Runners trophies and Road Runners Club of America state championship medals for age-group divisions.
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