BMW Dallas Marathon Festival Kicks Off Its 50th Anniversary at City Hall with Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson

October 13, 2021

Continuing its legacy as one of Texas’ longest running marathons, the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

(DALLAS) – Continuing its legacy as one of Texas’ longest running marathons, the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year. The official countdown to the weekend of events began today with a press conference at City Hall, attended by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. Dallas City Hall Plaza is the location of this year’s marathon weekend start and finish lines for all 10 events.

“The BMW Dallas Marathon Festival is a beloved annual tradition in our city — one that we have missed as we battled through the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mayor Eric Johnson. “We are overjoyed that the marathon festival is returning to our streets this year. The weekend of events showcases our great city, brings people together, and gives back to our communities. We look forward to seeing everyone there.”

The BMW Dallas Marathon Festival is thrilled to put on this epic 2021 event, with the full support of the City of Dallas, that will attract more than 20,000 runners from all 50 states and more than 10 countries.

“We are excited to host the 50^th Anniversary of the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival, and we have a remarkable weekend celebration planned with the support of the City of Dallas,” said Paul Lambert, President of runDallas, “The marathon festival weekend is a fantastic opportunity for runners and walkers to experience a world-class event, including friendly competition and the support of more than 100,000 cheering spectators on the course. Through the great partnership with the five DFW BMW dealerships, one lucky participant will win the car drawing on Marathon Sunday, driving away in a special edition 2021 BMW Sports Coupe.”

The weekend-long festival will begin at 7 p.m. Dec. 10, with the second annual Friday Night Lights Mile. This is a two-lap Grand Prix-style race around Dallas City Hall Plaza that will include multiple heats for runners of all abilities. Things begin heating up on Saturday, Dec. 11, at 8:30 a.m. with the 10K Race, followed by the 5K Race at 8:45 a.m. By 10 a.m., it’s the kids’ turn to start racing, starting with the 100M Dash. At 10:30 a.m. the Oncor Kids’ Race will begin. Both kids’ events are free of charge.

Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m., the Full, Half and Ultra Marathons kick off. These races begin in downtown Dallas and showcase some of the most notable areas of the city. Along the course, there will be exciting cheer stations and on-course entertainment before the finish line at Dallas City Hall Plaza. In addition to these races, the two-person and five-person relays will also be held on Sunday. These team-building races will be held in both a half-marathon and marathon distance. Spectators can attend all events for free.

Race participants can expect to find delicious drinks and refreshments available. Food options will include Cici’s Pizza, Tacodeli breakfast tacos, Beyond Meat breakfast sandwiches, bellagreen white chocolate pudding, Original ChopShop Cookies, UCAN Energy Bars, GoGo squeeZ fruit pouches, bananas and candy canes. Beverage options will include Sam Adams Beer and Truly Hard Seltzer, Tetra Pak Water, Gatorade, Southwest Dairy Farmers Chocolate Milk and Chike Protein Iced Coffee. The Festival Weekend will also be in full holiday mode, overflowing with festive spirit and fun activities for the entire family to participate in.

Leading up to the Festival Weekend, the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival is hosting a series of BMW Fall Fun Runs throughout the DFW area. The first Fall Fun Run was last Thursday, Oct. 7, in Fort Worth. Other Fall Fun Runs will be held in Arlington on Oct. 14, Grapevine on Oct. 21, Plano on Oct. 28, and Dallas on Nov. 4.

Since the festival named Scottish Rite for Children as their primary beneficiary in 1997, it has raised more than $4 million for the world-class institution. During the most recent race weekend in 2019, the festival presented the organization with a check for $80,000. This year, Scottish Rite is celebrating its centennial, which means for 100 years, it has been providingquality pediatric care for orthopedic, related neurodevelopmental and musculoskeletal conditions, as well as for specific learning disorders, such as dyslexia.

“Because of the longstanding relationship and support from the BMW Dallas Marathon, Scottish Rite for Children can continue to provide life-changing, expert care to children with pediatric orthopedic conditions and help give kids back their childhood,” said Bob Walker, president and CEO of Scottish Rite for Children.

In support of Scottish Rite, Emily Jones has also volunteered to be the Last Woman Running at this year’s festival. Jones is the sideline reporter for the Texas Rangers and Executive Director of Scout & Cellar, as well as a dedicated mother. As the Last Woman Running, Jones will be the last person to start the Half-marathon Race, and for each person she passes, Andrews Distributing will donate $1 to Scottish Rite for Children.

“I’m really excited to participate,” Jones said. “I think anything that promotes fitness right now is a good thing. I also think it’s important to promote worthy causes like Scottish Rite for Children that make people feel like they are part of something special. The Dallas Marathon is definitely something that promotes that positive feeling through running groups and other things.”

For more information about the BMW Dallas Marathon Festival’s 50^th anniversary, or to register for any of the events, please visit bmwdallasmarathon.com.

About Dallas Marathon

The Dallas Marathon is a nonprofit organization with a focus on promoting health and physical fitness through running events and related activities. Dating back to 1971, the organization hosts year-round events culminating with Dallas’ largest and Texas’ longest running marathon: the BMW Dallas Marathon. Now in its 50th running, the marquee event, with 10 event distances to select from throughout the weekend of events, attracts runners from across the globe and tens of thousands of spectators to Dallas’ largest single-day sporting event. The BMW Dallas Marathon course highlights iconic Dallas landmarks and is recognized as the official marathon of the City of Dallas. Since naming a primary beneficiary in 1997, the Dallas Marathon has donated more than $4million to Scottish Rite for Children. For more information, visit bmwdallasmarathon.com.

About Scottish Rite for Children

Scottish Rite for Children is one of the nation’s leading pediatric orthopedic centers. A wide range of orthopedic conditions are treated, including sports injuries and fractures, as well as certain arthritic, neurological and learning disorders, such as dyslexia. Patients receive treatment regardless of the family’s ability to pay. For more information about services available at the Dallas or Frisco campus, volunteering or donating, visit scottishriteforchildren.org.

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