Maine Marathon

Thank you WMTW-TV !

Nanna's House and three other local nonprofits are the beneficiaries of this weekend's Maine Marathon. FULL STORY ⬇️

Happy expo day! Its been busy busy and we've finally had a moment to post to the grid 😮‍💨

We're here til 5p with the vendors & beneficiaries and til 7p for bib pickup!

See you soon at 772 Stevens Ave, Portland ME!

We will have bib pickup tomorrow morning on Pedro Field from 530-7a. There is NO race day registration or event switches.

ID: a line of folks waiting in a hallway to enter the expo.

🚨1 DAY TO GO!🚨

ID: light blue background with a green & black hilled path with 3 trees. Above the trees reads "Maine Community Bank Maine Marathon - 1 day until race day - Run with us Sunday, October 4, 2026 - Portland Maine"

Reminder about road closures tomorrow friendos!

Maine Marathon: Places to park and where roads will close Thousands will be in Portland for the Maine Marathon. See what roads will be closed and where to park.

Time to hit the road running
A record field of 5,500 participants is expected to take part in the latest edition of the marathon, half marathon and marathon relay.

Photo: Runners take off from their spots on the starting line at the 2024 Maine Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay in Portland.

October 3, 2026
By STEVE CRAIG Staff Writer
The 35th edition of the Maine Community Bank Maine Marathon, Half Marathon and Marathon Relay takes place Sunday on the streets of Portland, Falmouth, Cumberland and Yarmouth, beginning at 7:45 a.m.

The largest marathon in Maine, the overall field is approaching 5,500 entries — well above last year’s record of 5,144.

“I’m limiting the growth to about 400 runners per year,” said Bob Dunfey, the volunteer race director.

The Maine Marathon and its participants have raised over $8,900,000 for charity. The event donates about 40% of revenue toward a variety of charities.

Last year, donations totaled $793,285. Each year, the race picks three to five “designated charities.” This year’s beneficiaries are Nanna’s House, Day One, Camp No Limits, and the Pine Tree Society. Many other groups benefit from fundraising done by runners.

Here are key details about the Maine Marathon.

START/FINISH

The marathon and half marathon start simultaneously on Baxter Boulevard in Portland. Both races also finish there.

COURSE

Essentially out-and-back. The course curls around Portland’s Back Cove, works it way to Route 1 North and then veers onto Route 88. The 26.2-mile marathon course goes through Falmouth and Cumberland before reaching the 12-mile mark in Yarmouth. Runners turn right onto Gilman Road, then another right onto Princes Point road to begin a roughly 3-mile loop to get back to Route 88, where they’ll head south on their return. The 13.1- mile half marathon follows the same route until it gets to a turnaround just past scenic Mussel Cove in Falmouth.

EVENT RECORDS

Men’s marathon — Ryan Eiler, Boston, 2 hours, 19 minutes, 19 seconds (2022); Women’s marathon — Abby Hamilton, Yarmouth, 2:39:38 (2021); Men’s half marathon — Colin Cernik, Portland, 1:04:39 (2025); Women’s half marathon, Cliodhna O’Malley, Windham, 1:15:06 (2025).

PRIZE MONEY

The top male, female and non-binary runners earn $1,000 for the marathon and $500 for the half marathon, with cash through fifth place in each gender group if the runner meets the elite standard. Prizes are also available for a new event record in the marathon ($500) and half marathon ($250).

TOP RUNNERS

The 2025 marathon winners, Sammy Mills of Portland and Emma Howe of Cambridge, Massachusetts, are not entered to defend their titles. The fastest local runners have migrated to the half marathon, including defending champions and event record holders Cernik and O’Malley. There are as many as 10 runners capable of challenging Cernik’s men’s record. The women’s half marathon features the past four winners — O’Malley, Phoebe Oehmig (2024), Veronica Graziano (2023) and Alyson Ursiny (2022). Megan O’Neil of Rochester, Michigan, is a serious threat. O’Neil ran a 2:31 at the Boston Marathon this spring, finishing 20th overall.

NEW THIS YEAR

There will be lactation tents for the benefit of nursing mothers at the start/finish, and also near the 12- and 15-mile marks on the course. … Instead of a starter’s gun or boat horn, the start of the chip-timed races will be signaled by a series of musical notes.

RACE PACKET PICKUP

The runner’s expo on Saturday is at a new location. Runners can pick up their racing bib and T-shirt at Innovation Hall on the University of New England’s Portland campus from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Numerous vendors will be at the expo.

RACE REGISTRATIONS

Dunfey said entries have come from 49 states (only North Dakota is missing), as well as Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Island, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and 15 foreign countries. As of 3 p.m. Thursday, registration was still open but fast approaching the 5,500 cap.

https://www.pressherald.com/?p=7733406

HAPPY EXPO EVER (AGAIN)!

The post many have been waiting for: the expo map!

We've left it high level so it's easier to view and we're so excited to share it!

We will be at 772 Stevens Ave Portland Maine in UNE's Innovation Hall! Parking is available on UNE's campus or on the street (shared in a previous post).

And we've got quite a few vendors joining us tomorrow - including Marathon Sports, National Running Company,

To provide a point of reference - the entrance closest to the green square is on Gulliver's Way. There will be signs and volunteers around to steer you in the right direction!

Few reminders:
✨Expo is from 11a-5p with bib pickup going until 7p.
✨No dogs are allowed at Innovation Hall unless they are a service dog.
✨Please come with the QR code from the runner email sent earlier this week - if you did not receive the email, please check your spam folder!
✨Relay teams will pickup their packet as 1 entity in the relay bib line and you will pick up the shirts for the whole team if only 1 person comes.
✨You will pick up the shirt size you registered for - any swaps need to be made after the race starts.
✨If you ordered bib boards, they will be available for pick up at the Solutions table
✨if you pre-ordered a lobster roll with Luke's, they have a list of names

ID: A partial map of Innovation Hall at UNE. One section is marked with a green square and will house the race bibs, relay bibs, info table, volunteer checkin, CPR lessons, shoe donations, and b**r tent ID check. The other portion is marked with a blue square which will hold the Maine Community Bank photo wall & sign making station, race shirts, merchandise, beneficiaries, race sponsors, and vendors/exhibitors.

HAPPY EXPO EVE!

We've got the expo parking map to share! And don't worry, we'll be sharing the expo map later this afternoon, we know how much everyone wants to see that!

As a reminder, the expo has moved and we will be at UNE's Innovation Hall (Building 21) located at 772 Stevens Ave Portland ME.

There will be volunteers helping with parking. And we recommend parking in any of the lots marked with the squares - so lots 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. Plus there could be street parking available on Stevens Ave. Please do NOT park on private property or in lots for local business.

We recognize that this map might be too small to read well on a phone screen so the link to the map from UNE (without the boxes) is available here & you can zoom in:https://www.une.edu/sites/default/files/2026-07/CampusServices_UNE_Portland.pdf

Can't wait to see everyone at the expo tomorrow for bib pickup!

Few reminders:
✨Expo is from 11a-5p with bib pickup going until 7p.
✨No dogs are allowed at Innovation Hall unless they are a service dog.
✨Please come with the QR code from the runner email sent earlier this week - if you did not receive the email, please check your spam folder!
✨Relay teams will pickup their packet as 1 entity in the relay bib line
✨We have a shoe collection going with A Running Passion to give your old shoes a new life!

ID: A map of the UNE Portland campus with the above parking lots marked with boxes and Innovation Hall marked as the expo.

Can't wait to see everyone this weekend at the Maine Community Bank Maine Marathon!

Race weekend is here! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

To everyone that is lacing up their sneakers for the Maine Community Bank Maine Marathon, good luck! We're proud to be the title sponsor of this event and even prouder to cheer you on across the finish line.

Run strong, Maine! 💛

🚨2 DAYS TO GO!🚨

ID: light blue background with a green & black hilled path with 3 trees. Above the trees reads "Maine Community Bank Maine Marathon - 2 days until race day - Run with us Sunday, October 4, 2026 - Portland Maine"

👀👀 SPECTATOR INFO

We're often asked "Where are the best spots to watch the race?!"

Don't worry - we gotchu covered!

All spectator & athlete tracking info is available on our website: https://mainemarathon.com/race-weekend/spectator-information/

You're also able to view & download this map so you can zoom in!

ID: Map of the course with spectator spots & road closures marked.