Salina Crossroads Marathon
Get ready for upcoming most runner friendly Marathon in Kansas, which will be held on Saturday, November 8 in downtown Salina.
With a little over three months until race day there are 4,475 runners registered from all 50 states, Canada, Mexico and Tanzania, which puts Salina Crossroads on pace to be the largest marathon event in Kansas this year.
There are over 2,000 runners registered from outside the state of Kansas and nearly 3,700 from outside of Salina. For the 2024 race, Visit Salina estimated that the Salina Crossroads Marathon generated $1,019,080 in economic impact for the Salina Community.
Volunteers Needed
This year the Salina Crossroads Marathon will need more than 300 volunteers.
Volunteers can sign up for the Salina Crossroads Marathon at https://salinacrossroadsmarathon.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=100689.
Volunteer needs include course monitors, finish line and festival, and packet pickup. Course Monitors will ensure safety along the run course by assisting traffic across intersections, providing pedestrians/runners with course direction, and encouraging participants along the course.
Festival volunteers will be placed in various areas around the finish line area and assist with the removal of timing chips, handing out participant finisher medals, distributing participant food/beverage items, and cleaning & maintaining a green event. There are shifts on Friday (Nov 7) from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm and Saturday morning (Nov 8) starting at 6:00 am for packet pickup that includes assigning runners their bib number and getting them their race shirt.
"Volunteers are what separate the very best marathons from other races. We are often one of the highest rated marathons on national race sites and one of the most frequent comments is how amazing our volunteers are,” said Co-Race Director-Daniel Craig.
Gold Standard Race
The Salina Crossroads Marathon has made a commitment to be a “Gold Standard” race by distributing 100% of race entry fees back to Saline County Youth Sports.
Thanks to over 50 sponsors/supporters, the Salina Crossroads Marathon is one of the most affordable races in Kansas and raised $28,212 for the Salina Burn Track and Field Club, Salina Family YMCA, Kansas Youth Sports, SAYSI, and School Marathon Foundation in 2024. In addition to the marathon, Salina Crossroads has a 5K, 10K (new for 2025), half marathon, team relay events, and a half-mile kid’s fun run. The generosity of the community also allows Salina Crossroads to be one of the most affordable races in Kansas.
Runners can register at https://register.chronotrack.com/r/83999.
A Fun Experience for the Entire Family
The Salina Crossroads Marathon strives to be the most runner friendly Marathon in Kansas. The goals of the Salina Crossroads Marathon are to have a high-quality race that can bring in runners from across the United States, create a significant economic impact for the community, provide 100% of the race entry fees to local organizations, offer volunteer opportunities and provide fun family friendly events so the entire community can come be a part of a USATF Certified and Boston Qualifying Marathon weekend.
“Our team has always been open to and encouraged ideas to make the race unique. We are thankful for strong support from the City of Salina and local businesses to help the ideas come to life. From a vintage vehicle leading the pack at the starting line, to live music along the course, to slices of ice cream pie when you cross the finish line, our goal is to create a race experience for runners and spectators that people will talk about and remember” said Co-Race Director Chris Lehecka.
About the Salina Crossroads Marathon
The Salina Crossroads Marathon began when two local runners (Chris Lehecka and Daniel Craig) started visiting about what it would look like for Salina to have a high-quality marathon and half marathon race. The City of Salina helped develop a fun and scenic course that minimized disruptions to traffic and parking in Downtown Salina.
The Salina Crossroads Marathon planning committee includes individuals in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors as well as local runners. Andrew Manley serves as a co-race director and treasurer for the Salina Crossroads Marathon.
The goals of the Salina Crossroads Marathon are to have a high-quality race that can bring in runners from across the United States, provide 100% of the race entry fees to local organizations, and provide fun family friendly events so the entire community can come be a part of a USATF Certified and Boston Qualifying Marathon weekend.
For more information about the Salina Crossroads Marathon, visit the website at runsalinacrossroads.com or follow on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1469896640070189.