OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The 20th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon will be held virtually in just a few weeks, and the KFOR team got together for a race on Saturday that will be featured in an upcoming KFOR special that honors the Memorial Marathon.

KFOR will air 20th Anniversary OKC Memorial Marathon — Virtual Race from 8-9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4.

The KFOR team got out in the sun and ran their hearts out in celebration of the Run to Remember, which each year honors the victims and survivors of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

The team includes anchor Kevin Ogle, anchor Joleen Chaney, anchor/reporter Jacklyn Chappell, anchor/reporter Brent Skarky and meteorologist Emily Sutton.

The team’s run will be featured on the Oct. 4 KFOR special honoring the Memorial Marathon.

The Memorial Marathon is traditionally held in April. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the nation, marathon organizers moved the event to October, hoping that the pandemic would slow down during the summer. But the pandemic did not slow down, and organizers responded by changing the marathon to a virtual race to protect runners from potentially contracting COVID-19.

“While we would all prefer to have 25,000 people at the start line in front of the Memorial Museum on October 4^th, it just isn’t possible at this time in Oklahoma City. After considering feedback from runners, the health of Oklahoma communities and advice from medical professionals, a virtual race is the best solution for the 2020 Run to Remember,” Kari Watkins, Race Director of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, said in August. “The disappointment of not running the Memorial Marathon together is being felt by all of us. But the health and safety of everyone participating – runners, volunteers, and the community support – must be our highest priority.”

All participants who were still registered for the Memorial Marathon when the change was announced were automatically transferred to the virtual race.

Registered runners must complete their chosen distance in one try while timing themselves with a running app between Oct 4-18. They will then submit that info to marathon personnel. Full race swag will go to those who complete the virtual race.

Runners who registered for the marathon but did not want to run virtually had the option to either donate their entry fee to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum or defer their entry to the 2021 or 2022 Memorial Marathon.

The Memorial Marathon is held each year in tribute to the 168 people who were killed on April 19, 1995, when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was destroyed by a terrorist truck bombing. The marathon also honors the survivors of the bombing and individuals who were impacted by that tragic day.

There are 21 days left to sign up for the Run to Remember. Click here to either sign up or donate.

Footage from the KFOR Team’s relay race is featured above, and here’s some photos:

RECENT HEADLINES: