Every year, marathon weekend brings runners, families, volunteers, spectators, local businesses, and entire neighborhoods together for one reason: the love of running. The banners go up, the course comes together, the cowbells come out, and Missoula becomes part race course, part welcome committee, and part block party. Always fun to welcome Trisha Drobeck, executive director of Run Wild Missoula, into the Trail 103.3 studio to talk about the 2026 Missoula Marathon, happening June 26–28. This year’s full marathon is already sold out, with limited VIP options still available at the time of our conversation. The half marathon still had a few spots open, and the weekend includes plenty beyond the 26.2-mile race: the Friday night Beer Run, Runner Expo at Caras Park, Tony Banovich 5K, Kids Marathon, half marathon, and the downtown finish that makes race weekend such a visible part of summer in Missoula. We covered what runners can expect, what Missoulians should know, and how the weekend comes together behind the scenes. That includes the course, shuttle information, road impacts, volunteer needs, and the community support that has helped build the Missoula Marathon into one of the signature events of the year. The full marathon starts in Frenchtown and comes toward Missoula along Mullan Road before continuing through areas including Kona Ranch, Big Flat, River Pines, Maclay Bridge, Target Range, the Slant Streets, and toward the University/downtown finish. The half marathon starts near Blue Mountain and joins the marathon course near Maclay Bridge. Runners are coming from all 50 states and 11 countries this year, which says a lot about both the race and Missoula’s reputation as a place people want to visit, run, explore, and experience. Trisha also shared more about the marathon’s long-running partnership with Youth Homes and the Run 4 Kids team, which is on track to raise $100,000 this year in support of local youth services. And for anyone who wants to be part of marathon weekend without running, Run Wild Missoula is still looking for volunteers, especially course monitors. Course monitors help keep runners safe, support the flow of the event, cheer people on, and help race morning run smoothly. This year, thanks to Logjam Presents, course monitors will also receive a free ticket to a KettleHouse Amphitheater show. The full conversation is below, with more on race weekend, volunteer opportunities, course information, the Beer Run, Youth Homes, and what makes the Missoula Marathon such a big part of summer in Missoula. Learn more, register, volunteer, or find race weekend details at MissoulaMarathon.org.
