The 2026 Oakland Marathon Brought the Joy of Movement to the Town
Over 12,000 Youth and Adult Runners Showed Up in Support of Eat. Learn. Play.’s Work
to Transform the School Experience for a Generation of Oakland Students
It was an electric weekend in Oakland, as over 12,000 participants of all ages joined in a celebration of running, wellness, and staying active as part of the Oakland Marathon from March 20 to 22, 2026.
For the third year, Eat. Learn. Play. is proud to be the charitable beneficiary of the Oakland Marathon, with $150,000 raised at this joyful event for the entire family, including a full marathon, half, 10k, 5k, and the Eat. Learn. Play. Kids Fun Run.
Celebrating the Best of Oakland
The Oakland Marathon serves as a unique platform for Eat. Learn. Play. to celebrate the civic pride of Oakland and encourage kids and families to get active. In partnership with Run Local, the Oakland Marathon is growing into a world-class event that Oakland is proud of, comparable to the best marathons in the country, all while raising funds for Oakland students.
At the Eat. Learn. Play. Kids Fun Run presented by Kaiser Permanente on Saturday, March 21, over 1,000 youth participated in quarter-mile, half-mile, or one-mile races, with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) elementary school students participating in the race for free. The Eat. Learn. Play. Bus, in partnership with the Alameda County Community Food Bank, provided healthy snacks to all youth runners and set the tone for a joyful day, along with activity stations featuring games, music, and craft stations.
“At Eat. Learn. Play., we believe every child deserves the opportunity to be active, healthy, and inspired. With the support of Kaiser Permanente, the Kids Fun Run is a chance for Oakland’s youth to challenge themselves, build confidence, and experience the joy of movement,” said Eat. Learn. Play. CEO, Chris Helfrich. “We’re proud to partner with the Oakland Marathon to bring this incredible event to life and to support the next generation of runners in our community.”
On Sunday, March 22, participants raced through Oakland’s iconic neighborhoods and experienced the one-of-a-kind thrill of running across the Bay Bridge. Two of our past schoolyard transformations—Franklin Elementary (2021) and Piedmont Avenue Elementary (2024)— were among the highlights of the racecourse, giving runners a unique opportunity to see firsthand how their support impacts our community in real time.
In 2026, Eat. Learn. Play. will transform five additional schoolyards at OUSD campuses, benefiting both students and surrounding neighborhoods with safe, high-quality spaces for active play and bringing our total number of transformed schools to 28.
Our Community Partners Brought the Energy
Eat. Learn. Play. community partners had a joyful presence throughout the weekend. Our community partner Oakland Strokes held an activity booth at Saturday’s Kids Fun Run, giving kids the opportunity to try rowing and golf. “We had kids as little as 3 years old trying out our rowing stations,” shared Carla Jourdan, Head of Community Programs at Oakland Strokes. “It’s giving kids the chance to access a sport that they might not traditionally have access to and laying the groundwork to pursue different ways of being active.”
On Sunday, youth participants from our community partners Girls on the Run and Oakland Lacrosse Club also took to the racecourse.
We are proud to also support Girls on the Run, Oakland Lacrosse Club, and Oakland Strokes as part of our work to bring free, accessible sports programming to middle school students across Oakland.
We’re grateful to our partners who made this incredible weekend possible, including Kaiser Permanente, PG&E, PLEZi, Visit Oakland, Run Local, Under Amour, the City of Oakland, and the County of Alameda.
