Gene Brtalik is the event director for the Oakland Running Festival and an employee of Corrigan Sports. When not organizing races, he can be found running various distances and participating in triathalons.
Hello, on March 28th 2010, you’ll be organizing the Oakland Marathon . Can you tell us where it is located?
Oakland is located in Northern California and the start and finish lines are just outside Frank Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland.
§staticmap(3539)
This will be the inaugural edition of the race. Why was it created in the first place?
The event was created to fill the void of events in Northern California during the spring season as well as to give Oakland a presence in the running community. As the current time, Oakland is only city in the Bay Area that doesn’t have a marathon or half-marathon.
What kind of route have you set up for the runners? How would you describe it?
The marathon route is very scenic as it winds it way through almost all the parts of Oakland, including a great view of Oakland, the Bay Bridge and San Francisco right before mile 10. Runners will be challenged in the beginning, but rewarded with the views and the relatively flat course the last 13 miles of the course.
How many runners do you expect on Sunday morning? What type of runners do you plan to attract?
We are expecting between 7,000 and 8,000 runners among the five events. We want runners of all abilities to participate and that is why we have the five different events.
Do you organize other races during the Week-End? If so, on what distances?
We also organize a half-marathon, four-person team relay, 5k and kids’ fun run.
At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect?
Cool temperatures in the 50s or 60s
Have you planned festivities around the marathon?
We have a one-day Health and Fitness Expo on Saturday and then a Celebration Village on Sunday filled with vendors, live music and food and drink.
The marathon finished, what advice would you give a runner who has never been to Oakland before? A good restaurant, a fancy sightseeing?
I would say to visit Jack London Square and check out the waterfront.
In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of ahotu Marathons to make them register for the Oakland Marathon?
Come be apart of an exciting new event that will soon be one of the best in the Bay Area.