Portland Marathon Misses Key Deadline, Requests Extension

By Bradley W. Parks (OPB)
Portland, Oregon July 27, 2017 10:06 p.m.
A runner approaches the finish line of the 2015 Portland Marathon. Race organizers missed an Oregon Department of Justice deadline to submit requested financial documents.

A runner approaches the finish line of the 2015 Portland Marathon. Race organizers missed an Oregon Department of Justice deadline to submit requested financial documents.

Ann McGarry / OPB

Organizers with the Portland Marathon missed a deadline Wednesday to submit requested documents to the Oregon Department of Justice, the department confirmed Thursday.

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The missed deadline adds to a string of mishaps for marathon organizers in the months leading up to the race.

The DOJ had ordered race organizers in June to turn over several years' worth of financial documents by July 26 as the department looked into potential conflicts of interest, KGW reported in June.

“[Race organizers] have not submitted any documents,” DOJ spokesperson Kristina Edmundson said in an email Thursday.

Organizer Les Smith said in an email to OPB that race organizers are seeking a deadline extension.

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“Simply stated, our lawyers have asked for more time to respond,” Smith wrote, adding the marathon’s legal team is “working on this matter.”

OPB has reached out to the Portland Marathon’s counsel for comment.

The 2017 Portland Marathon scheduled for Oct. 8, is still in flux as race organizers seek a permit from the city.

Discrepancies over the marathon route left the marathon temporarily homeless. The Portland Bureau of Transportation gave race organizers three routes to choose from that meshed with the number of available police officers and other requirements.

Organizers settled on a route, but that was just one step in the process. The marathon must finalize a medical plan and pay for the permit and other race costs. The city gave race organizers a July 31 deadline to complete those final steps.

This came after the city on June 9 denied the Portland Marathon's application for a special event permit.

PBOT spokesperson John Brady said the bureau will reevaluate the situation if race organizers do not meet the July 31 deadline, but says the bureau is "hopeful they can make the deadline."

More than 4,500 runners finished the Portland Marathon in 2016 while nearly 2,400 finished the half-marathon.

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