Portland Half Marathon starts eight minutes early, leaving runners scrambling

Thousands of runners experienced a start-line nightmare on Sunday at the Portland Half Marathon in Portland, Ore., when the race began eight minutes ahead of schedule.

(This story has been updated with the statement from Phil Dumontet, CEO of Brooksee, the producer of the Portland Marathon.)

While the marathon and 10K events started on time at 7:00 a.m., the half-marathon, scheduled to begin at 7:15 a.m., caught many off guard when the gun went off at 7:07 a.m. The early start left runners scrambling, with many still arriving, warming up or using the bathroom. Participants described the experience as chaotic, with some only realizing the race had started when they saw others running. “I thought they were just corralling us close to the start, but then I realized we were actually racing. It was crazy,” one participant said.

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Thomas Chaston of Colorado Springs, Colo., ran the fastest time on the course—64:56—but was awarded third place after being forced to start two minutes late. The top finishers were determined by gun time, despite the half-marathon’s early start. Noah Rasmussen of Corvallis, Ore., was given the win with a time of 65:55. Rasmussen noted on his Strava that he, too, was caught off guard by the early start, and was pinning his bib to his chest during the first mile.

Chaston told Canadian Running that the early start completely threw him off. “I was tying my shoes about 300 metres from the start when I heard the announcer say, ’30 seconds to go until the half-marathon.’ I checked my watch in disbelief and found myself jumping 40-inch barricades to make my way there.”

The 25-year-old University of Portland student estimates he passed more than 1,000 people in the first mile. “I was constantly weaving between runners,” Chaston said. “It was annoying, and a little bit dangerous, as well.”

The Portland Marathon’s social media platforms were flooded with complaints, but race organizers moved to hide and delete comments from their pages. Some runners vented their frustrations online, calling it the most chaotic start they had ever experienced. One runner’s comment summed it up: “There’s no better warmup than the straight panic of missing the start time.”

The half-marathon saw a record number of finishers in 2024, and it came with a registration fee of USD $170. “We all travelled to Portland to prepare for the 7:15 a.m. call,” Chaston added. “To start it eight minutes early is unthinkable.”

In addition to the start-line confusion, some participants, including Chaston, criticized the course design and length. Several runners reported the course felt longer than the official 13.1 miles (most Strava activities showed 13.3 miles), while others were shocked by the decision to route part of the race onto the highway instead of using more scenic options, like bridges or the waterfront.

Portland Marathon awards winner’s trophy to wrong runner, some sent 800m long

The Portland Marathon has faced challenges in recent years, from logistical errors to management changes. Notably, former race director Lester Smith, who managed the marathon for decades, was sentenced to probation in 2023 after a tax fraud conviction. Since then, new management has taken over, but Sunday’s events suggest the race is still grappling with organizational issues.

Statement from Phil Dumontet, the producer of the Portland Marathon:

“Our operations plan was to start the marathon and 10K at 7 a.m. This occurred on time and as expected. Here’s what was unexpected: our corral groups for the marathon and 10K all crossed the start line quicker than we had estimated they would. This caused us to be ahead of schedule. Our team made a decision to go ahead and start the half marathon early, a decision that we now regret. Some runners reported hearing that this movement of the time was due to a police request, and we can confirm that that is inaccurate. This one is fully on us.

This ultimately caused some participants to feel confused and rushed, and some of our faster runners missed the opportunity to place in their age groups and divisions. We can understand just how disappointing this must have been, and this does not match the standard of participant experience that we hold ourselves to. As a result of this, we have determined that, across our entire portfolio of races, we will create a policy that a race should not start early unless it is meant to keep our runners safer and we have ample time to communicate that change to runners with reasonable notice. We are honoured to have the opportunity to bring a signature marathon experience to Portland and we don’t take the task lightly. Understanding how we can do better is critical. If you have any other feedback, please contact info@portlandmarathon.com to tell our team about your experience.”