Shiprock Marathon enters 41st year

Posted by Quentin Jodie | May 2, 2024 | Track & Field |

WINDOW ROCK – Get your racing shoes on.

The annual Shiprock Marathon is taking place this weekend as runners from all over the nation will converge to Northern Navajo for two days.

The event starts Friday with the 10K and 5K races, and will end on Saturday with the half-marathon and full marathon events.

The event is being coordinated by NavajoYes, a nonprofit youth and community organization that “promotes community wellness, lifelong fitness and youth empowerment in communities across Diné Bikéyah.”

The Shiprock Marathon is now in its 41st year and over the decades it has gained some national recognition. Last year, USA Today ranked the Shiprock Marathon as the third best marathon in the U.S.

“It’s definitely one of the longest running events,” NavajoYES Director Tom Riggenbach said. “It’s one of the most highly respected marathons and running in the Four Corners and the southwest.

“It’s exciting, and the whole history of this race goes back to the 1980s,” Riggenbach added. “There are so many people involved over the last four decades making it happen from Diné College, health promotion programs, and just so many good people over the years.”

The coordinators of the event have tried to make the Shiprock Marathon a memorable race for the participants. In years past they have added a few interesting features, such as the kids marathon.

“We provide a program for the schools to where they can work with their students, particularly elementary-age kids,” Riggenbach said. “They logged in their miles over the spring and their goal is to get to 26.2 miles or more. We’ve had over 965 runners for the kids marathon.

“It’s so extraordinary and so cool,” he added. “The whole idea is to get the kids to develop some level of appreciation for what it’s like to be a runner. We’re hoping they can get into that lifetime groove of daily fitness. It’s really exciting to see that event grow over the last few years.”

The longstanding event is seeing an increase in participation as the numbers had dipped at the height of the global pandemic. In 2020 and 2021 the marathon was staged virtually as the Navajo Nation remained closed due to public health orders set by then-Navajo Navajo President Jonathan Nez that limited gatherings.

“It was still a fun celebration,” Riggenbach said. “It was a way to bring people together during that time.”

Before Covid, the marathon saw an average of 200 runners in the marathon and 800-1,000 runners in the half-marathon.

As of Wednesday morning, the event had nearly 200 marathon participants and 550 for the half-marathon.

“We’ve seen a nice bump in entries the last few days,” Riggenbach said. “That’s really exciting to see because, you know, Covid had really impacted everybody. It was a real setback for our communities and for the nation in so many ways.”

With a few days left, Riggenbach expects those numbers to slightly go up on race day.

“It’s good to see the numbers getting back to where we were,” Riggenbach said. “Hopefully, it continues to grow, and they’ll be able to share extraordinary memories for many years to come.”