Bend Marathon returns in-person on Sunday for the first time in three years

(Update: Adding video, comments by King)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Bend Marathon is back this weekend, for its sixth year -- and in person, for the first time since 2019.

It's a three year break race that organizer Max King was not expecting, to say the least. And we all know why it happened.

“It would have been a really hard decision, taking that on in 2019, knowing that it was going to be not able to do it for two years," King said Tuesday.

King is a professional racer himself, and the 2019 Bend Marathon was the first big race he helped organize. While King has been the organizer for four Bend Marathons, Sunday's will only be his second in-person event.

“Just having to redo everything and figure everything out for the first time again since 2019 is like having to restart and do it all again," King told NewsChannel 21.

About 1500 racers will be competing in the 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon. That's just above half of the number of racers in 2019, when 2,400 people participated.

King said despite the lower number of participants, it's something he's happy with.

"I think our number is pretty good this year," King said. "Considering we are coming out of a pandemic."

The marathon will start and finish at the Old Mill. Parts of Drake Road, Harmon Boulevard, Galveston Avenue, Mt. Washington Drive, Northwest Crossing Drive and Wall Street will be closed from about 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

“Having that in-person event is going to be really cool on Sunday," King said. "Just to get everybody together and running it all on the same day and to have a real competition is going to be huge.”

Registration is still open, if you're interested in running in any of the events.