Running News Daily

Governor Kevin Stitt is inviting Oklahomans to compete against him, in new Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon relay challenge

Governor Kevin Stitt is inviting Oklahomans to compete against him and a bipartisan team in a new Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon relay challenge.

"We need to become a healthier state,” Stitt said Thursday morning at a press conference at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

So, when he took office, Stitt and his staff started brainstorming.

"We did this kind of stuff at my old company where we would just try to engage all of our team members, employees and our coworkers. I love hanging out with my team members, and now all of Oklahoma is a team member,” he said.

That’s why Stitt’s encouraging Oklahomans to participate in the new Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon relay challenge.

"The memorial marathon, being the largest in the state and for what it stands for, I think it was a natural fit to jump in and challenge Oklahomans to get off the couch and put a team together,” said Kari Watkins, executive director for the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

The teams will then compete with the governor and his own bipartisan team.

To celebrate the new challenge, some state employees and local runners joined Stitt for a mile run that took off from the Survivor’s Tree.

"I am very tired. This is - I've got to start running and training. So, this was a great first step,” he said after the run.

Come April, the race is on.

"Oklahomans have - we're kind of at the bottom of some categories that we should be at the top at. So, we need to just enjoy the outdoors and just focus on working together, and we can do amazing things in our state,” Stitt said.

In early May, the winners of each division will be invited to join Stitt for a celebration at the Governor’s Mansion. They will also receive a memorial marathon T-shirt that says ‘I Beat the Governor.’