A local road race is now certified as an Olympic Trial qualifying event.

The Traverse City Track Club (TCTC) announced on social media Wednesday that the 2026 Bayshore Marathon has been officially sanctioned by USA Track & Field (USATF), “meaning it is eligible as a qualifying race for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.”

The Bayshore Marathon does have some history as an Olympic Trials qualifier. In 2023, three marathoners qualified for the trials based on their full marathon performances right here in Traverse City: Zachary Ripley (2:16:35), Noah Steffin (2:17:00), and Hannah Becker (2:36:58). Ripley and Becker both set course records that year, which have not been bested in the two Bayshore races since.

Notably, the qualifying times for the Olympic Marathon Trials are even more competitive for the 2028 Olympics than they were for the games held in 2024. Athletes seeking to qualifying for the 2024 trials had to run faster than 2:18:00 (for men) or 2:37:00 (for women). For the 2028 Olympic Games, the trials qualifying time for women remains at 2:37:00, but the standard for men has been lowered to 2:16:00 – a time never (yet) run on the Bayshore course.

The 2026 Bayshore Marathon is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, May 23. All three main races – the full marathon, the half marathon, and the 10K – are sold out, with only waiting list registrations and charity bibs still available.