Missoula Marathon generated $5.2M, filled hotels

(Missoula Current) If the streets, hotels and restaurants looked busy over the Missoula Marathon weekend, it's because they were.

The 2026 event presented by Young Auto Group & Young Powersports generated an estimated $5.2 million in direct economic impact, Destination Missoula said Wednesday.

The latest figures mark another record-setting year for the event, surpassing the $4.2 million in estimated economic impact generated in 2025. It also highlights the growth of one of Montana's premier destination sporting events.

"This year's economic impact reflects much more than a successful race weekend—it demonstrates that Missoula has firmly established itself as one of the country's premier running destinations," said Trisha Drobeck, executive director of Run Wild Missoula. “Every year we continue to build Missoula's reputation not only as a bucket-list marathon destination, but also as a place people want to visit, explore, and return to throughout the summer. It's a win for our runners, our local businesses, and our entire community."

The figures were generated using an economic impact calculator, which measures the direct impact of out-of-town visitor’s spending on local businesses, employment, income and tax revenue. Destination Missoula's calculator is customized specifically for Missoula using nine data sources.

Data suggests that 35% of participants were Missoula residents while 55% came from Missoula or within 100 miles and did not require overnight accommodations. But around 45% of participants traveled from beyond the local area and stayed overnight and an estimated 40% of participants flew to Missoula.

"The Missoula Marathon has become one of the most significant tourism drivers in our community and continues to deliver tremendous value to our local economy," said Heidi Starrett, director of sales for Destination Missoula. "It's an outstanding example of how sports tourism benefits businesses across our entire region."