Steven Baker tried to ignore the watch tracking his miles as he ran at the 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.
But nearing the finish line, curiosity finally won. Baker took a glance over his shoulder and saw nothing but open road.
For the first time all morning, reality hit that this race was his.
“I felt good — just that straightaway, knowing you were about to win,” Baker said. “But that’s not why I came here. I just wanted to race hard. Winning a big race is a bonus.”
Baker ultimately crossed the finish line with a personal record time of 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 18 seconds.
His finish was just 24 seconds shy from breaking the marathon record set by Conor Holt in 2004, who finished with a total time of 2:22.54.
Baker won the marathon by a comfortable margin while running the course at a 5 minute, 28-second pace. Nick Taubenheim took second with a time of 2:27:21, and Jesse Nix followed in third at 2:27:45.
“I was just trying to get to the finish,” Baker said. “The last, like, 3 miles are pretty difficult, so time went out the window. But I knew I was on pace for something, maybe a personal record, but I didn’t think too much about my record or PR time.”
The win came in Baker’s first appearance in the OKC Memorial Marathon
He’s a 2009 graduate of Tulsa Union High School where he ran track before attending Rogers State University in Claremore. He took a break from running after graduating and got back into long distance running events in 2020.
Since then, he’s steadily rebuilt himself into a champion.
He won the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa in 2023 with a time of 2:26:47, but even that performance didn’t define his approach Sunday.
“That race was a few years ago, so that’s changed,” Baker said. “I got a little older, but I trained, trained pretty hard. That was key for me. You know, just trusting my fitness.”
Baker began training for the OKC Memorial Marathon in January.
Months of preparation saw Baker running miles on end in Tulsa in order to reach Sunday’s milestone. He embraced the grind, refusing to shy away from the daunting thought of tackling a 26.2-mile course.
“That’s a runner’s thing,” Baker said. “You know, once you run one marathon, you’ve just gotta keep on running marathons. And I did Tulsa, and now I did this one. So I’m pretty happy with the results, it’s pretty cool.”
As for a return trip next year?
Don’t count on another full marathon for Baker just yet.
“I’m thinking about it — maybe the half marathon,” Baker said with a laugh. “This was a lot of work. I’m drained man, I’m done.”
Canadian runner Rory Linkletter wins the men’s half marathon
Rory Linkletter didn’t initially plan on racing hard when he arrived in Oklahoma City.
Fresh off a career-defining run at the 2026 Boston Marathon earlier in the week, the Canadian standout arrived with lighter intentions. He planned for something closer to a recovery jog than a title chase.
That didn’t last long.
“I kind of left the (Boston Marathon) pretty arbitrary,” Linkletter said. “I thought I’ll probably just have some fun, run it easy. And I got in here, felt pretty good, got carried away, started trying to win the race and had a lot of fun doing that. So I maximized my fun.”
Linkletter was the winner of the 2026 OKC Memorial half-marathon with a final time of on 1:10.56.
Muse Rnz narrowly finished second with a time of 1:11:23, while Kyle Ginn followed in third place at 1:12:46.
The 29-year-old previously set a personal best time of 2:06:04 at the 2026 Boston Marathon on Monday, making him the second fastest Canadian of all time over the distance.
Sunday marked Linkletter’s first visit to Oklahoma City, where he competed as a Memorial Marathon ambassador. But beyond the race itself, it was the event’s purpose that stuck with him.
After learning more about the Oklahoma City bombing, Linkletter found added motivation down the stretch.
“It really is beautiful what we do at the beginning and at the end of this race,” he said. “The moment of silence — 168 seconds for those we lost — and then running through the finish, seeing every name and every photo. It’s a great tribute to remember those people.”
“This is also just a great celebration of what people can do when they come together. I’m so glad I got to experience it.”
Extra points
- After finishing second in last year’s race, Glenn Pemberton won the 26.2 mile-wheelchair marathon with a time of 1:47:10. David Satre finished second with a 3:07:13 final time.
- Chris Floyd won the men’s quarter marathon with a time of 36:25. Luis Chavez and Brooks Linse finished second and third. Floyd also won the men’s half marathon in 2025.
- Ryan Walker won the men’s 5K for the first time with a time of 15:11 after finishing second a year ago. Ethan Brooks and Luis Chavez finished second and third.
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at jdavis@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @thejordancdavis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Steven Baker wins 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon men’s race