When the Dallas Marathon began in 1971, 82 runners from the area completed the 26.2-mile race at White Rock Lake.
A little over a half-century later, over 30,000 people are slated to compete in this weekend’s festivities. To put that number into context, in 2019, 15,000 runners participated in the weekend’s series of races, and in 2021, that number grew to 26,000.
The growth of the event, now known as the BMW Dallas Marathon, is part of a larger “running boom” that happened after the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-2020, when many took up running outside as a form of exercise, races like the New York City Marathon and London Marathon saw record-breaking entries. Running clubs became more mainstream and apps like Strava took off.
The growth of running globally has coincided with the Dallas race drawing big names. Distance running royalty like Boston Marathon champion and four-time Olympian Meb Keflezighi was part of the weekend in Dallas in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Deena Kastor, Shalane Flanagan and Des Linden have also been featured.
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But this weekend, Paris Olympian Dakotah Popehn will be running in the half-marathon. Popehn, whose last name was Lindwurm before getting married in 2024, is one of the best marathoners in the country. While she’s admittedly not racing it full out, having a name of her caliber in the field is not the norm for the annual race that starts and ends in downtown Dallas. Previous ambassadors like Keflezighi, Kastor, Flanagan and Linden didn’t run the half or full marathon, making what Popehn will be doing this weekend unique.
“Celebrity ambassadors always help elevate the event, but it’s something truly special when someone of [Popehn’s] caliber steps off the sidelines and into the race itself,” said Jason Schuchard, BMW Dallas Marathon president.
An Olympian in the field is exciting for the fans and runners, and a first for Popehn.
“I have not been to Dallas,” Popehn said ahead of her travels this week. “[I’m] definitely looking forward to seeing the city. There’s no better tour [of Dallas] than a 13-mile-long run.”
Popehn might not be overly familiar with the area, but she, like much of the running world, knows of Justin Northwest High School standout and recent World Track and Field Championships 800m participant Cooper Lutkenhaus.
While a marathon and an 800m race might seem like they exist in completely different stratospheres athletically, both events require a level of speed and endurance that yields more crossover than one might realize.
Popehn says she plays around with the idea of what distance it would take for her to beat her male training partners in Minnesota who specialize in shorter distances. She reckons that it would likely take a longer distance for her to beat the prep sensation Lutkenhaus.
“I feel like I could catch him in a 10K, but for sure a half-marathon, without a doubt. A 10K might be the perfect distance,” Popehn said.
The half-marathon was added to the BMW Dallas Marathon weekend in 2003 and the course record of 1:11:32 was set in 2008 by Romanian runner Nuta Olaru. Popehn would likely comfortably top that course record with her 1:07:42 personal record in the half-marathon.
“I’m doing a progression run as a workout. It’s possible I could get near that [course record],” Popehn said.
Popehn’s career started to gain wider attention when she broke through to finish third at the U.S. Olympic Trials in February 2024 in Orlando. At the Paris Olympics, Popehn finished in 12th place, running 2:26:44, and was the first North American to cross the finish line. She’s 19th on the all-time fastest marathons list run by American women with her 2:24.20 run in Chicago this past fall.
Marathoner Dakotah Popehn crosses the finish line in Paris Olympic-qualifying third place at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, Fla.
Courtesy Photo: Dakotah Popehn
Popehn credits a steady approach and avoiding injury in making the jumps in her running career.
“The single most important thing has been consistency and not having to take time off due to injury. I can easily count on one hand how many days I’ve been forced to take off from a running injury,” Popehn said. “If you’re able to take care of your body and treat it appropriately, you can create consistency that yields the results of PRs year after year.”
With early signing day for high school athletes having just passed, it might be deflating for prep athletes who don’t have a Division I offer on the table, but Popehn is an example of continual development long after a prep career.
She played goalie for her high school field hockey team in Minnesota and attended a small Division II school, Northern State University, in Aberdeen, S.D.
“As long as you’re able to continue the career in some way, Division I doesn’t have to be the only way. It’s what you make of the opportunity. If you’re willing to work hard, you can find a way to stand out at any level,” Popehn said.
Popehn further referenced how standing out at a smaller program can, if anything, bring more eyes to an athlete.
Another aspect of Popehn’s journey has been training in what can often be challenging environments. Growing up north of Minneapolis, harsh winters are a regularity. A small town in South Dakota was far from the groomed trails of western Oregon, where many of her contemporaries developed. Popehn’s 2:26.44 at the Paris Olympics in 2024 was no small feat, given the heat and hills on the course.
American Dakotah Lindwurm celebrated after crossing the finish line at the end of the women’s marathon competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris. (Dar Yasin/The Associated Press)
Dar Yasin / AP
Many of this weekend’s runners in the BMW Dallas Marathon have been training in a city that is perhaps better known for its scorching summers and traffic jams than for any sort of ideal distance running conditions. Popehn emphasizes leaning into the effort of runs and workouts, rather than paying attention to the pace or time on your watch.
“You’re not going to hit the splits that you want. It might not feel as easy as you’d like it to be, but knowing that what you’re not getting out of it in a physical aspect, you’re gaining a lot in a mental aspect,” Popehn said when asked about training in tough conditions.
Her advice to Dallas runners in this weekend’s marathon would be to lean into the tough moments.
“Remind yourself it’s going to be hard. Races are meant to be difficult, but that’s why you trained so hard. When things are hard, especially in mile 20 of a marathon, think back to all the hard things you did in your training block to give you the confidence to overcome whatever adversity you’re feeling on the course,” Popehn said.
BMW Dallas Marathon
What: Marathon, half-marathon, half-marathon walk and ultramarathon races
When: 8 a.m. Sunday
Where: Races start and finish at Dallas City Hall plaza
Weather forecast: Partly cloudy and breezy. High of 44, low of 29.
2024 winners:
-Men’s marathon: Travis Dowd, 2:26:08.4
-Women’s marathon: Erin Woodward, 2:46:52.9
-Men’s half-marathon: Adam Moore, 1:06:19.6
-Women’s half-marathon, Mimi Smith, 1:15:33.4
Race records:
-Men’s marathon, Moses Kororia, 02:12:04, 2006
-Women’s marathon: Svetlana Ponomarenko, 02:29:55, 2006
-Men’s half-marathon: Valenite Orare, 01:02:59, 2006
-Women’s half-marathon: Nuta Olaru, 01:11:32, 2008
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