Transfers

Injuries & other circumstances:
We encounter this concern several times a year (pregnancy, injury, etc.) and like other large marathons the Portland Marathon has had a 40 year policy of no rollovers, refunds, transfers or exchanges (between individuals or events) regardless if they are medical reasons or not.

We do encourage you to either consider running as much as you can of the full or if you need to run the half, to register for one of the remaining charity entries. A charity entry can be obtained free as part of the minimal commitment to raise funds for the charity. Registration is also currently open for the 10k Downhill Dash and the 10k Family Walk.

There is still something you can do with your entry fee if you choose not to participate. You can use it as a tax deductible charitable donation, as we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Last year runners and walkers raised over $2 million for charities, and we donated over $150,000 to local clubs, teams and other nonprofits. For your tax purposes, the Portland Marathon tax ID number is 93-1015627.

We hope very much that you are able to join us on race day. We value your participation and want to provide you with a memorable and quality race day.

Can’t I just have my friend run instead of me?
Entries to the Portland Marathon are NOT Transferable. Entries once purchased may not be resold, exchanged or given to another person. At the Expo we require Photo ID. In some cases we will require the person picking up the registration to sign a legal document. And, the Portland Marathon reserves the right to suspend any entry if there is evidence of a transfer.

Historically the Portland Marathon has never permitted refunds, rollovers, deferrals, exchanges or transfers. Doing so is neither practical nor appropriate for an event our size. When our event sells out we order shirts and bibs and other items based on the registration statistics in the data base. Much of what we do is personalized to the runner or walker who registers, including age division considerations, bib names, and the insurance related release each registrant signs.

There is an even more serious side to “transfers.” Recently at another marathon a registered participant gave a bib to an unregistered person. That unregistered person then placed high in the finish order and tried to collect an award. When the officials discovered the illegal transfer the matter was turned over to the local District Attorney and the illegal transferee was charged with fraud and false impersonation. It is understood that person was found guilty or plead guilty.

It is understood that other events are using law enforcement in settings where someone tries to buy or sell an entry thru E-Bay or the social network. Such actions involving the internet are a Federal offense as well as violation of applicable State laws.

Transfers, as a matter of policy are not a good idea. An entry into a running/walking event is not like a ticket to a ball game. Instead it has too many personal and legal attributes to be passed around. And when purchased that point is made perfectly clear: No Refunds, Exchanges, Rollovers, Deferrals or Transfers.