MISSOULA — It won't be too long before the runners cross the finish line for the Missoula Marathon on Sunday. They're not the only ones preparing for race weekend, though: Businesses are getting ready too.
"It's probably one of our biggest weekends of the entire summer," Jennifer McCandless, the general manager of Bigfoot Cookies, said.
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With a view of the finish line, staff at Bigfoot Cookies in downtown Missoula say the marathon atmosphere makes the event one of their favorite weekends.
"We can hear the music in the store," McCandless said. "We don't even turn the music on in the store sometimes because we can hear the music playing at the finish line. It's so much fun."
Bigfoot Cookies is just one of the businesses benefiting from the marathon's economic impact. A report from Destination Missoula, with the help of the Destinations International Impact Calculator, estimated the marathon brought in just under $4.3 million last year. This measure is specific to visitor spending.
Not only that, but Destination Missoula found that 58% of the marathon's more than 6,000 participants in 2025 were from outside the Missoula area.
Those visitors impact local gift shops, too. Montana Gift Corral on Front Street stocked up on inventory, especially one important Treasure State item, heading into the weekend.
“I am bulking up on all of my huckleberry products, so I'll be getting a new shipment today or tomorrow. So I'll have a lot of huckleberry jams, jellies, honeys," Becky Zatzke, Montana Gift Corral's retail manager, said. "I am bringing in another associate to work with me during the weekend so we'll be prepared for our guests."
Before anyone can think of souvenirs, however, runners need to make sure they have the necessary gear to cross the finish line.
Runner's Edge in downtown sees an influx of customers for the weekend of events spanning Friday's beer run to Saturday's 5K to Sunday's half and full marathons.
“Somebody once said to me, 'Missoula is like an ant hill and then it kicks over in March and all the little ants and all the little people come running out.' And so that's what we feel like too here at the store," Meg Brooker, the co-owner of Runner's Edge, told MTN.
Running requires fuel, so Market on Front is also ready for the marathon business boom, according to owner Dennis Round.
"It's just a different vibe," he said. "Just the energy in these people is amazing."
More than 8,000 people are expected to participate throughout race weekend, according to Run Wild Missoula.
Volunteers can still sign up. Visit the Missoula Marathon's website for more information.
