MISSOULA — Thousands of runners helped the Missoula Marathon generate millions of dollars, creating a record-breaking year for the race's economic impact.
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“After we got our numbers back in 2025, and we were just over $4 million of economic impact, I said, 'Let's go for 5,'” Trisha Drobeck, Missoula Marathon's race director, said.
Destination Missoula, an organization that promotes Missoula tourism, used its economic impact calculator, developed by Tourism Economics, to track overall spending during the weekend. The estimate covers a range of economic activity, including money spent at restaurants, retail stores, transportation services and lodging.
Not only did this year's full marathon sell out, but the overall weekend saw 20% more participants, Drobeck told MTN.
After calculating that data, Destination Missoula found visitor spending was estimated at $5.26 million.
"The number is actually bigger," Drobeck said. "Because there are folks from Missoula who are maybe going out to dinner or coming and buying something downtown."
That spending is not factored into these calculations, Drobeck adds. "It's only out-of-town visitor spending."
Hotels in the area were also impacted by the increase of visitors. The Wren downtown reached max capacity during the races.
"No extra rooms to sell," Katie Mandilian, The Wren hotel manager, told MTN. "We were sold out just due to proximity, I think, as well."
According to Drobeck, most of the area's lodging options were nearly full.
"There was only less than 100 hotel rooms left in the entire city," she said.
It's not just lodging. Basecamp, a coffee shop in The Wren, saw plenty of cash tips paired with an energetic atmosphere during the last weekend of June.
"People loved the drawstring bags that they got, so you saw a lot of people with the drawstring bags walking around town, and you could tell who was here for the marathon, so it was exciting," Mandilian said.
Looking ahead, Drobeck said the 2026 data will inform a more localized strategy for next year's race.
"We kind of have to recalculate," she said. "I think we may look to more of a Western Montana or kind of the Missoula Valley push."
Mandilian said local businesses stand to benefit as the marathon continues to grow alongside the city.
"As Missoula grows, if they grow with it, I see that being really beneficial for us as well," Mandilian added.
