Weber School District to provide buses for Ogden Marathon; nonprofit to donate to Weber School Foundation

Weber School District trustees approved partnering with the Gold Foundation to transport marathon runners to the Ogden Marathon start, with the nonprofit reimbursing the district for bus operations and donating $500 per bus to the Weber School Foundation.

The arrangement, presented by Troy Calantyne, executive director of Gold Foundation, and Alex Dokta, the foundation’s director of operations, will use up to 55 Weber School District buses to move roughly 3,000 half-marathon participants to the start. Calantyne said the nonprofit will reimburse the district for driver and operational costs and “donating $500 per bus directly to the Weber School Foundation.” The foundation and district officials estimated that using 50 buses would generate about $25,000 for the foundation.

Nut graf: The donation is explicitly earmarked for the Weber School Foundation to support ongoing student programs; foundation director Emily Oiler told the board the funds will go directly to the foundation’s teen-center work, with Westfield High School’s remaining teen center listed as a priority.

Board members and foundation representatives described the plan as a way to keep event-related revenue in the local community rather than letting it leave with out-of-area vendors. Alex Dokta said the Ogden Marathon is a large event with economic impact: organizers estimated about 6,600 marathon runners, roughly 101 buses historically, nearly 1,000 volunteers and an approximate $2 million economic benefit for 2025.

Gold Foundation officials said the partnership grew from concerns that bus-related spending was leaving the community and a desire to redirect some of that spending into local programs. Calantyne described the partnership as an effort to “keep funding in the community that we serve.”

Emily Oiler, Weber School Foundation director, told the board the foundation is close to completing teen centers at district high schools and that the donation will directly support the final teen center at Westfield High School. She also credited district staff members Larry and Kristen for day-to-day coordination.

Board members noted the logistical demands for district bus drivers and staff. Weber School District staff said the district will provide drivers who must be ready early the morning of the race; district staff and foundation representatives thanked the drivers and district operations staff for volunteering to participate.

The partnership is scheduled for the Ogden Marathon on May 17. Gold Foundation and district staff said they expect the arrangement to be repeatable in future years if both parties continue the program.

Ending: Board members thanked the Gold Foundation, Weber School Foundation and district staff for bringing the proposal forward and for coordinating logistics and implementation details.