Marathon Gold Announces Appointment of James Gowans to Board of Directors

TORONTO, May 14, 2020 - Marathon Gold Corp. (“Marathon” or the “Company”; TSX: MOZ) is pleased to announce the appointment of James (Jim) Gowans to its Board of Directors, effective June 1, 2020.

Mr. Gowans has over 30 years of experience in mineral exploration, technical and economic project studies, and mine construction, commissioning and operations.

Mr. Gowans has been Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Trilogy Metals Inc. since September 2019 and will remain in that role until May 31, 2020, after which he will continue to serve as a director of the company.

Previously, Mr. Gowans was President and Chief Executive Officer of Arizona Mining Inc. from 2016 to 2018 when the company was purchased by South32 Limited. Prior to that, he was with Barrick Gold Corporation as Senior Advisor to the Chairman from August to December 2015, Co-President from July 2014 to August 2015, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from January to July 2014. From 2011 to 2014, Mr. Gowans was the Managing Director of Debswana Diamond Company (Pty) Ltd., and prior to that he held executive positions at various companies including De Beers SA, De Beers Canada Inc., PT Inco Indonesia and Placer Dome Inc.

George Faught, Chair of the Board stated, “We are very excited to welcome Jim to our Board of Directors. The breadth and depth of his construction, operational and leadership experience in the mining sector are an ideal fit for Marathon’s current stage of development. We look forward to working with Jim to advance the Valentine Gold Project and build value for our shareholders.”

In addition to Trilogy Metals Inc., Mr. Gowans serves on the boards of directors of Cameco Corp., New Gold Inc. and Titan Mining.

About Marathon

Marathon (TSX:MOZ) is a Toronto based gold company advancing its 100%-owned Valentine Gold Project located in central Newfoundland, one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world. The Project comprises a series of four mineralized deposits along a 20-kilometre system. An April 2020 Pre-Feasibility Study outlined an open pit mining and conventional milling operation over a twelve-year mine life with a 36% after-tax rate of return. The Project has estimated Proven Mineral Reserves of 1.3 Moz (26.3 Mt at 1.52 g/t) and Probable Mineral Reserves of 0.6 Moz (14.8 Mt at 1.23 g/t) and Total Measured Mineral Resources (inclusive of the Mineral Reserves) of 1.9 Moz (31.7 Mt at 1.86 g/t) and Indicated Mineral Resources (inclusive of the Mineral Reserves) of 1.19 Moz (23.2 Mt at 1.60 g/t). Additional Inferred Mineral Resources are 0.96 Moz (16.77 Mt at 1.78 g/t Au). Please see the technical report dated April 21, 2020 for further details and assumptions relating to the Valentine Gold Project.

For more information, please contact:

To find out more information on Marathon and the Valentine Gold Project, please visit www.marathon-gold.com.

A copy of the short form preliminary prospectus is available online on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain information contained in this news release constitutes forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, which address events, results, outcomes or developments that Marathon expects to occur are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or include words such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "considers", "intends", "targets", or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "may", "will", "should", "would" and "could".

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions and accordingly, actual results and future events could differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. You are hence cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. A mineral resource that is classified as "inferred" or "indicated" has a great amount of uncertainty as to its existence and economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that any or part of an "indicated mineral resource" or "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category of mineral resource. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into proven and probable mineral reserves.

By its nature, this information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. Factors that could cause future results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements include receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, availability of financing to fund Marathon’s exploration and development activities, the ability of the current exploration program to identify and expand mineral resources, operational risks in exploration and development for gold, Marathon’s ability to realize the pre-feasibility study, delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures, uncertainty as to calculation of mineral resources, changes in commodity and power prices, changes in interest and currency exchange rates, the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, inaccurate geological and metallurgical assumptions (including with respect to the size, grade and recoverability of mineral resources), changes in development or mining plans due to changes in logistical, technical or other factors, title defects, government approvals and permits, cost escalation, changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets, environmental regulation, operating hazards and risks, delays, taxation rules, competition, public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other uninsurable risks, liquidity risk, share price volatility, dilution and future sales of common shares, aboriginal claims and consultation, cybersecurity threats, climate change, delays and other risks described in Marathon’s documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. You can find further information with respect to these and other risks in Marathon’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2019 and other filings made with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Other than as specifically required by law, Marathon undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events or results otherwise.