Twin Cities Marathon

The Twin Cities Marathon is a marathon in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area which normally takes place the first weekend in October. The race is often called "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America" due to a course that winds through downtown districts, then along parkways that hug lakes and waterways all throughout dense urban forests in the neighborhoods of both cities.
The first Twin Cities marathon took place on October 3, 1982 after both Minneapolis and St. Paul combined their separate marathon events. Its earliest predecessor, the Land of Lakes Marathon, began in 1963.
It is one of the top 10 largest marathons in the US. In 2006 the race agreed to its first corporate sponsorship, with Medtronic, Inc. The official name of the marathon changed in 2006 to Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon (MTCM).
In addition to the marathon, the MTCM has expanded to a full weekend of events providing opportunities for runners and wheelers of all ages and abilities. Sunday events for adults include the Medtronic TC 10 Mile, or "Shortcut to the Capitol". Medtronic TC Family Events take place on Saturday for children and adults of all ages. Saturday's races include the TC 10K, TC 5K, Diana Pierce Family Mile, Toddler Trot, Diaper Dash, and Mascot Invitational. In addition, Medtronic and the marathon's organizers sponsor a one-mile road race, for anyone from novices to professionals.
In 2006 the Twin Cities Marathon was ranked as the third most competitive marathon for American runners by Running Times magazine.
In the years since inauguration, the marathon has grown to a full weekend of events including the addition of the Medtronic TC 10 Mile race as a Sunday companion event to the marathon. On the Saturday before the marathon and 10 miles (16.093 km), runners can compete in 5K and 10K runs and a variety of family events including the popular Diaper Dash and Toddler Trot events.
The event is put on by thousands of volunteers, many of whom return each year. In 2004, nearly 2,500 volunteers, some who said they were motivated by an expression of their values and a love for the sport, aided the management of the race weekend and the runners.
The Minnesota Distance Running Association (MDRA) created the event's earliest ancestor, originally called the Land of Lakes Marathon (sometimes written as Land O'Lakes Marathon) in 1963. Spectators outnumbered runners that inaugural year as just five participants, all male, began the 26.2 mile trek along Minneapolis' streets and parkways of which only three finished. The Land of Lakes Marathon had a 3 hour 30 minute time cut-off. About 80 runners completed the 1973 Land of Lakes Marathon. The 1974 Land of Lakes Marathon was run in White Bear Lake, Minnesota with 88 runners. The 1975 Land of Lakes Marathon was free to enter and run on a course involving four laps around Bald Eagle Lake and was run by 75 to 100 runners. Tom Heinonen set the Land of Lakes Marathon course record in 1968 with a time of 2:18:29. Until 1972, the Land of Lakes Marathon had no set location. In 1972, Jeff Winters and John Christian took over the event and Winters became sole race director in 1973.
In 1976, the race was renamed the City of Lakes Marathon and moved to a four-lap course around Bde Maka Ska and Lake Harriet and was sponsored by the Minneapolis Park Board and Minnesota Distance Running Association. The City of Lakes Marathon was considered a fast course despite a course record of only 2:19:26 set by Barney Klecker in 1979. By 1981, with the running boom echoing across the country, the race took just a month to fill its limit of 1,700 runners. In the same year, Minneapolis' counterpart established its own marathon, the St. Paul Marathon, which followed a course around Minnesota's capital city. The race launched successfully, drawing approximately 2,000 runners in its first and only running. George Latimer, the mayor of Saint Paul, started the race after having been approached by Garry Bjorklund and Saint Paul Marathon race director Steve Hoag.
In 1982, organizers from the St. Paul and City of Lakes marathons combined efforts to establish the Twin Cities Marathon. Jack Moran, president of the Minnesota Distance Running Association in 1981, realized that a marathon which connected Minneapolis to St. Paul, combining the spectacular autumn beauty of both cities, would be greater attraction than two competing marathons on either side of the Mississippi River. In a meeting room at Macalester College in August 1981, Moran proposed a marathon in Minneapolis and Saint Paul with a budget of $250,000 to the Minnesota Distance Running Association board. The board initially balked, prompting Moran to tender his letter of resignation to the MDRA. The MDRA board reconsidered and provided Moran the go-ahead to put on the 1982 marathon with a budget of $100,000. Dain Bosworth provided by $5,000 of seed funding, which allowed entry forms to be printed. WCCO provided publicity, which Moran credited with bringing on Pillsbury as a corporate sponsor. The race originally started at the last "r" on the Pillsbury Center building (now US Bank Plaza). Bill Spoor, Chairman of Pillsbury, fired the starter pistol for the inaugural Twin Cities Marathon.
The inaugural Twin Cities Marathon attracted 4,563 entrants, which established an entry record for a first-time race in the United States and was watched by an estimated 100,000 spectators. Garry Bjorklund was registered but decided not to run due to a sore leg; likewise, Inge Simonsen dropped out of the race at mile 12. It originally finished at Town Square in Saint Paul.
In 1986, Pillsbury announced a five year commitment to increase cash prizes from $160,000 to $300,000 per year. Fred Lebow, director of the New York City Marathon, said this made the Twin Cities Marathon "perhaps the premier marathon for the fall."
In 1987, Saint Paul Mayor George Latimer wore a tam o'shanter and awarded laurels to winners at the finish line. In addition, Saint Paul City Council member James Scheibel ran the 1987 Twin Cities Marathon in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Scheibel returned to run the 1989 and 1990 Twin Cities Marathons with a time of 3:19 and 2:57 respectively.
In 1990, the starting line for the Twin Cities Marathon moved from Pillsbury Center to the Metrodome. The main reason for the change was the loss of Pillsbury as a sponsor, but a secondary reason was to comply with The Athletic Congress rules concerning marathon courses.
Also in 1990 Bruce Mortenson, the vice president for runner recruitment, sought to recruit more international talent to compete at the Twin Cities Marathon. This included athletes such as Jon Solly from the UK, Kjell-Erik Ståhl from Sweden, and Mario Cuevas from Mexico. Dave Long from the UK and Eddy Hellebuyck from Belgium were also slated to run by dropped out due to injury and fatigue respectively. Maurilio Castillo from Mexico won the 1990 Twin Cities Marathon.
In 1992, the Twin Cities Marathon switched from having a combination of lemon-lime and orange Exceed sports drink to lemon Exceed sports drink.
In 1998, the Twin Cities Marathon used ChampionChip timing chips for the first time after seeing them being successfully used at the St. Patrick's Day Human Race in March of that year.
A slight kerfuffle occurred in 2004 when Irina Permitina finished first for the women, but unofficial results showed her finishing with a time of 2:26:53. Permitina, who was back in Minnesota after having been trampled at the start of Grandma's Marathon in June, was sure that the time was incorrect. Officials corroborated the four official timing devices to find that her time was indeed incorrect—she had actually run a 2:26:50.7—which was three-tenths of a second faster than the previous record set by fellow Russian Zinaida Semenova in 2001. However, marathon race officials round the tenth of a second up to the nearest second, so the time was ruled a tie with the previous record. Permitina submitted a protest, but was moot—the women's course record for the Twin Cities marathon is held by two female runners.
Tim Pawlenty ran the 2004 Twin Cities Marathon, finishing with a time of 3 hours, 57 minutes, and 52 seconds becoming the first sitting governor to run the race.
2007 marked the first year that one of the events hosted a USATF championship. Both the 10 mile race as well as the marathon have been US championships. The years that the races serve as championships, prize money is increased and the field is much deeper. USATF picked the 2009 Twin Cities Marathon to serve as its women's national marathon championship race.
In 2015, Black Lives Matter organizers in Saint Paul, Minnesota planned to disrupt the Twin Cities Marathon to protest a Saint Paul Police Department officer who used excessive force when arresting 15-year old Tyree Tucker at a church picnic. The plan to disrupt the marathon proved polarizing., and Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton offered protesters a gubernatorial meeting instead of disrupting the marathon. Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman likewise planned to meet with protest organizers while vowing any effort to disrupt the marathon would result in arrests. On October 1, 2015, Black Lives Matter and Mayor Coleman announced the protest would take place but would not disrupt the marathon.
In 2016, with the demolition of the Metrodome and construction of U.S. Bank Stadium runners were no longer able to use the stadium to stay warm and use the bathrooms before the race.
2017 marked the first time that the 10 mile race (TC10) had more entrants (12,484) than the marathon (9,851).
Twin Cities Marathon and its affiliated races added a non-binary division in 2019, years ahead of the New York City Marathon, Chicago Marathon, London Marathon, and Boston Marathon. Prize money was available in the non-binary division starting in 2022. By 2023, a record of 52 nonbinary runners participated in Twin Cities Marathon-affiliated races.
The 2020 edition of the race was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all registrants receiving a partial credit for 2021 or 2022.
The 2023 edition of the race was canceled due to high heat and humidity. As a result, Twin Cities in Motion commissioned a study to consider the possibility of moving the marathon to a later date in the fall. As of 2024, the decision was made to keep the date as-is because moving the date wouldn't lead to significantly better weather outcomes.
The course begins near U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis, and winds around several of the city's well-known lakes (including Lake of the Isles, Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet, and Lake Nokomis) before turning north along the banks of the Mississippi River. The course follows the river for several miles before crossing into Saint Paul, and then proceeds east up Summit Avenue to finish at the Minnesota State Capitol. The course proceeds steadily uphill from 21 miles (34 km) to 23 miles (37 km), and is considered among the more challenging finishes among American marathons, although the downhill last half-mile allows for relatively strong finishes.
Course record
Key: Course record USATF 10 Mile Championship
Men's championship only. Women's championship only