Lace up! The Twin Cities Marathon is back Sunday
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Tens of thousands of people from every state and two dozen countries will be in the Twin Cities this weekend to participate in races for all ages and abilities, ranging from Saturday’s Diaper Dash to Sunday’s marathon.
The nearly half-a-century-old event has broken participation records, according to organizers. More than 30,000 people have signed up to participate in this weekend’s races. Participants should carpool and arrive early while local residents should be aware of road closures and detours in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Two winners of last year’s marathon are back to defend their titles. They say the Twin Cities marathon can’t be beat in terms of the charm of the winding course and the energy of the crowds.
Will Norris of Iowa won the marathon last year with a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes, 39 seconds. Norris said he can’t wait to be back this year.
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“I love the course; it's beautiful, and I love running around the lakes and how it's all laid out,” Norris said Monday. “It's a magical experience for sure.”
Jane Bareikis, of Illinois and Kenya, was the top woman last year with a time of 2 hours, 32 minutes, 52 seconds. She’ll also be back this year, with her husband running with her.
“Last time I dropped him, so maybe he's gonna hang on there with me,” Bareikis said.
The weekend’s events kick off with a health and fitness expo that’s open Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the St. Paul RiverCentre.
Several family-friendly events are scheduled for Saturday as well as 5K and 10K races.
The marathon starts at 8 a.m. Sunday in downtown Minneapolis, then the course winds its way around Minneapolis lakes and ends at the state Capitol in downtown St. Paul.
Anyone planning the cheer along the runners can check out Twin Cities in Motion’s spectator guide. It recommends the best places to watch the races and shares parking and road closure information.
The marathon also offers an online map of the race course.
Though this weekend’s forecast predicts comfortable temperatures in the 60s, increasingly hot fall weather in past years has led organizers to push the marathon back to mid-October starting in 2027.
