Race day update: The event was canceled due to extreme heat conditions.
The first weekend of October is upon us and that brings with it the start of a busy fall marathon calendar. On Sunday, October 1, Minneapolis and St. Paul will be hosting the Twin Cities Marathon. The course starts in downtown Minneapolis and wraps in St. Paul. Warm weather is expected and runners should be aware the event is projected to run under EAS Red conditions.
Start time + time limits
The race gets started at 8 a.m. CT. The marathon finish line will remain open until 2:15 p.m. Any participants that do not cross the finish line by 2:15 p.m. will not be considered official finishers.
How to watch
The only way to catch all the action of the Twin Cities Marathon will be in person. If you are interested in tracking the progress of a specific runner, you can download the Marathon Weekend App on Google Play or iTunes.
Course map
The course starts in downtown Minneapolis. It runs south past Lake of the Isles, Bde Maka Ska, and Lake Harriet. The race turns east on the ninthe mile and runs around Lake Nokomis. Runners will hit the Mississippi River and turn north for four miles. After crossing the Mississippi and cutting back southeast along the banks of the river, the field will turn east and make its way to St. Paul. The race will wrap at the State Capitol.
A mile-by-mile guide can be found here, and it has helpful tips for how to approach the course.
Weather
The AccuWeather report for the race indicates humid, warm conditions on race day. The temperature is projected to be in the low 80s and getting into the mid-80s by the end of the race. The race medical team expects the race to be run under EAS Red conditions. This calls for extreme caution and describes it as potentially dangerous conditions. All participants are urged to drink extra fluids and if a runner has “previous heat stress problems or heart disease”, they should not run the race.
Prize money
It appears there is $69,500 in prize money. The top ten men and women are paid out as follows:
Who won the last race?
The overall winner last year was Yuya Yoshida, with a time of 2:11:28. The top three men were Yoshida, Daniel Mesfun (2:13:35), and Wilfred Kimitei (2:13:51). The top three women were Jessica Watychowicz (2:33:09), Bridget Belyeu (2:35:18), and Kim Conley (2:35:43).