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May 15, 2024

Twin Cities Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Twin Cities Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.8

Organization 4.6

Spectators 4.9

Number of comments: 454 [displaying comments 71 to 81]

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R. R. from Puerto Rico (10/10/2012) "Beautiful Urban Marathon" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Twin Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Once you run it, you will understand why 'so beautiful'. Great awesome organization, Spectaros are the BEST! Love u guys! Will run again, again ...
C. E. from Columbus, OH (10/10/2012) "A marathon I'd be inclined to repeat" (about: 2012) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Twin Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 For my third marathon, I wanted to choose a destination that was new to me and a race with a nearly perfect reputation. The 2012 Twin Cities Marathon did not disappoint! I was hard pressed to find anything glaringly deficient about this marathon. In fact, of my three marathons, this one was by far the best (other two were Chicago in 2008 and Columbus in 1999). It was such an enjoyable experience that I would return to run this marathon again. We made a long weekend out of it and went to the Mall of America in Bloomington. Stayed near the start (within a few blocks of the Metrodome) at The Grand Hotel (a Kimpton property) on South 2nd Avenue. Beautiful hotel, and our room had the largest bathroom I've ever seen in a hotel room - bigger than our kitchen! Minneapolis and St. Paul were very impressive. Clean, great dining and shopping, easy to navigate with the Hiawatha light rail line. What was SUPERB about this race: 1) The course! It's not a completely flat course (some rolling hills throughout and a steady but almost undetectable incline on Summit Avenue from Mile 21 to the end). But the hills weren't that intimidating. Not a deal breaker by any stretch of the imagination. The end of the race from the cathedral down to the state house in St. Paul was visually breathtaking. Running around the lakes and through the various neighborhoods with the interesting homes was wonderful. Lots to take in and distract you from the fact that you are running 26.2 miles. 2) The spectator support! Just phenomenal. As I was putting my ear buds in at the start, a woman said to me, 'You won't need any music.' Well, since I'm used to running with music I did anyway, but she was right. There was not a section of the course without spectators cheering, making noise, handing out oranges/bananas/candy/beer (a strange choice around mile 22 but whatever) - lots of interesting homemade signs. It was just fantastic. Several people even noticed my name on my bib and called out encouraging words to me by name. That really meant a lot. 3) Food and organization at the finish! Hot chicken broth and chocolate milk were the highlights for me. There was a good variety of stuff that I didn't even take advantage of: rolls, chips, fruit. My bag with sweat gear was transported without a hitch from the start to the finish. The weather was cold, and there was very little humidity. I beat my Chicago time by nearly 9 minutes. My only quibbles - and they are minor - are: 1) Finding the sweat bag check at the Metrodome at the start was a bit confusing. Better signage would have been appreciated. 2) While I appreciate that people are volunteering their time at the finish massage tent, the woman assigned to me had no clue what she was doing. Her 'supervisor' had to come over and guide her step by step, and she barely applied any pressure to me at all. It was a complete waste, and I had an aching lower back and hips and really was looking forward to a nice post-race massage. That was a bit of a let down. All in all, this is a marathon everyone should run at least once!
T. S. from Indianapolis (10/10/2012) "Can you give fans 6 stars?" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Twin Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've not done Boston (though I will be doing it, thanks to this race!), but I've done New York, Chicago and Marine Corps, and the enthusiasm of fans at Twin Cities is right up there with the best. Because, on my 19th try, I got a BQ (hint: get older), the course automatically becomes my favorite. But I could have been an hour slower, and I would have given it 5 stars. Downtown Minneapolis is nice, the lakes are gorgeous, the beautiful homes on Summit Street are a treat and the downhill finish past St. Paul Cathedral to the Capitol is incredible. And oh, did I mention it's the course that gave me my BQ? Whoo-hoo!! Kudos as always to the many volunteers. I judge an organization by its volunteers and how they do the little things. Here's an example: I'm about 20 yards from gear pickup, a volunteer sees my number, shouts it to another volunteer who finds it, gives it to a third volunteer who gives it back to the first volunteer who hands it to me just as I arrive. Military precision. A minor thing, indeed, but the more major ones like the expo, start, water stops, etc. were equally impressive. Oh, did I mention I qualified for Boston?!!
P. J. from Minneapolis, MN (10/9/2012) "Love the Spectators and the course" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Twin Cities Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Twin Cities Marathon is awesome. Thanks so much to the volunteers, and spectators. It would not be the same without you. Overall Organization is good but can use some work in a few areas. There are some areas of congestion a long the course. At least one aid station I almost missed because it was on the opposite side of the road. I liked the medal last year better than this year. There are so many options for nice ribbons and medals, don't chince. White shirts are not my favorite as they seem to show all the spots and never really come clean. But since I am a girl, I don't really care for the fit of the shirt anyway. So, I guess, moot point, unless they have a women's fit.
T. Y. from Tampa, FL (10/9/2012) "Awesome race with great organization" (about: 2012) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Twin Cities Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I really enjoyed this race!! Great crowd support!! Nice to be able to be inside the Metrodome before the race started because it was 28 degrees at the start. Perfect running weather though!! :) I had to cancel last year because of injury and I am so glad I came back this year to do this race. The race course is tough, no doubt about it with miles 21-23 being the toughest!! Early on some of the course seemed a little to narrow to handle the volume of runners. The scenery is beautiful throughout. I now see why they call it the most beautiful Urban Marathon in America... :) This won't be my BQ course but I will surely come back and run this race again. Great job Twin Cities!! :)
A. B. from Boston area, MA (10/8/2012) "A good experience" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Twin Cities Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I am pursuing a marathon in all 50 states and chose Twin Cities for MN due to the positive reviews- We were lucky this year (in my opinion) to have cool temps- I stayed walking distance from the start at the Best Western Normandy Inn which was also walking distance to the Old Spaghetti Factory for carbo loading the night before- This worked out well as I had a friend meeting me at the finish- However, for most people it would be most convenient to stay near the finish as that is closer to the expo and pasta dinner- They provide shuttles from that area to the start- Plus, if you can get a late check-out at your hotel near the finish you may be able to take a shower! Overall I was impressed with the Twin Cities Marathon- Highlights: -SPECTATORS!!! By far the best thing about this marathon- SO MANY spectators who were absolutely amazing- It was like a party along the course! Thank you residents of the Twin Cities!! -very comprehensive expo -excellent and plentiful volunteers -mile markers were awesome (tall flags you could see from far away) -beautiful course (though challenging) -excellent participant guide -start area very well-organized and everything was easy to find -nice to stay warm in Metrodome but VERY chaotic and crowded Lowlights: -no Facebook page -don't get shirt unless you finish in 6 hours -6 hour time limit is a little tough for many; how about expanding to at least 6-5? -no soup left for slower finishers -parking near finish tough Not too many negatives, and most are very minor- Hats off to the cities of Minneapolis and St- Paul for being excellent host cities! The citizens really embraced us- I felt like a rock star! Quick tip: I recommend Cosetta's near the expo for carbs! Went there for lunch and it was amazing!
d. r. from Minnesota (10/8/2012) "Room for improvement" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Twin Cities Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 My intention is to help the marathon improve! Even though race is super, there is room for improvement! I'm assuming TCM people will pick up the ball. #1 Aid stations on one side of the road in a race this size doesn't work. #2 If you keep adding other races to the weekend, you will end up like Grandma's Marathon and 'cheapen' your main event. More runners does bring in more $ but with your entry fees going up every year, $ questions need some serious attention! Many runners are questioning the steep entry fee that jumps up each year. #3 Running surface has gotten worse each year with many areas, dangerous to runners not watching each step. #4 Although cozy....many streets are not able to handle the volume of runners using them. It would be suggested the corrals of runners be separated by more time. #5 Gel packets should be handed out earlier in the race for max phyical help to runners. #6 Inexperienced runners are starting too far up in the race start. Are corral rules being enforced? #7 Bandit runners/friends/others seem to have complete freedom? I was almost tripped by a runner's 'girl friend' who suddenly stopped and left the course only to cut across and jump in again later. #8 When runners leave the finish area, they should be allowed to re-enter. Obviously exceptions should be allowed at the very least! Think about the circumstances from the runner's angle also! Again, the race is super but we hope our concerns are understood and evaluated. Thanks!
J. L. from Fort Frances, Ontario (6/18/2012) "Love this marathon!" (about: 2011) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Twin Cities Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you love the combination of city skylines, lakes, parks, and the fall colors, you'll love Twin Cities Marathon. Organization is terrific, I found the expo easily, and the finish area (State Capitol grounds) is easy to navigate. Unfortunately, in 2012 the Twin Cities and Chicago Marathons are both on the same day (Twin Cities is usually a week earlier) and I already got into Chicago. But if you've never been to Minneapolis, run this marathon! You'll see just about every interesting feature of the Twin Cities along the way. Lots of fans, volunteers, great medal and cool shirt.
J. D. from Arlington, VA (11/13/2011) "BEST Marathon" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Twin Cities Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This has been my favorite marathon by far and I didn't even PR! The course was spectacular. It's hard to run 26.2 miles and not have some dull miles on the course, but this race was beautiful the whole way through - whether running through downtown Minneapolis, along the lakes, or in and around residential areas. Pros: - Well organized transportation to/from the race - Good massages post race - Good shirt - Great medal Cons - I don't have any! I'm trying not to repeat a marathon, but if I were to, I think this would be the one.
B. M. from Minneapolis, MN (11/7/2011) "Top-notch fall marathon" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Twin Cities Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Twin Cities Marathon is by far my favorite way to run 26.2. This year's race did not disappoint. Pros CROWD SUPPORT: Constant & best around. Organization: Flawless execution. Aid stops: Well-stocked. Course: Beautiful & not boring. Finish: Awesome. Downhill & energetic. Start-line: Corral 1 is spacious. Gear: Nice long-sleeve & medal. Expo: Navigable & not too chaotic. Weather: Ideal fall weather. Cons Course: Uphill the last few miles. Food at finish: Not impressive. Start-line: Corrals 2 & 3 are packed. Parking: Challenging, as expected. Overall, you can't go wrong with Twin Cities. It's not what I'd consider a PR course, but I have run my two fastest times on this course due to crowd-support alone. I plan to run it every year until my running days are over.

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