Mankato Marathon - Race Reviews

If you are looking for a BQ, this is not the place. Average temps here are usually ideal. I happen to pick the year with the coldest temp at gun time they ever had (20's). Add on to that 15-20 mph winds, wasn't meant to be. tough hills on the full, none on the half. Pacers waited until the very last minute, gathered at the starting mat, and then did a convoy through the crowd/corral to get back to their appropriate spot. NOT COOL !! Everyone had just lined up wherever, so lots of runners at the front of the pack that should not have been. Post race food/drink was OK. Expected a little more. Bag drop and transportation to start was organized well. Expo was well done with lots to see and do, although pacers were not there. Scenery is great this time of year. Would not do the full here again. Maybe the half.

I'm not talking bad about the Marathon. But some points could be improved: We do not sing the Anthem at the start of a half marathon and marathon. The course is boring (my opinion). A marathon in the cold that makes hot food (soup maybe) would be better. No dry bagel and beer. No thermal blanket at the end of the race. The same medal and size for 10K, half marathon and marathon, just changed the tape. Mankato Marathon I not run anymore.

2017 had perfect running weather, cool at the start, warm and suny at the finish. Great expo and organization, nice finisher medal and great post-race finish area! Not a lot of spectators but those that were there were awesome.

This was a well-organized event. Minnesota State University (which I did not even know existed!) hosted the Expo and packet pickup Saturday afternoon. Lots of free stuff. Of course, others were trying to sell their stuff too. And this was a reunion run for the 50-States Marathon Club, so they had a delegation of runners there too. The start line and finish line were in different places in town, so we had to leave our vehicles near the finish line and catch a bus to the start-line. So most of us were standing around with nothing to do for over an hour between getting dropped off until the race started. They had several tents set up as wind-breaker tents where folks could hang out while waiting. At least one of those was a glassed in structures where people could wait for a bus or a car-pool driver. It had a glass door, and it was heated inside. It must be nice during the cold winters there. The weather was pretty cooperative for this race. The Sun was obscured by clouds early, with temperatures in the 50's. By 10:00 a.m. the Sun was out, and the clouds seemed to burn off. Some of the course was well shaded; lots of the course had no shade at all, but the mid 60's was probably as warm as it got. The course started on time, and we exited the University campus and were almost immediately in the cornfields - and whatever else they grow there. And from the farm plateau - where the school sits, it is a long grade down to the rivers we had to cross; then back up on the other side. We did that a couple of times early on. Then we were on county roads, through city parks and in and out of residential neighborhoods. So it was hard to maintain orientation. But the course was all well marked and there were lots of volunteers too. Somewhere past the half-way point, we were on a country road (again), and after a couple of miles, we were on the brink of another long downhill stretch. At the bottom, we joined a well shaded and paved bike and foot path - an old railroad bed - that took us back into town. But just before getting into town, we turned and went under a train bridge and into a development and Sibley Park. We did a big loop in there - perhaps 3 miles. It just seemed to go on and on. There was a water filtration plant, the park itself, then a long stretch of elevated trail and road, with lots of grass, but no shade. By then the sun was out in force. Exiting the park area and turning left, we were headed into the downtown area and the finish line. They had lots of food to eat at the finish line. And they encouraged us to take extra. Mayo Clinic was one of the sponsors and there were lots plastic bags that said "Mayo" on them and they were available for us to use if we wanted anything extra. They had water, Gatorade, chocolate milk, and muscle milk available for drinks. These guys did a good job and have a really great course.

This was my very first marathon. I ran it in 2015 and thought everything from the beginning expo to the end finish line was very well-organized. I may be a bit biased because I grew up in Mankato, but I loved the course. I would suggest driving the entire course beforehand if you can, because there are some definite hills you will need to get your mind and quads ready for! The entire course gives you a variety-pack: you will run through nice neighborhoods, out in the country through cornfields, on a trail next to a highway, through beautiful woodsy trails surrounded by pretty autumn foliage and leaves crunching under your feet, through a gorgeous (hilly!) park near the end...It's really enjoyable! The last mile had a bit more uphill leading to the finishing chute than my legs would have liked, but it wasn't too bad. It is true that there is not much cover during much of the first 18 miles, so the wind can get to you if it's present that day. Luckily the course changes directions frequently so you won't be running into the wind for long. All the volunteers were really friendly, and you will definitely have access to food along the course - the aid stations were well-stocked, but also many spectators were offering bowls of starburst/jolly ranchers/gummy bears/oranges and bananas/Dixie cups of pop/orange juice/wine...ha!, etc. along the way! There were many volunteers on bikes handing out swedish fish and checking that all the runners were doing ok. You will be well taken care of at the Mankato Marathon! :) I'd recommend it for sure!! But drive the course beforehand! :)

Very nice marathon, which is a net downhill. There are quite a few hills though, mainly on the first half. Windy course with very little cover. Post race food/beverages wasn't much, they had milk and bagels. Gatorade on the course was extremely watered down. Quite a few spectators for being a smaller marathon. May do again one day.

I ran the half marathon and this race was well above my expectations. The spectators were awesome, lots of them spread out throughout the race. It definitely made the miles fly by! A flat course that started in town and headed out to the country then back into town for the finish. Great shaded, paved trails for a majority of it. Plenty of water stops and porta potties along the way. Definitely would recommend this race!

Looking for a redemption marathon after a dismal effort, on my part, at another race. Pulled Mankato out of the air after seeing it on marathonguide. Previous comments talked about poor organization at past runs. I guess they took it to heart because I found the event to be extremely well done. Easy packet pick up, plenty o' buses, course was well laid out with excellent signage. Enjoyed the sprinkling of rolling hills and running thru the cornfields. Plus I'm a sucker for small college towns. Well done, Mankato. But you couldn't get 'Laura Ingalls-Wilder' to appear?

Race called itself 'bold.' Well it was bold with all the lack of organization that happened. The expo had no running shoes for sale, more businesses handing things out. They allowed half marathoners and 10k runners to get their shirt at expo, but not marathoners, yeah that's fair. They had no one blocking traffic near mile 13. They also allowed half marathoners to run marathon without having a marathon bib. Did they pay the marathon rate? Awards delayed 15 minutes because chick who won marathon had half marathon bib. Yeah really classy, better yet 'bold,' to allow her to do that. I had to catch a flight home so I left without my age group award. Course was ok. Not as fast as advertised.

I just did the half, but the course was rural and mildly hilly, a plus. The clumps of supporters were very nice. The organization was mostly good, but we stood around for an hour in 30 degree breezy drizzly weather. This can be normal in MN this time of year, but FYI. My problem was that - glasses drizzled with rain, ten miles into running brain (23ish in the marathon course) I missed the sharp turn to the loop and ended up running a 10.5 miler. I never heard or saw someone directing me elsewhere. There was no pack and thus no one to follow- not a problem for the pace groupers, and no person or barrier stopped me from heading the wrong way despite being a busy intersection. Sure, my brain was fuzzy, but that's to be expected. I can't even think now where exactly I was supposed to go, even looking at the map. Maybe I'm the only person who had this problem, but again, FYI. Tje bag pickup people were having a continual problem with their area being poorly marked in terms of people figuring out how to get back in after they left the corral early before making it all they way down there- slightly aggro about it, too. Assuming people are mentally aware at the end is assuming too much. I complained to someone, hoping I might be allowed to go back to mile 10 and finish, but they wete unable to get through to any higher-ups and took my nsme and phone #. I never heard back. Everyone else had a great time, as far as I can tell. I might do it again, knowing now where to do things differently, if I lived closer. But I do not, so I won't spend my race money on this one again. They posted my time as an official half time, so I question the security of their certified course... That portion of the course is shared by the marathon.

I loved the course for the relay marathon. I have run the course for the half marathon and loved it too. I was disappointed that some of the relay runners' chip timing didn't work and weren't recorded. After talking with my teammates they said some of the runners did not have the chip on their ankles so the timing didn't register. I feel they should be disqualified if they couldn't run it correctly and fairly. They were see throwing it to the next runner and wearing the timing device on their wrists.

This is a small race with good organization. I PRd here by a healthy margin, so I'd rate the course as fairly fast, although it could definitely stand some improvements. There are too many, short, sharp turns in the course, especially in the middle section and again near the end, with lots of transitions from road to sidewalk to trail and back. These are momentum killers. There are also long sections on exposed country roads that made for some slow going against the wind. Crowd support was good for a race of this size, and I appreciated the groups organized to cheer on the runners. The pacing was not the best I've encountered. Our pacer took us out way too fast. After half a mile, I let him go, because he was a full 20 seconds faster than race pace for the first mile. Overall, a decent course if you're looking for a fast time, especially if the weather is kind and the winds are low, but it's not one that really calls me back to run it again.

I want to start by saying that I think this was a great marathon. The course was beautiful, the organization was excellent, the crowds were amazing, the pace team was fun and engaging, and the runners were great. I had a wonderful time and would recommend the race to others without hesitation. That said there were a few things I didn't like. There were a few places where the course was very narrow (at one point we were on a sidewalk with a hedge encroaching on us and had to run single file). They alternated Gatorade flavors rather than keeping one throughout the race. Also, I had a couple cups that were so thin that they were not much more than colored water. Other than that it was great and even those couple negatives couldn't take away from an otherwise excellent race. I'm sure I'll be back in the future.

First, there were multiple errors at the awards ceremony. They started with 5-yr divisions and had to stop and revise them to 10-yr divisions. They messed up all the relay runners. NONE of the age division winners were given marathon prints as described on the website. And, then in regards to the Feb 2013 comment about awards from the 2012 race, the same error occurred this year. The race director again allowed overall winners to double-dip. I said something to him on the awards stand the moment it affected me and he brushed me to the side and I was told I was wrong. I then handed him the event booklet and pointed out the sentence stating the opposite and he set the booklet on the table and continued rather than fixing the mistake immediately. Afterward I sought him out and he said he saw what I pointed out but that it was the timer's fault and not his. I said, he can fix it now or mail me the correct award later. He finally fixed the men's awards but made no effort to correct the women's. Also, the award ceremony took 50 minutes to handout 6 divisions 3-deep and top 3 overall for each gender. WAY too long, but a sign of major disorganization. I intend to submit a separate comment regarding the race itself.

I ran the relay marathon this year. There was a problem with the awards for this race. Apparently ome chip timing didn't register. Some of the problems were that the runners didn't have their chips on their ankles and instead wore them on their wrists so they could pass it off faster. I feel they should be disqualified if they can't do it correctly.

I was very happy overall with this race overall, the course, the pace groups, the organization, the aid stations and volunteers were great. However on their website it says that overall award winners will not be given age group awards, and at the awards ceremony, overall winners were also given age group awards, effectively taking awards away from age groupers. Attempts to contact race management about this discrepancy were ignored, souring my experience of an otherwise good race.

I really liked this marathon, and plan to do it next year to try to break 4 hours. The only negative I could say is I think it could have had more hills, as it only had 2 uphills and 3 down areas. I was surprised there weren't more spectators in and after the petting zoo toward the end (about 22-24), but there were lots at the finish and most of the last 2/3 of the race. The first 1/3 of the race was in the country without many spectators, but that early in the race there are so many other runners you don't notice them as much anyway. My sister-in-law ran the half-marathon, which mostly just follows the second half of the full marathon, so she had lots of spectators the whole way except the area by and just after the petting zoo. The medals and shirts were very nice. I thought the race was great. I plan to do this one again, even though my original plan was never to do the same marathon twice.

I ran the marathon in 2010 and 2012 and I might do it again in 2013. The two larger hills are at about mile 5 and 7. I really wouldn't call this a hilly course but rather a gently rolling one! There were enough runners to keep me motivated (I qualified for Boston) but not so many that I was bumping elbows the whole way like at some of the larger marathons. Our hotel was comfy, the movie intiguing, and dinner was yummy. Mankato is a great place for a weekend trip!

The organization is great and everything was easy from packet pickup, expo, getting around, parking, shuttle, start area, and finish area. Really friendly volunteers and spectators without the huge crowds of other events. Loved the psych team that helped get some of the slow runners in, but missed not having any pace groups past 5 hours. A must for 50 state runners who do not want the logistics of a big race. The downside was missing the trees turn color, the manure covered corn fields, and the lack of running in more of the downtown area.

I am a female, sub 3:20 marathoner, have done numerous half marathons and marathons. Here are my pros and cons. Pros: 1) This race is fantastically well-organized. 2) Parking was easy. 3) The shuttle from downtown parking to the start was so quick! 4)NO lines at the porta potties at the start. Awesome! 5) This year they started the 10kers early, which made the start much less congested. 6) Awesome medical support and porta-pottie placement along the way. 7) Aid stations were well-spaced and easy to get to. 8) MN weather in October is awesome. This year it was a cool 40-50 degrees the whole race. 9) They have good crowd support for most of the course, and even a 'sports psych' team that rides the course on bikes and cheers for you! 10) Finish line is well-laid out, easy to find family members and get back to your car. 11) They control the traffic for the time that you are on the streets, so you never feel like you're in danger. 12) I love the portions on the paved bike trail. 13) You feel like you've got runners around you most of the time, even though there are only about 700 marathoners. 14) Enjoyable course, don't let the hills scare you! If you train for them and set a smart pace, they're over early in the race. 15) They allow morning packet pickup, I hope they keep doing this! I was only a couple hours away, so drove in the morning of. 16) Great race photography. Cons (I only have one!) : The last 4 miles include a lot of turns and moving from streets to sidewalk, which can be pretty tiring (when you're already tired!) So I lost about 20 seconds per mile the last 4 miles due to that.

I went to college in Mankato so I was really looking forward to running this race and it didn't disappoint! The first half of the course was out in the country and had a couple of tough hills. The second half wound through town (past my old college apartment) and along the bike trail. This was the first time I ran through a petting zoo! The spectators and cheer teams made a lot of noise and the motivational teams along the way kept you going. Overall great experience!

Maniacs and 50-staters: This is a great small Minnesota race. You will enjoy it, so long as you figure some pretty good hills into your planning. Course is generally good, but spends some time on sidewalks and on the shoulder of some pretty busy and open roads. I didn't see anything really dangerous, but I do think it could be quite a bit safer, hence the lower course rating. The lower rating goes up a little for the cruise through the petting zoo at 23 or 24. The hills don't suit my too-large frame, but that's certainly nothing for which to penalize the race. Prepare for them and enjoy them. Unlike me. Spectators are better than you'd expect for a small rural race. The course winds around in a few places, so the same folks can watch from many places quite easily. This makes it seem like there are more people than there really are. That aside, the folks are very enthusiastic and seem to be having a lot of fun. Typical costumes and water station battles. The race is well organized. Darned near everything you'd want to be taken care of is. And quite well at that. My only beefs are: The gear bag isn't a draw string. Minor, I know, but makes for a logistical problem at check-in. And the water cups they use are teeny, making it necessary to gather many cups at each stop to drink enough. A bit difficult to drink enough and run. Minor details aside, this is a great race. I was lucky enough to have great Minnesota fall weather (low 40s and sunny at the start, 50-60 and sunny at the finish.)

Mankato Marathon is a great race for the fall. The course is awesome with variation between racing in town, on trails, and in the country. The organization was top notch. There were medical aids at all of the stations, plenty of water stops, and inspirational signs all through the course. People on bikes were riding the course giving encouragement to the runners. They had bathrooms all through the race and you never felt alone. The spectators were along the course also and really came out to support the runners. The pace groups were spot on from the people I talked with after the race. Compared to other Midwest races, it isn't made of long straight sections of course. The hills caught me a bit off guard, but I had a great time with the varied terrain. The long downhill after mile 17 seems to never end, but the trail running was beautiful. Overall I recommend it for the great organization, varied course and nice people!

I haven't run a smaller size marathon race before so my expectations were very low. Wow did final stretch change that! They have set the bar very high for other small marathons. The course support was awesome. Cheering zones along the way rocked! Signs were placed in random places with inspirational sayings. The day was beautiful. The course had nice variation to it. The only thing I didn't like were the two huge hills in the first 10 miles of the race but that only adds character. Thanks for a great race, will be back again!!!!

My husband and I both had a great time. The entire town seemed to rally behind the marathon that day. Start line had lots of porta potties, short lines. There were a couple tough hills in the first third of the race, but after they were done, not so bad. I wish the race route went thru town more than it did. The route is pretty rural. Some of the race was on sidewalks which we weren't crazy about. The finish was great, wonderful crowd support and some of the most supportive volunteers around. We will be back!

The good points: pretty course, great weather, lots of volunteers, fun finish line, and yummy post-race food. The room-for-improvement points: sport drink was too diluted, beverage cups consistently had only 2-3 ounces of fluid, and part of the course was on cement sidewalks.

For an inaugural run in a small town, this run was well done. Kudos to the race director. You rank in communication and organization. You can tell you really put your all into this race. Mankato residents along the course were awesome. It was so nice to see all of you who came out and cheered on us runners. You were out in front of your house or trail or wherever. The course is not easy, but that is just the way it is. Thank you to all of the volunteers. I hope you will continue to have this run.

I would highly recommend this race. The city really came together for the event. Mankato isn't flat, but the course was as flat as possible. There were two big hills before mile 7. I knew they were coming and they were early on, so it wasn't a big deal. Once you conquer them, you know it is easier from then on. The run was really pretty with all of the trees changing colors. The things I really enjoyed: -The layout made it easy for fans to see you at several places throughout the race. My friends were able to make it to 6 different places. I was surprised with the number of fans on the course. They cheered for everyone! -Lots of port-a-potties at the start and several at every water stop. I never had to wait in line. -Plenty of volunteers. Every intersection had someone, so safety was never a concern. -Every water stop had water ready for runners. They weren't scrambling to pour water like at some races. -The finish at the end was really neat, with an announcer and you turning the corner to sprint it in with lots of spectators able to watch. -The communication by the organizers was excellent. They put together an information packet that answered most common questions and would respond to emails and Facebook posts quickly. -With the start at the MSU campus, there were enclosed bus stops. It wasn't super cold, but in the future if it is, those will be very helpful. -MN pacers were there to lead runners to their goal pace. My dad commented about how accurate they were on times. -They had bicyclist toward the end riding the route to make sure runners were okay. I have never seen this before, and it was a really nice touch. The organizers did a great job with all of the details. There were a few very minor issues (crowded start corrals) that I know will be fixed. The organizers were really open to suggestions, which will help make this event even better next year.

The city of Mankato truly pulled out all the stops to host their first ever marathon, and it showed. Congratulations on a fine event! Some things I would improve: 1) More porta-potties along the route. I saw one guy run behind a bale of straw, and another go into some bushes. 2) I can only imagine how hard it must be to plan a route, but wow!! Those hills into and out of the river valleys along the first half were killer. 3) Perhaps you could partner with some nearby place to offer showers afterward. 4) The in-town miles were well supported by spectators and volunteers. The rural, farm miles, however, got really lonely, especially for a guy like me who is a back-of-the-packer and was jogging alone much of the route. 5) I *know* there is nothing you can do about the frequent smell of cow poop, but it certainly added a dimension to this marathon that I've not experienced before! :-) Some things I loved: 1) The finish line was spot-on perfect! Ample food and drink were right there, within inches of the finish, and there was a wide variety -  more so then I've seen in the past. Wonderful! 2) The mittens were a nice touch, and the shirt was above par. 3) The course (minus those hills) was beautiful and a nice blend of in-town, farms and woods. The path through the petting zoo around mile 23.5 was by far my favorite! 4) Communication leading up to the marathon was stellar. 5) I think the thing I enjoyed the most was how much the community seemed to be behind this event. Every volunteer was cheerful and enthusiastic, and even the hotel staff where we stayed seemed giddy about it! It's great to have another fall marathon in my home state, and I look forward to doing this one again in years to come. Thank you to everyone who put so much work into making this happen.

Very organized, volunteers were amazing and knew what they were doing. You never went without water, Gatorade, or gels. It was easy to know where to go and what to do. Nice course, but don't expect a PR here - hilly. Miles 1-18 are pretty much around country cornfields; I would've liked a little more variation, maybe a little more through the city itself. Spectators were friendly and encouraging. I loved reading all of those little signs that they posted on the course as I ran by.

I ran my first full marathon at Mankato and I think it is a beautiful city in which to spend the weekend. My experience with the trail alone is more on the scenic side. It has a few friendly elevations to it, nice water stops every 2-3 miles from volunteers, and of course, like many other races, it gets physically tough near the end so the citizens of Mankato cheer for you. This event held its inaugural marathon/relay/half marathon/10K in October 2010, which makes this Minnesota's newest marathon, and I felt really proud that I had that chance to run it. Some more info about this year's competition: we had 680 marathoners with 577 finishers (I was the 183rd with a 2nd-place division medal). And yes, everyone gets a finisher medal, T-shirts, and goodie bags, so that makes me want to come back for 2011. Pre-race meals are at discounted prices at 14 restaurant choices around town too. I'd say overall that this is an exceptionally well organized race.

All the things you'd think would be unorganized for an inaugural race were spot-on perfect. Start line logistics: perfect. Expo: great. Crowd control: top-notch. Crowd support: impressive. Volunteers: spectacular. Since many comments that follow will detail specific great things about this event, I will start this section off with a huge "THANK YOU" to Steve Bongers and his cast of thousands that ran this event like pros. If you'd have flattened some of those hills, it'd have been a perfect day.