Minneapolis Marathon

So full disclosure, I BQ'd by 8 minutes at this race, so I am predisposed to gush about it. This was my 25th marathon, but only my second BQ and my second fastest time (fastest since 2008). So that should tell you something about the course. It is not flat, but it is definitely fair IMO (contrary to other comments). There are some rolling hills throughout, but honestly nothing awful until about Mile 25, when there are 2 significant climbs. This is generally not how you want to close a marathon, but I understand that construction caused the race organizers to move the finishing miles this year only. Hopefully, they will correct that in 2016. 45 degrees on race morning made for ideal conditions as well, and that is why you choose a location like MSP for a May race. Something notable to point out that is fantastic about the race is how they separate marathoners from half-marathoners. The half starts a full hour later, so you never deal with them. You're out there from the beginning with legit full-marathoners. And when you finally come together with the half runners in the last mile of the event, marathoners are in a separate lane. Hallelujah! Other race organizers need to get the memo from MSP on this tactic, as there is nothing worse than dodging half-marathon walkers at the end of a full marathon when you are trying to BQ. In this race, marathoners had plenty of room, and no one to dodge. You have no idea how awesome this was. Others have mentioned some other stuff that I mostly agree with. Good, small expo, nice jacket, good logistics, shuttles, etc. Some complained about course beauty, but I actually thought it was really nice. I love running through local neighborhoods as we did in the beginning, and then running along the river was really pretty IMO. Crowd, was sparse, but hey, if you want a big crowd, go to Chicago or NY. All in all, I had a fantastic experience at MSP and would highly recommend. I travelled 450 miles to get here, and I will probably do it again.

Team Ortho put on a great event, and I hope to see this one grow in the years to come. Overall, the organizer's attention to detail is evident on race day. That being said, there are a few issues that can be rectified in the future in order for this event to unlock its true potential. My take... ***Pre-race - Yes, the guys need to work on this one. You had to dig for a race guide that just appeared a week or so before. You had to check back and manually search for your bib number. Shuttle info appeared with no announcement one day too. I think the website needs a 'news' section when important parts of the website are updated for the runners. Also, the Facebook page needs to add the same important info to complement its mainly inspirational format. ***Expo - a small, no nonsense affair. Bib collection and chip testing were right where you entered in back section of the Depot Renaissance Hotel. Jacket collection followed and had its own station for trying various sizes on. A few vendors. I filled out a brief marathon survey and earned a cool $20 to spend at the Team Ortho store. Bought my wife a marathon tech shirt with the money. She earned it for putting up with my early alarm clock for the 18 weeks leading up to race day! ***Race City Logistics - Incredibly easy. Minneapolis has a terrific light rail system with a dedicated line from the Mall of America (Bloomington) to Target Field in downtown. A paltry $1.75 gives you 2.5 hours of unlimited travel on the rail and buses, if you need them. I stayed at a really, really nice Residence Inn near the Mall of America and made good use of the light rail. Yes, there was even a train early enough to make the 6:30 AM race start north of downtown. I prefer to stay near the airport, so I cannot vouch for the host hotel or hotels. Staying near the mall was a snap and gave me a wide range of celebration meal options afterwards. I highly recommend staying near MOA and at the Residence Inn, in particular. ***Race Day Logisitics - no really big issues here. I boarded a bus behind the host hotel at 5:10 and was on my way. The organizers made the decision this year to give the marathoners a dedicated 6:30 start, and I applaud them. Half marathoners started an hour later which erased any congestion on the shuttles, on the course or at the start line. Plenty of portable toilets at the waiting area, but not any that I could see at the start line, which was a ten minute walk up the street. Maybe bag check could have started earlier too, but I don't think it was that big of a deal. ***Course - fine, really. 902 marathoners meant that you were no longer elbow-to-elbow after about a half mile. Small rolling hills and mostly flat sections through parkland and residential areas in the first half. Plenty of bridge crossings and more pronounced hills in the second half. On the whole, I would not call it a hilly course. 17 very enthusiastic aid stations counting the start and finish. Gel stops were outlined in advance on the course map which will hopefully be in PDF format next year for better clarity. Yes, there were plastic cups in use, but there is a way to make them work efficiently if you practice during training. There were some sections of concrete and a short section of running on cobblestones, but I was amazed at the good quality of pavement considering the brutal Winters of the Twin Cities. Crossing the mighty Mississippi multiple times was a true race day highlight. Magnificent! ***Spectators - Some pockets of spectators on course, but not a steady steam by any stretch. The marathon just started in 2009 and has made major course changes sine then, so it is still a young race with plenty of room for growth. Hopefully, the city will really back it in the future. Most of the spectators were lining the final 300 feet or so which is the norm in medium-sized events like this. ***Finish Line - beautiful river setting with the dramatic architecture of the Guthrie Theatre to your left, good DJ/race announcer, good snack bag and plenty of hydration, bag collection needs improvement. Entering a school bus and coming back down really hurt after a long race. Maybe it will be in a tent in the future, I hope. Could walk to the light rail from the finish line no problems. ***Bling/Goodies/Swag/Amazement of Friends - This is a really nice medal which captures the theme of the event, so I don't understand where the criticism is coming from. I just ran 26.2 miles and am proud of that fact. Life is too short to focus on the width of the medal's ribbon in my opinion. ***Final Words - Great event. Can become even better with a few minor tweaks and better marketing. Minneapolis is one very fit city, so be prepared to accept the challenge and take on the city that is usually ranked #1 or #2 in overall fitness. Team Ortho did a nice job here, and I only wished that I lived closer to do this one again. I highly recommend making the trip to MSP.

I decided to run this race on a whim, the week of the marathon. Overall, I'd say this marathon is pretty decent, although by no means great. Will start with the highlights and then head to the needs improvement. First, this is a very traveler friendly race for people flying in from out of town. I flew into MSP, paid $1.75 for the light rail that goes right from the airport to downtown Minneapolis. The light rail stop was only a few blocks from the host hotel and packet pick-up. No hassle, no cab, no rental car - good on the budget. The rates at the host hotel were reasonable as well considering it is right downtown (and a short walk from the finish). 2nd, the race is fairly well organized. The packet pick-up went pretty smooth despite a large crowd. I liked that they had a station set-up where you could confirm your chip was working before the race which I'm sure avoided some race day timing headaches. On the topic of timing, I think this race had one of the best systems I've seen (up there with the big city marathons). Results were on the web page almost immediately after finishing and there seemed to be few timing errors/complaints. The shuttle bus system to the start was also very good. They had an army of shuttles sending a bus off every few minutes. If you were late to the start it was your own fault. No line at all. While the course is nice, it is not spectacular. The 1st half gently rolls and runs through primarily residential areas. It is nice to cross the Mississippi River so many times. The entire 2nd half is an out and back through a nice park/residential area near the river. There are some decent climbs in the final 2 miles, so save some gas. Finish is downtown at the Guthrie Theater. There were a decent number of spectators, especially in the 2nd half. The improvements needed for this race are fairly simple in my opinion. 1st, aid stations were using plastic cups. I don't know how many snapped and cracked when I tried to drink. Please switch to paper as they are so much easier to grab. 2nd, some aid stations were not filling the cups with much of anything, little more than a few sips. Some simple training/guidance to the volunteers would help. Next - the medal is a bit on the cheaper end compared to other marathons. Design/quality could be a bit nicer. Good medals seem to attract more runners these days. Last - As this race continues to develop and grow it would be nice to make the course a bit more of a tour of the city. I could see a future where the long out and back is eliminated and the course shows off more of Minneapolis. Bottom Line - If you are looking for a quick and easy way to check off Minnesota, this isn't a bad option. I don't regret running this race, but I probably won't ever be back to run it again.