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☰
Twin Cities Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Twin Cities Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.8 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 4.9
Number of comments: 455 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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M. M. from Texas
(10/4/2011)
"Truly one of the best" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was the most beautiful urban marathon I've ever run. I found myself wishing I could take the course home with me to Texas so that I could run different parts of it every day. The weather was truly spectacular, too, though it did get kind of warm at the end. The spectators were fantastic, as well. I really felt their love for all of us out on the course, even us back-of-the-packers. The only real surprises were that this was not a flat course. A good number of hills and a doozy of a double hill right before the final downhill towards the finish line, but the race was superbly organized, no waiting for the bus in the morning, and warm waiting in the stadium before the race. Oh, I would recommend staying at the Best Western Kelly Inn, too, as it's right next to the finish line and was a clean, friendly place to stay. | |
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R. H. from Dallas
(10/4/2011)
"Excellent experience" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was an excellent marathon. My only complaint is that there were no signs or balloons letting you know that water stops were coming up. Not a big deal, but different from the other marathons that I have run where you can seen water stops from a hundred yards away or so - these kind of snuck up on you. Otherwise, it was a great experience. Much better course than Chicago or NY. A little bit hilly at the end but nothing that will kill you. | |
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Teresa Lafleur from A Yankee living in South Alabama
(10/4/2011)
"Better Than Boston" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Twin Cities Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a superior marathon because of the organization and the host-cities. The hotels are less than $150 per night. Unlike Boston and New York hotels. The Metrodome is ideal for runners to stay warm before the race start. The volunteers and spectators are AWESOME! I will return and get my time below 4 hours which is what my times were in my first 12 marathons. The hills on the course are not difficult. Finish line is amazing! | |
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M. M. from Cincinnati, OH
(10/3/2011)
"First class mid-size marathon" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first twin cities marathon, 4th overall, and it was the best mid-size marathon that I have done. Below are some things that I noticed about the race, but even the minor criticisms did not take away from the fact that this is a first class event. Expo: Great expo with easy packet pick-up. The expo included a couple running celebrities (Hal Higdon and Dean Karnazes) to meet and sign autographs which was pretty cool. I did think there should be more options as far as official gear to buy at the expo though. Organization: The race was well organized from start to finish. The gun went off right at 8. The packet with my bib had everything in it that was needed. I do wish there would have been more clocks along the course though. At the expo, there was an information booth with an employee from the metro transit who helped map out the bus routes that I would need to take to get to my hotel and from the finish line back to the airport. She gave me a little map and marked up exactly where I needed to go and even gave me 10 cents so that I could take the express line to Minneapolis to my hotel. She was an excellent resource. Swag (Medal, Shirt, etc): The medal was pretty cool this year with an opaque leaf design. I wasn't a big fan of the attached ribbon. In my opinion the brooks long-sleeve technical race shirt was not as well designed aesthetically as last year's but it is still one of the better one's that I have seen. The only other swag was some arm warmers. Weather: The weather was nearly perfect. Sunny all day and about 45F at the start. It did steadily rise into the 60s by noon but the heat was by no means debilitating. Course: The course was mostly flat with a couple of small rolling hills. The fall foliage around the tour of lakes make the scenery excellent for the entire run. Also, I don't believe Summit Ave would be a problem for anyone who lives and trains anywhere with any grade of hills. I PR'd by 13 min. Fans: The fans were phenomenal. It was quite heartening to have strong crowd support through the toughest miles (20-26)as happens the whole way up summit ave. The fans are really what makes this marathon stand out. Refreshments (along course, at finish): I really wish they would have Gu before mile 17, but I thought they did a good job ahead of time of communicating where it would be available, so we would know to take some along. Powerade and water were plentiful. The refreshments at the finish line do leave a little to be desired though. There are mostly only sides available: broth, fruit cup, bananas, chips, chocolate milk, rolls (they were gluten-free, and I was not a fan). I would have preferred something a bit more substantial (i.e. a sandwich or pizza) even though that may not be realistic. Sweat Check: This was my first time using a sweat check and it worked as expected: perfectly. Public Transport: I used the city bus system to get from the airport to the expo in St Paul (#54 East), the expo to my hotel in Minneapolis(#94 Express), and the finish line back to the airport (#54 West). It worked great and would use it again ($1.75 each way and $0.50 to transfer to express line). Overall, the very kind people of the twin cities have an event in this marathon that they can be truly proud of. Bravo! | |
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K. C. from Nashville, TN
(10/3/2011)
"The best marathon I have ever run." (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Wow! I just ran yesterday in perfect conditions, and finished in 2:59. Incredibly beautiful course, mostly flat with a few early and late hills, winding through city parks, along lakeshores with abundant shade from near-peak fall foliage. It did not feel too crowded, despite over 8500 finishers. Race management was flawless. Staging had the Metrodome before the start so you could keep warm, despite the 44 degree start. It was about 60 degrees at the finish at the State Capitol in St. Paul. The late hills were challenging, but I managed to run negative splits. The race finished with a long downhill at the Capitol, which definitely helped me break 3 hours. Post-race food was good, with choices between vegatable and chicken broth, potato chips and other carbs, plus fruit. Volunteers were great, and finish line staff were knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. Post-race masages were available for free. Nice medal and finisher shirts, although it seemed a little unfair to have to finish to get a shirt. Highly recommended, clearly my favorite race of the 18 that I have run. I also found Minneapolis to be a wonderful city to visit and would bring my family back for fall break or another vacation. | |
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D. V. from Wisconsin
(10/3/2011)
"Another great year!" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Twin Cities Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My 2nd time running this one and again everything was great. Not a single complaint from me (other than not meeting my time goal). Nearly perfect weather to boot. | |
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p. p. from Minneapolis
(10/3/2011)
"Truly the best urban marathon i've run" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great race. Well organized. The course takes u along the best of twin cities. There is no dull moment. There's crowd support all along the course. The course gets slightly hilly after you cross the river around mile 20. The finish is also awesome as suddenly the whole vista opens up and u can see the state capitol and the finish at a distance. For this year's(2011) race, the medal is really awesome. Full sleeve Techincal-T is also pretty good. Kemp's chocolate milk was good too. | |
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B. R. from Auburn, Alabama
(4/24/2011)
"recommended" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First marathon for me. Great organization. Great fan support. Some hills but manageable. Would run again. | |
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K. C. from Minnesota
(1/2/2011)
"Good Marathon" (about: 2010)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I'm from the Twin Cities and thought TCM was a good marathon. There are hills later on in the course, but if you run smart, they are not to bad. I set a PR by 10 minutes on the course. The spectators are cheering you on from the very beginning to end. The weather just happened to be perfect The only complaint I have is that the finish food could have been better. | |
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R. M. from New Jersey
(12/16/2010)
"A very fun marathon!" (about: 2010)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Twin Cities Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2010 Twin Cities Marathon was my 17th marathon on my way through the 50 states. And it very well might be my favorite! They bill themselves as "the most beautiful urban marathon in the world" or something like that. It just might be true. I think this is the only big-city marathon I have run that does not go through any slums or ugly industrial zones. Most of the course ran through attractive residential neighborhoods or parks along the lakes. There were a bunch of hills along the course, so it's not the easiest race you'll find. I still did manage a new PR, although that's probably because I trained harder than at any time in the past. In general, I wouldn't think that this is a PR course, but don't let that stop you. The crowd support was terrific all along, and I really have no bad things to say about the race. I still have many states left to go, and I don't plan on repeating any of them any time soon. But if I were to repeat one, this one would be at the top of the list. |
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