FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Reduced-Size, COVID-Safe Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Planned
for October 3
Registration Set to Open April 8 for Marathon Weekend Races
St. Paul, Minn. - March 23, 2021 - The 2021 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
is scheduled to take place as a reduced-size, COVID-safe event on Sunday,
October 3, race organizer Twin Cities In Motion announced. The race, which
was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, will limit marathon
participation to 4000 runners, and COVID-safety measures will be in place
throughout the event.
Registration for the 2021 marathon and other Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
Weekend events will open on Thursday, April 8. The marathon race runs from
downtown Minneapolis to the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul.
"We're optimistic about our ability to host an in-person event this fall,"
Twin Cities In Motion Executive Director Virginia Brophy Achman said. "Our
team has consulted medical and crowd science experts and worked closely
with relevant public agencies to get to this point. That work will continue
until race day as we properly calibrate the event to this fall's public
health situation."
Participants can expect to see changes in the event from previous editions.
While plans will be modified to match conditions later in the year, Twin
Cities In Motion is telling participants to expect:
- Reduced field sizes in all marathon weekend races
- Mask-wearing requirements except while racing
- Social distancing requirements across the event weekend
- Spectating discouraged and spectator access limited in certain areas
- Reduced touchpoints when possible
"While there will be noticeable differences from pre-COVID days," Brophy
Achman said, "we plan to do all we can to maintain the spirit and energy of
the event despite the constraints. The power of the event lies in the
thousands of personal achievements that culminate at our finish line, and
we're excited to return those moments to our participants' lives after all
they've endured."
The return of the event to streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul will also
reestablish an important fundraising platform for dozens of local
nonprofits who use the marathon to raise money and awareness of their
organizations. Runners raised more than $1 million at the last in-person
edition of the race in 2019.
"The TCM team is pleased to be preparing for an in-person race, because
it's the work we love to do," Twin Cities In Motion President Dean Orton
said. "But we know the event is an important annual event in our community
and we're excited to be bringing back all the meaningful elements marathon
weekend offers - from youth fitness to volunteer opportunities, from
economic impact to the unique fundraising platform we offer."
Registration for the marathon will be conducted online through the Twin
Cities In Motion website, tcmevents.org, beginning at 10:00 a.m. CDT on
April 8. Registration will also open for the following Medtronic Twin
Cities Marathon Weekend events:
- Medtronic TC Family Events
- TC 5K, presented by Fredrikson & Byron P. A.
- TC 10K
Those events take place at the State Capitol grounds on Saturday, October
2. Registration will also open for the TC Loony and TC Ultra Loony
Challenges - where runners participate in the TC 5K and TC 10K prior to
running either the 10 mile or marathon the following day. The registration
drawing for the Medtronic TC 10 Mile held on October 3 will be open in
mid-summer.
More than 25,000 runners participated in the 2019 Medtronic Twin Cities
Marathon Weekend, including more than 7,000 marathoners and more than
13,000 10 milers. For more information about the event, visit the Twin
Cities In Motion website, tcmevents.org.
Twin Cities In Motion (TCM) is the region's premier running event company.
Its mission is simple - ignite everyone's inner athlete. TCM is a 501 (c) 3
nonprofit that organizes dozens of events throughout the year, including
the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, a Top 10 U.S. marathon, to provide
opportunities for people of all ages, abilities, and experiences to live an
active, healthy lifestyle. Collectively, TCM and its charity partners that
fundraise at TCM events regularly give back more than $1 million annually
to a variety of causes. For more information, visit us at tcmevents.org, or
find us on Facebook, and Twitter @tcmarathon.
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