Running News Daily

Covid Protocols Announced for 2021 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend

Masking will be required for all indoor spaces and in select higher-density outdoor settings at Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend which kicks off Friday, October 1, and runs through Sunday, October 3, in Minneapolis and St. Paul.  

The event, which is being held with reduced field sizes across its races and with extra space for social distancing, announced finalized Covid protocols for the event. Masking will be required for participants, event officials and volunteers: 

·        At the Health & Fitness Expo at Saint Paul RiverCentre on October 1-2 

·        At other indoor facilities associated with the event, including enclosed tents 

·        On race transportation vehicles, including buses to the start line 

·        In outdoor start area corrals where runners gather before their races 

·        In outdoor finish line walk-off area 

Additionally, because most youth participants have not been vaccinated, masks will be required for all participants, volunteers, staff, and other attendees in the registration and race packet pick-up area for the Medtronic TC Family Events, TC 10K, presented by Dermatology Consultants, and TC 5K, presented by Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., on Saturday, October 2. 

Runners will not be required to wear masks while they run their races. 

“We take health seriously, we take safety seriously and we take Covid-19 and the Delta variant seriously,” Twin Cities In Motion Executive Director Virginia Brophy Achman said. “Our staff and medical team have been preparing for this event since the pandemic emerged. We’ve worked with the Minnesota Department of Health, an internationally respected crowd scientist and with local and national industry peers, including the Minnesota Running Industry Covid Task Force, to design the right safety measures for our event. We wanted to do everything we could to help our participants feel confident when they are at our event.” 

Additionally, event organizers have taken steps to reduce high-density gathering situations, by staggering start area arrival times, moving gear check drop off to the expo from the start area, and transforming formerly tented areas into open-air spaces when appropriate.  

“We are asking participants, volunteers, and staff at the event to be considerate of others’ comfort level and maintain distance from people outside their household,” Brophy Achman added. “The running community has always shown fellowship and respect for one another, so we’re confident that spirit will prevail during this unique edition of the event.” 

The event’s comprehensive COVID-19 Policies and Procedures document may be read here.

Despite the safety precautions, the event will still offer the spirit and energy Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon is known for. More than 18,000 participants will enjoy races on Saturday and Sunday, October 2-3. Local mascots will still race on Saturday at the Medtronic TC Family Events, marathon runners will enjoy personalized, recorded cheers and greetings from friends and family via a large Cheer Channel video screen at the 18.5 mile mark, and all race finishers of legal drinking age will earn a free Summit beer at the finish line beer garden. 

The return of the event to the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul after its one-year hiatus 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.  

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend kicks off at 11 a.m. Friday, October 1, with the opening of the Health & Fitness Expo at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, continuing through Saturday evening. Running kicks off at 7:15 a.m. Saturday, October 2, at the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul with the TC 10K, presented by Dermatology Consultants, followed by the TC 5K, presented by Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. and the Medtronic TC Family Events. 

The Medtronic TC 10 Mile will kick off Sunday racing at 7 a.m. from downtown Minneapolis with the 2021 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon following at 8 a.m. Both races finish at the State Capitol grounds.