Photo Credit Twin Cities in Motion
MINNEAPOLIS (KFGO) – Sunday’s Twin Cities Marathon and 10-mile race were canceled in a pre-dawn decision by race organizers, who felt the predicted heat and high humidity in the metro could lead to dangerous conditions for runners, volunteers, supporters, and others involved in the annual event that brings tens of thousands to what many say is the most beautiful urban race in the U.S.
Temperatures were in the high 60s at the scheduled start of the companion races near US Bank Stadium, but the humidity was also at 81 percent.
In a statement released just after 5:00 a.m. Sunday from race organizer Twin Cities in Motion, hours before the races were set to begin, officials say they made their decision because of EAS Black Flag weather conditions.
That means extreme heat contributes to dangerous conditions. Officials say the safety of the runners and the community is always their primary concern. They’re asking the entire running community to come together for the safety of everyone involved.
“Just disappointed overall, I’ve been training all summer,” said Conrad Kolesha, who feels better planning could have allowed organizers to start the race earlier in cooler temperatures. “It got stripped from us at the last minute, they emailed us at 5 in the morning. I was eating breakfast and I was really bummed out.”
Many felt it was the right decision to make, considering how long some would take to cover the entire race course.
“All runners are on different health levels,” said Melissa Fleming. “Some people won’t be finishing until this afternoon, maybe, like, 1:30 or 2. As disappointing as it is, I feel like it was probably the best decision as far as health concerns.”
A handful of runners showed up at the starting line and ran anyway in an attempt to replicate the course that would have taken them to the state capitol building in downtown St. Paul. Temperatures are expected to reach the 80s for a second straight day on Sunday, with humidity making it feel even warmer.
One of the warmest Twin Cities Marathons on record came in 2007 when the temperature peaked at 82 degrees. More than 10,000 runners had registered for the races. The marathon was set to start at US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis and wind up near the state capitol building in St. Paul, a distance of 26.2 miles.
This is the second time the Twin Cities Marathon has been canceled since it was first run in 1982. It was called off in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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