Twin Cities Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy
“The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon”: scenic and rolling, with a tough uphill finish.
Last updated
- Where:
- Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota
- When:
- Sunday, October 4, 2026
- Course:
- Rolling · uphill finish · point-to-point
- Best run as:
- Even pace
Course & elevation
Twin Cities rolls past lakes and the Mississippi from Minneapolis to St. Paul, with the defining feature a long net climb in the final 10K up Summit Avenue (roughly miles 20–23) before a downhill finish at the Capitol.
- Start → Finish
- 834 → 880 ft
- Net
- +46 ft
- Total gain
- ≈ 576 ft
The certified route
Point to point from Minneapolis to St. Paul: from downtown Minneapolis around the Chain of Lakes, along Minnehaha Parkway and Lake Nokomis, up the Mississippi on West River Parkway, across the Franklin Ave bridge, and east on Summit Ave to the State Capitol.
- Start
- 6th Street South between Portland Ave and Park Ave, 33 ft 10 in east of the light pole on the southeast corner of Portland Ave.
- Finish
- Northbound John Ireland Blvd, north of 12th St, 61 ft south of the first parking meter on the east side, and 97 ft north of the south end of the median north of 12th St.
Underfoot
Paved throughout.
Through, in order
Minneapolis · Saint Paul
What you pass
- Miles 4 to 8: the Chain of Lakes (Cedar Lake, Lake of the Isles, Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet)
- Miles 12 to 14: Lake Nokomis and the Minnehaha Parkway
- Miles 15 to 19: West River Parkway along the Mississippi
- Miles 21 to 25: Summit Ave in St. Paul
Worth knowing
- Measured using the shortest possible route unless noted otherwise.
- Mile and kilometer locations are documented in the packet.
Transcribed from the USATF certificate for Twin Cities Marathon (MN22001DT), measured 27 August 2022. Where the certificate is silent, so are we.
Key moments
- Mile 1–19Rolling, scenic miles past the lakes and river. Stay controlled and steady.
- Mile 20–23The long grind up Summit Avenue, exactly where the marathon hurts most.
- Mile 24–26.2Downhill to the Capitol finish, your reward for surviving Summit.
Pacing strategy
Do not spend your race before mile 20. Keep a few seconds per mile in reserve for the Summit Avenue climb, then let the downhill finish bring you home.
Pacing by goal time
Checkpoint splits for four common goals at Twin Cities Marathon. These are effort-even rather than pace-even: the paces shift with the course profile, so climbs are slower and descents faster by the amount the grade actually costs. For any other goal time, use the planner below.
| Checkpoint | Sub-3:00 | Sub-3:30 | Sub-4:00 | Sub-4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mile 3.1 | 20:336:47/mi | 23:597:55/mi | 27:259:03/mi | 30:5010:11/mi |
| Mile 6.2 | 41:096:54/mi | 48:008:03/mi | 54:519:12/mi | 1:01:4310:21/mi |
| Mile 9.3 | 1:01:366:54/mi | 1:11:538:03/mi | 1:22:099:12/mi | 1:32:2510:21/mi |
| Mile 12.4 | 1:22:096:49/mi | 1:35:517:57/mi | 1:49:329:05/mi | 2:03:1410:13/mi |
| Mile 15.5 | 1:42:546:55/mi | 2:00:038:04/mi | 2:17:129:14/mi | 2:34:2110:23/mi |
| Mile 18.6 | 2:03:486:60/mi | 2:24:268:09/mi | 2:45:049:19/mi | 3:05:4210:29/mi |
| Mile 21.7 | 2:24:436:58/mi | 2:48:508:07/mi | 3:12:579:17/mi | 3:37:0410:26/mi |
| Mile 24.9 | 2:45:036:40/mi | 3:12:337:46/mi | 3:40:048:53/mi | 4:07:349:60/mi |
| Finish | 2:58:316:45/mi | 3:28:177:52/mi | 3:58:028:60/mi | 4:27:4710:07/mi |
Splits assume even effort and are adjusted for this course's climbs and descents, which cost more than they give back. A model, not a promise: wind and heat move real splits around. See how the pacing model works.
Plan your mile splits
Turn your goal time into a mile-by-mile plan for Twin Cities Marathon, built from this course's elevation. The even pace approach comes pre-selected, and grade-adjusted pacing evens out your effort across the climbs and descents.
Plan Twin Cities Marathon splitsFueling & hydration
Aid stations roughly every 2 miles with water and sports drink. Fuel well before the Summit climb so you’re not running on empty when the road tilts up.
Weather
Early-October Minnesota is usually crisp and ideal (40s–50s), with fall color lining the route.
What race morning has actually been like
The last 5 editions of Twin Cities Marathon, measured at the start line rather than averaged across the month. Starts have run 43–69°F, averaging 55°F.
| Year | Date | Start | Dew pt | Wind | By late morning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Oct 7 | 43°F | 42°F | 5 mph | 51°F |
| 2021 | Oct 3 | 57°F | 56°F | 5 mph | 65°F |
| 2022 | Oct 2 | 51°F | 51°F | 5 mph | 64°F |
| 2024 | Oct 6 | 52°F | 38°F | 10 mph | 57°F |
| 2025 | Oct 5 | 69°F | 60°F | 13 mph | 71°F |
Dew point has reached 60°F (2025). Above about 60°F, sweat stops evaporating efficiently and most runners lose pace no matter what the thermometer says. It is the number to watch here, not the air temperature.
Dates derived from the race's published pattern (1st Sunday in October (2023 cancelled for heat)), observations at Minneapolis, MN (start). Source: Open-Meteo historical reanalysis (ERA5), 7-11am local at the start line. Reanalysis is modelled from station observations, so treat it as a close record rather than an official one. See how race-morning weather is built.
Is Twin Cities Marathon a good Boston qualifier?
Yes. The course actually finishes 46 ft higher than it starts, so no downhill adjustment applies, and nobody can accuse the time of being gravity-assisted.
This drop is our estimate rather than a figure from the course's certificate. If it sits near a threshold, confirm with the organizer.
Compare every course, how the downhill bands work, or work out your own target.
Dial in your pacing & fueling
New to how training builds toward a race like this? Start with Anatomy of a Running Plan, find your zones with the pace calculator, and plan race-day nutrition with the fueling calculator.
Related marathon guides
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