Twin Cities Marathon sells out, makes adjustments after last year’s heat cancellation

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Twin Cities Marathon is sold out.

Twin Cities in Motion shared the news Wednesday evening. The sellout occurred nearly two weeks before race day, which organizers say is a sign that many are eager to make up for lost time.

In 2023, a day of decision was made cancel the raceas temperatures soared unseasonably, creating dangerous course conditions.

This year, almost half of the field is made up of runners returning from last year.

“For us to sell out, and even weeks before our event, is something we haven’t done in a while,” Twin Cities in Motion President Dean Orton said.

Orton says the race governing body learned from last year: they will already begin race preparation with a “Red Flag” race designation – a caution signal to runners, and a trigger for course preparation.

“We just realized that heat is a much more prevalent variable to deal with,” Orton said. “We were ready for red conditions last year, but this year we’re just preparing for red conditions right out of the box…We found it was easier to reduce them than to be able to increase in a week or so.”

New this year: a half-marathon, reserved for teams competing together. Orton says he is hopeful of seeing crowds lining the course.

With September shaping up to be potentially the hottest on record in Minnesota (ahead of 2023, which was the hottest September on record in Minnesota), Orton says the organization is consulting with climate scientists on the long-term impacts on the safety of maintaining the race during the first weekend of October.

“We need to think about what things will be like for the next generation, and for the next generation,” Orton said. “We’re going to start looking toward 2026 and beyond… If those odds, over time, look like the first weekend in October is getting less and less green, and more and more likely a black level , that’s something we’re considering.” ready to look and make a change.