'COVID-Safe' Twin Cities Marathon Planned For October
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- After the 2020 Twin Cities Marathon went virtual due to COVID-19, organizers said Tuesday the 2021 race will "take place as a reduced-size, COVID-safe event."
Four-thousand runners will be allowed at the marathon on Oct. 3, according to a release.
"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."
Twin Cities In Motion, the race's organizer, said runners can expect the following safety measures:
- Reduced field sizes in weekend races
- Mask requirements (except while racing)
- Social distancing
- Limited spectator access
- Reduced touchpoints
Registration for the marathon and other races begins at 10 a.m. April 8 on the Twin Cities In Motion website. The race will run from downtown Minneapolis to the State Capitol in St. Paul.
In 2019, the last time the Twin Cities Marathon Weekend was held in person, more than 25,000 total runners participated across all races, with 7,000 marathoners, organizers said.