History of Twin Cities Marathon in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: October 5, 2025

The Twin Cities Marathon, held annually in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area during the first weekend of October, is known as "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America." Its scenic course traverses downtown areas and meanders along parkways surrounding lakes and waterways, passing through the urban forests of both cities.

1963: Land of Lakes Marathon Began

In 1963, the Land of Lakes Marathon, the earliest predecessor to the Twin Cities Marathon, began.

1968: Land of Lakes Marathon Course Record Set

In 1968, Tom Heinonen set the Land of Lakes Marathon course record with a time of 2:18:29.

1972: Jeff Winters and John Christian took over the event

In 1972, Jeff Winters and John Christian took over the Land of Lakes Marathon event.

1973: Jeff Winters Became Sole Race Director

In 1973, Jeff Winters became the sole race director for the Land of Lakes Marathon.

1974: Land of Lakes Marathon Run in White Bear Lake

In 1974, the Land of Lakes Marathon was run in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, with 88 runners participating.

1975: Land of Lakes Marathon Was Free to Enter

In 1975, the Land of Lakes Marathon was free to enter and run on a course involving four laps around Bald Eagle Lake and was run by 75 to 100 runners.

1976: Race Renamed City of Lakes Marathon

In 1976, the race was renamed the City of Lakes Marathon and moved to a four-lap course around Bde Maka Ska and Lake Harriet.

1979: City of Lakes Marathon Course Record

In 1979, Barney Klecker set the City of Lakes Marathon course record of 2:19:26.

August 1981: Marathon Proposal

In August 1981, Jack Moran proposed a marathon in Minneapolis and Saint Paul with a budget of $250,000 to the Minnesota Distance Running Association board.

1981: City of Lakes Marathon Filled Quickly

By 1981, the City of Lakes Marathon took just a month to fill its limit of 1,700 runners, and Minneapolis' counterpart established its own marathon, the St. Paul Marathon.

October 3, 1982: First Twin Cities Marathon

On October 3, 1982, the first Twin Cities Marathon took place after Minneapolis and St. Paul combined their separate marathon events.

1982: Twin Cities Marathon Established

In 1982, organizers from the St. Paul and City of Lakes marathons combined efforts to establish the Twin Cities Marathon, with the race originally starting at the last "r" on the Pillsbury Center building.

1986: Pillsbury Increased Cash Prizes

In 1986, Pillsbury announced a five year commitment to increase cash prizes from $160,000 to $300,000 per year, making the Twin Cities Marathon "perhaps the premier marathon for the fall."

1987: Saint Paul Mayor Awards Laurels to Winners

In 1987, Saint Paul Mayor George Latimer wore a tam o'shanter and awarded laurels to winners at the finish line of the Twin Cities Marathon, and Saint Paul City Council member James Scheibel ran the marathon in 2 hours and 45 minutes.

1989: Saint Paul City Council Member Runs the Marathon

In 1989, Saint Paul City Council member James Scheibel ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 3 hours and 19 minutes.

1990: Recruitment of International Talent

In 1990, Bruce Mortenson sought to recruit more international talent to compete at the Twin Cities Marathon, including athletes from the UK, Sweden, and Mexico.

1990: Saint Paul City Council Member Runs the Marathon

In 1990, Saint Paul City Council member James Scheibel ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 2 hours and 57 minutes.

1990: Starting Line Moved to Metrodome

In 1990, the starting line for the Twin Cities Marathon moved from Pillsbury Center to the Metrodome due to the loss of Pillsbury as a sponsor and to comply with The Athletic Congress rules.

1992: Sports Drink Change

In 1992, the Twin Cities Marathon switched from a combination of lemon-lime and orange Exceed sports drink to lemon Exceed sports drink.

1998: ChampionChip Timing Chips Used

In 1998, the Twin Cities Marathon used ChampionChip timing chips for the first time.

2001: Twin Cities marathon women's course record

In 2001, Zinaida Semenova set the women's course record. This record was tied by Irina Permitina in 2004

2004: Irina Permitina Finishes First for Women

In 2004, Irina Permitina finished first for the women with a time of 2:26:53, but after official timing devices were corroborated to a time of 2:26:50.7, she was ruled to have tied the previous record set in 2001.

2004: Governor Tim Pawlenty Runs the Marathon

In 2004, Tim Pawlenty ran the Twin Cities Marathon, finishing with a time of 3 hours, 57 minutes, and 52 seconds, becoming the first sitting governor to run the race.

2004: Volunteers Aided the Race

In 2004, nearly 2,500 volunteers aided in the management of the Twin Cities Marathon race weekend and the runners.

2006: First Corporate Sponsorship with Medtronic

In 2006, the Twin Cities Marathon agreed to its first corporate sponsorship with Medtronic, Inc., and the official name of the marathon changed to Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon (MTCM).

2006: Twin Cities Marathon Ranked Third Most Competitive

In 2006, the Twin Cities Marathon was ranked as the third most competitive marathon for American runners by Running Times magazine.

2007: First USATF Championship

2007 marked the first year that one of the Twin Cities Marathon events hosted a USATF championship.

2009: USATF Women's National Marathon Championship

In 2009, USATF picked the Twin Cities Marathon to serve as its women's national marathon championship race.

October 1, 2015: Black Lives Matter Protest Announcement

On October 1, 2015, Black Lives Matter and Mayor Coleman announced that the planned protest would take place but would not disrupt the Twin Cities Marathon.

2016: Stadium Access Removed

In 2016, with the demolition of the Metrodome and construction of U.S. Bank Stadium, runners were no longer able to use the stadium to stay warm and use the bathrooms before the race.

2017: TC10 Had More Entrants Than Marathon

In 2017, the 10 mile race (TC10) had more entrants (12,484) than the marathon (9,851) for the first time.

2019: Non-binary Division Added

In 2019, Twin Cities Marathon and its affiliated races added a non-binary division.

2020: Race Cancelled Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

The 2020 edition of the Twin Cities Marathon was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with registrants receiving a partial credit for 2021 or 2022.

2021: Registrants Receiving a Partial Credit

In 2021, registrants from 2020 received a partial credit because of the coronavirus pandemic cancellation.

2022: Prize Money Available in Non-binary Division

In 2022, prize money became available in the non-binary division of the Twin Cities Marathon.

2022: Registrants Receiving a Partial Credit

In 2022, registrants from 2020 received a partial credit because of the coronavirus pandemic cancellation.

2023: Record Nonbinary Runners

In 2023, a record of 52 nonbinary runners participated in Twin Cities Marathon-affiliated races.

2023: Race Cancelled Due to High Heat and Humidity

The 2023 edition of the Twin Cities Marathon was canceled due to high heat and humidity, leading to a study considering moving the marathon to a later date in the fall.

2024: Decision Made to Keep Marathon Date As-Is

As of 2024, the decision was made to keep the Twin Cities Marathon date as-is because moving the date wouldn't lead to significantly better weather outcomes.