Twin Cities Marathon Training Plan: The Rolling Northern October Race

Twin Cities is the Midwest's quieter October marathon. The field is about 8,500 finishers, much smaller than Chicago's 50,000. The course is point-to-point from downtown Minneapolis, around several lakes, along the Mississippi, and finishes at the St. Paul Cathedral. Total elevation change: roughly 700 feet. Net change: about 80 feet of descent. Weather: cool most years, sometimes very cold, occasionally too warm. If you want an October marathon without the crowds and the lottery, this is the one.

This article covers what training modifications work for Twin Cities. For the broader marathon picture, see the marathon training plan guide.

What's Different About Twin Cities

• Rolling, not hilly. ~700 feet of total climb over 26.2 miles, none of it dramatic. The course rolls but doesn't really punish.
• One real climb late. Summit Avenue from mile 20 to 22 gains about 170 feet. It comes when you're already tired.
• Cool early-October weather. Typical race-morning temp around 45°F. Cool air, low humidity most years.
• Point-to-point logistics. Start in downtown Minneapolis, finish at the St. Paul Cathedral. Buses or light rail from finish to start area on race morning.
• Mid-size field. 8,500 marathoners plus 10K runners. Less chaotic than Chicago or NYC, more energy than a small regional race.

Training Modifications for Twin Cities

1. Rolling-Course Long Runs

Twin Cities rolls constantly through the first 20 miles, but no single hill is dramatic. The training plan should reflect that: long runs on rolling routes (200-500 feet of total climb across 18-22 miles) match the race profile better than either flat-park loops or single-hill routes.

2. Late-Race Climb Work

The mile 20-22 Summit Avenue climb is the defining feature of the course for goal-time runners. At least twice in the build, structure a long run with a sustained climb in the final 4-5 miles. Examples:

• Out-and-back routes that net out flat but finish into a sustained 1-2 mile uphill
• Long runs that finish at a higher-elevation point
• Loops that intentionally cycle past a known climb in the final 20% of the route

3. Cool-Weather Race Preparation

Twin Cities is often the runner's first marathon of the season after a hot summer of training. Race-morning conditions feel dramatically different from your August long runs. Late-September long runs in similar weather build the calibration. Don't rely on heat-adjusted summer training to predict your Twin Cities pace.

4. Marathon-Pace Work on Rolling Terrain

If you can, do at least one marathon-pace workout per cycle on rolling terrain (not flat). The leg turnover on rolling sections at goal pace teaches the body to handle pace variation without raising effort. On race day you'll naturally have splits 5-15 seconds faster than goal pace on descents and 5-15 seconds slower on climbs.

Pacing Twin Cities on Race Day

• Miles 1-5 (downtown rolls): Goal pace average. Don't chase early downhill splits.
• Miles 5-15 (lakes and river): Lock into goal pace. The course is forgiving here.
• Miles 15-20 (along the Mississippi): Hold pace. Stay relaxed. You're approaching Summit Avenue.
• Miles 20-22 (Summit Avenue climb): Pace by effort, not by splits. You'll lose 10-30 seconds per mile here. That's expected. Don't fight it.
• Miles 22-26 (Summit Avenue descent to Cathedral): Recover the pace. Most runners run their fastest splits of the day on this slight downhill into the finish.

Use the marathon pace band generator for a sanity-check band but expect splits to vary on the rolling course. The total should still hit goal time.

Common Twin Cities Mistakes

Going out at goal pace through the early rolls. The first 5 miles include a few gentle downhills that make goal pace feel cheap. Banking time here costs you late.

Ignoring Summit Avenue in training. A 170-foot climb at mile 20 doesn't sound bad on paper. It's brutal in execution if you haven't trained for late-race climbing.

Pacing for warm-summer training conditions. Cool October air shifts heart rate and perceived effort by 5-10%. Adjust expectations upward.

Treating it like Chicago. Twin Cities is hillier and the field is smaller. Pacing strategies that work at Chicago (locking into a pace group, banking nothing) need adaptation here.