The Mankato Marathon is an annual marathon race in Mankato, Minnesota, United States, that was first run in 2010. The race weekend now brings nearly 5,000 runners to the city for several races: the marathon, a marathon four-person relay, a half marathon, a 10K run, a 5K run, children's runs. The race course is certified by the USATF, making it a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.
The race is held in mid-October, through the Minnesota River valley. Although the city is known for its steep hills, the course winds around them and features only gradual climbs and downhills as it moves through many neighborhoods, two country roads and the downtown. The marathon begins at Minnesota State University, Mankato, makes two loops through the city, and finishes on historic Front Street.
The marathon weekend is now one of the major events in southwest Minnesota.
The marathon organizers help coordinate with local non-profit organizations for fundraising leading up to and during the event. In 2019, $15,000 was raised.
Mayo Clinic Health System is the main sponsor of the race, though at its 2010 genesis, Hy-Vee sponsored the race.
The race is owned and managed by Visit Mankato (the tourism branch of Greater Mankato Growth).
In 2017 and 2018, the website Bibrave named the Mankato Half Marathon as one of the best in the United States due to the fall scenery, the supporters, and the paved trails.
Broadcast coverage of the weekend is provided by KATO-FM (93.1) and KDOG-FM (96.7).
It went virtual in 2020.
Race weekend The race weekend begins with a sports and health exposition, which is sponsored by Scheels and is held in the Myers Field House at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The day before the marathon, there are races for children and a 5K race around the MSU campus. On marathon race day, the other three races begin in the morning from the campus, near Blakeslee Stadium. The 10K starts the day, and an hour later, the marathon and half marathon take off in a combined start. Runners can also do the marathon as a four-person relay team.
Pacers are provided for both the full and half marathon.
After the races, there is a post-race party near the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center with live music, food and drinks.
Marathon course In 2019, the course underwent a shift to more neighborhood streets and less long, straight stretches along agricultural fields.
The marathon course starts in downtown Mankato, and runs through several neighborhoods in the city, winding around quaint blocks with some cheering residents. It also takes runners on the Red Jacket Trail, around Mount Kato, near Sibley Park, along the Blue Earth River and the Minnesota River (though it is hidden by the levy walls), through the 1890s era downtown and past the Hubbard House, and down two rural roads. The finish is on Front Street, near the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, where several restaurants and bars are also located. The largest descent in the course is at mile 18. The course is a certified marathon distance (USATF #MN19070RR).
Prizes In 2018, the first-place winners received $250 and a trophy made of Kasota stone from the Kasota-Mankato quarries.
History The race was initially envisioned as a combination athletic and art fair event. However, city leaders felt that either event might outgrow one weekend, so the race was delegated to the regional tourism office, Visit Mankato. The office partnered with Final Events, owned by Mark Bongers. The two entities shared ownership of the race weekend. The race weekend was set later in the year to avoid competing with the seven other Minnesota marathons, and also to serve as a "last shot" for a Boston-qualifying race in the state.
The inaugural race was sponsored by Hy-Vee and the race weekend included just three races: The marathon, the half, and a 10K. The initial participation exceeded expectations: Race applications had to be turned away as 2,000 total entries (for the three races) filled early. The marathon was capped at 800 runners.
James Sorenson graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2005, where he ran cross country and track, and he decided to run the inaugural race. the Gustie won the race in 2:37:04. Jen Blue, a Minnesota State Mankato coach for the track and field team, won for women in 3:06:29. It was her fourth marathon.
For the half, 1,100 runners signed up. John VanDanacker of Greenfield, Minnesota, a veteran runner and Medtronic employee who had run for University of Minnesota Duluth cross country and track in the 1980s, won. A 32-year-old Janesville, Minnesota, mother of three, Elisa Johnson, won the woman's title in 1:27:36. 350 runners took to the 10K course.
In 2011, 3,800 runners raced. And the 5K was added. The finish line shifted slightly, and Mayo Clinic became the main sponsor.
In 2014, before the race, 56-year-old North Mankato, Minnesota, resident Brian Mechler called emergency dispatchers to tell them an anonymous person planted four bombs on the marathon race route. The course was searched by local police and bomb-sniffing dogs from the Twin Cities. It was found to be safe, though more officers were added to the event security team for the marathon day. Mechler was arrested and in court, he pleaded innocent to charges of terroristic threats. Regardless, the court found him guilty. He served jail time and received mental health treatment.
In 2019 the course was rerouted to avoid the longer country roads. Instead, the weaving new path took runners through the neighborhoods. Most praised the change, but the following year, few runners would get a chance to try it again.
By the summer of 2020, Grandma's Marathon and the Twin Cities Marathon had already announced cancelations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it wasn't until August that the Mankato race announced it would not be run in 2020. Participants were given the opportunity to run their own course and submit their times.
Marathon race results
Key:
All cities in Minnesota unless indicated otherwise
Men Women YearPlace Name Age Hometown Time Year Place Name Age Hometown Time2024Mike Walentiny36Lewiston, Minnesota2:42:562024Maddy Sweeney25Green Bay, Wisconsin3:10:58Jeff Schulz44Le Sueur, Minnesota2:59:05Amanda Montplaisir24Shakopee, Minnesota3:13:17Seth Carlmark24Minneapolis3:08:50Alison Zigler24Mankato, Minnesota3:20:402023 Jonathan Keller 29 Hugo 2:29:29 2023 Caryn Herrick 33 St. Louis Park 2:59:33 Max Hand 22 Saint Paul 2:40:45 Kelli Deeg 41 Wayzata 3:14:41 Nicholas Rudolph 30 Waseca 2:42:12 Sydney Paulson 24 Minneapolis 3:15:23 2022 Kaleb Colston 27 Bloomington 2:36:20 2022 Steph Cloutier 31 Eleva, Wisconsin 3:08:06 Michael Walentiny 34 Lewiston 2:39:31 Angela Byers 42 Minneapolis 3:21:43 Zach Fogarty 35 Rochester 2:55:26 Carissa Carroll 42 North Oaks 3:35:41 2021 Tristan Coughlin 38 St. Paul 2:37:34 2021 Breana Siljander 31 Minneapolis 3:19:43 Michael Walentiny 33 Goodview 2:42:25 Emily Linscheid 28 Johnston, Iowa 3:28:44 Daniel Lauer-Schumacher 37 Minneapolis 2:44:13 Christine Skopec 32 Woodbury 3:30:502020 Race canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic* 2020 Race canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic* 2019 Nicholas Wimmer 29 Minneapolis 2:35:28 2019 Rebecca Mayer 38 Eden Prairie 3:01:55 Kyle Smith 32 Duluth 2:40:26 Parry Larson 24 Cologne 3:23:22 Ali Khalili 30 Byron 2:41:03 Janet Smith 38 Dundas 3:25:152018 Jacob Gallagher 23 Mankato 2:37:17 2018 Katie Herald 30 Marshfield, Wisconsin 3:12:33 Jeff Lanners 35 West Saint Paul 2:41:58 Megan Sauer 23 Lismore 3:14:31 Robert Economy 54 Victoria 2:50:20 Anja Standly 41 Lonsdale 3:21:27 2017 Jacob Gallagher 22 Lisbon, North Dakota 2:29:26 2017 Monica Dorn 38 Hendricks 3:04:40 Brett Rosauer 27 Iowa City, Iowa 2:30:36 Erin Manlove 32 Minneapolis 3:07:09 Daniel Bretscher 34 Northfield 2:39:34 Sarah Schmidt-Dannert 29 Shoreview 3:15:33 2016 Jeff Stuckenbroker 30 Windom 2:41:07 2016 Lisa Tavares 37 Colfax, Wisconsin 3:06:39 Brock Tesdahl 24 St. Louis Park 2:42:11 Hiedi Johnson 43 Sioux Falls, South Dakota 3:10:19 Eddie Stenger 26 Woodbury 2:45:17 Brittney Nichole 27 Isanti 3:25:12 2015 Tim Hardy 40 North Mankato 2:41:16 2015 Susie Fox 32 Chaska 3:18:58 Eddie Stenger 25 Lacrosse, Wisconsin 2:55:41 Melanie Moriarty 42 North Oaks 3:22:11 Luis Leonardo 35 Minnetonka 2:57:32 Paula Johnson 28 Andover 3:23:19 2014 Tim Hardy 39 North Mankato 2:33:07 2014 Laura Edlund 28 Minnesota City 3:09:37 Eric Januszewski 26 Grove City 2:51:56 Kim Scheel 38 Madison Lake 3:10:44 Todd Landgraff 37 North Mankato2:54:08 Paula Morozas 27 Andover 3:12:19 2013 Eric Thies 24 Arlington 2:34:55 2013 Amy Halseth 43 Minneapolis 2:58:18 Tim Hardy 38 North Mankato 2:36:06 Laura Gillette 28 Goshen, Indiana 3:01:32 Jake Traxler 23 Le Center2:39:35 Michele Asmus 33 Austin 3:07:20 2012 Paul Donnelly 29 Minneapolis 2:49:38 2012 Leslie Anderson 35 Waseca 3:14:23 Patrick Geary 25 Sheridan, Wyoming 2:53:08 Dawn Michaud 38 Sartell 3:21:35 Joseph Paille 23 Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin 2:54:27 Holly Hillstrom 39 Mahtomedi 3:24:51 2011 Brian Sames 25 Shakopee 2:36:18 2011 Kim Scheel 35 Mankato 3:00:47 Eric Thies 22 Arlington 2:44:49 Monica Dorn 32 Hendricks 3:01:19 Ronald Hoffman 34 Waconia2:51:36 Leslie Anderson 34 Waseca 3:22:11 2010 James Sorenson 28 Minneapolis 2:37:04 2010 Jen Blue 35 North Mankato 3:06:29 Tim Hardy 35 North Mankato 2:38:48 Kim Scheel 34 Mankato 3:08:05 Justin Henkel 34 Owatonna2:44:33 Monica Dorn 31 Walnut Grove 3:17:09
*A "virtual" race was scheduled.
Half marathon race results
Key:
All cities in Minnesota unless indicated otherwise