Mankato Marathon
Mankato, MN
- Marathon, Marathon Relay, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, Kids Run
- Road (Paved)
- Official race website
The Mankato Marathon, presented by Mayo Clinic Health System, showcases beautiful dynamic courses and determined runners. The courses are the perfect blend of Mankato’s scenic trails and urban landscape, highlighting the beautiful Minnesota River Valley. From Kids races to the Full Marathon and plenty of fun in between, we have … MORE
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Scenic, never boring, a blast!
As someone who’s run 28 marathons, this course is in my top 3. It’s beautiful and scenic, takes you through all different parts of the city, and the volunteers really … MORE
As someone who’s run 28 marathons, this course is in my top 3. It’s beautiful and scenic, takes you through all different parts of the city, and the volunteers really showed out to make it fun. I really can’t recommend this race enough; there’s no better way to experience fall in minnesota!
Beautiful Half Marathon!
This race has a small town feel with great crowd support & all the great race must haves! Great expo, easy packet pick up at expo or race day. Plenty … MORE
This race has a small town feel with great crowd support & all the great race must haves! Great expo, easy packet pick up at expo or race day. Plenty of porta potties very close to start line & along the course. Easy to park at with a short distance to get to the start.
Very friendly people directing the course/ course marshals.
Beautiful time of year & area to enjoy all the fall colors! There are hills- look at the elevation and train accordingly and it will go well.
Fun finish area complete with an awesome medal & Photo Booth!
Great race in a great place!
Great fall run on challenging course. Could do without the 500 foot climb. My 5th half and 6th year running with the mankato marathon. Lots of great crowds! I did … MORE
Great fall run on challenging course. Could do without the 500 foot climb. My 5th half and 6th year running with the mankato marathon. Lots of great crowds! I did a 5k and half this year.
One of my faves
I have run Mankato three years, and it is one of my faves. Takes place towards the end of October and the changing leaves are beautiful. Spectators cheer the runners … MORE
I have run Mankato three years, and it is one of my faves. Takes place towards the end of October and the changing leaves are beautiful. Spectators cheer the runners on along the route. The after party is fun =)
Good race! Too many uphills.
Training is key! Beautiful scenery along the route! Several uphills,but some nice downhill as well. It was a nicer running route when we started at MSU and we were able … MORE
Training is key! Beautiful scenery along the route! Several uphills,but some nice downhill as well. It was a nicer running route when we started at MSU and we were able to run don Stolzman Road.
All in all though a very fun weekend o events!
Beautifully challenging course!
The course is beautiful! The course is challenging. Miles 16-19 kicked my butt! Very well organized, nice community engagement. Would run again- but will need to try to find some … MORE
The course is beautiful! The course is challenging. Miles 16-19 kicked my butt! Very well organized, nice community engagement. Would run again- but will need to try to find some more hills around me to be better prepared next time!
One of the best scenic races
Small town race with big city cheering, organizing. The scenic routes, while soaking in the fall colors is amazing. Makes you almost forget that you’re on a 4 mile incline … MORE
Small town race with big city cheering, organizing. The scenic routes, while soaking in the fall colors is amazing. Makes you almost forget that you’re on a 4 mile incline 🤣. I love the challenge and the support of this race.
Can’t wait to do it again!
The hills were brutal but the scenery was on point! What a great first time experience from the starting line to the finish everything was thought out and went smoothly! MORE
The hills were brutal but the scenery was on point! What a great first time experience from the starting line to the finish everything was thought out and went smoothly!
Tough course, but the views are worth it
Well run race. Packet pickup was easy. Nice swag. Great crowd support, but the course is definitely hilly for those are used to training on flat areas. MORE
Well run race.
Packet pickup was easy.
Nice swag.
Great crowd support, but the course is definitely hilly for those are used to training on flat areas.
Lovely fall Midwest race!
This is an excellent race to choose if you’re on your 50 states journey. Mankato is a cute town, the scenery had beautiful foliage, views of farms, running through tree-lined … MORE
This is an excellent race to choose if you’re on your 50 states journey. Mankato is a cute town, the scenery had beautiful foliage, views of farms, running through tree-lined trails, and overall was peaceful and beautiful. Difficult course with lots of hills thrown in. Pleasantly surprised at how easy all logistics were – especially given the half marathon starts almost an hour after the full – still plenty of parking in the parking garages (which they call “ramps”) within a 10 min walk to the start. No corral crowding, easy bag drop. Bonus was having PTs at the end for a little post race rehabbing, which I needed. Also loved the post race snacks – potato chips and munchkins were treats in addition to the usual suspects (bananas Gatorade bars etc)
Loved the low-key style of run/walk
Huge turn out, great energy! Bacon at the 2 mile mark, cheerleaders along the way (pedestrians but amazing!). Will be doing it again next year! MORE
Huge turn out, great energy! Bacon at the 2 mile mark, cheerleaders along the way (pedestrians but amazing!). Will be doing it again next year!
Great first Half Marathon
As a walk/runner I thoroughly researched races and their pace requirements before registering. I picked this one as it fairly close to home and had a 5 hour limit for … MORE
As a walk/runner I thoroughly researched races and their pace requirements before registering. I picked this one as it fairly close to home and had a 5 hour limit for the Half. Even being in the back of the pack the course support was great. The fall colors added to the scenery to make it an enjoyable walk. The brutal hill was in the middle so there was plenty of time to recover and they put signs with riddles on it to make it more bearable. I’m very glad I chose this even to be my first Half Marathon as a slow runner.
Beautiful fall race
This race was really pretty with the trees showing their fall colors. Temps were brisk to start out & nice at the end. Loved running through the woods. Friendly runners … MORE
This race was really pretty with the trees showing their fall colors. Temps were brisk to start out & nice at the end. Loved running through the woods. Friendly runners encouraging each other along the way. Minnesota nice. Great location near the Tein Cities without being overcrowded.
It's fine for the area
It is a smaller race in a less populated area, so if you are a slower runner in the marathon, there may be few people left at the finish line. MORE
It is a smaller race in a less populated area, so if you are a slower runner in the marathon, there may be few people left at the finish line.
Bacon!
The weather was a but chilly but the bacon mid race helped. The fall colors made for a great scenic view. The sweatshirts were some of the best quality race … MORE
The weather was a but chilly but the bacon mid race helped. The fall colors made for a great scenic view. The sweatshirts were some of the best quality race swag I’ve received. Nice and warm for Midwest weather.
Liked expo....the race was scenic
Bacon!!!!! Friendly people.... Variety of surfaces. Parking was confusing. And the beginning. Great job thanks. Small Town friendly. I wish the 5k was on Sunday morning. 530 is late. MORE
Bacon!!!!! Friendly people…. Variety of surfaces. Parking was confusing. And the beginning. Great job thanks. Small Town friendly. I wish the 5k was on Sunday morning. 530 is late.
Half Marathon
This was my first ever half marathon. The course was very clearly marked and a reasonable difficulty with a decent mix of uphill, downhill, and flat. The event was well … MORE
This was my first ever half marathon. The course was very clearly marked and a reasonable difficulty with a decent mix of uphill, downhill, and flat. The event was well run overall with plenty of volunteers at aid stations and the course has pacers if you are trying to run a specific time. I would do this race again.
“Bold course”
Race organizers called this race a “Bold Course” or something to that degree. Scenery is great, too bad the massive hill has to be run twice because that smoked me! MORE
Race organizers called this race a “Bold Course” or something to that degree. Scenery is great, too bad the massive hill has to be run twice because that smoked me!
Great Fall Run
The Mankato Marathon offers a great set of events in a beautiful small Minnesota city. I ran the half and was very pleased with the organization, the race day experience, … MORE
The Mankato Marathon offers a great set of events in a beautiful small Minnesota city. I ran the half and was very pleased with the organization, the race day experience, the swag and most of the course. From the day before packet pickup to the finish line party, this was a quality event.
Packet pickup is out at the mall the day before, though there is morning pickup available. It was well organized and Scheels offered all registrants 25 percent off all athletic apparel. The race shirt was a very nice quarter zip long sleeve.
Race morning was chilly, but they did have a bag drop at the start line. Pacers available for both half and full marathon, including a 1:55 half which was great for me. The course is on both paved trails and roads. Much was through city park land, but there was a significant portion leading up to and after the major hill on the course that was right next to the road. Another issue was that almost immediately after the start the course turned to a relatively narrow trail near the river with little opportunity to get around other runners. Still, didn’t seem to keep me from a PR! Post race festival was nice with a free beer from Mankato Brewery.
Overall, this was a fun race and one that I would definitely sign up for again.
Mankato Marathon
Love this race, easy logistics, good volunteer support. They changed the course this year, loved it. Helped that the weather was perfect for running. A nice mix of running through … MORE
Love this race, easy logistics, good volunteer support. They changed the course this year, loved it. Helped that the weather was perfect for running. A nice mix of running through neighborhoods, downtown Mankato, countryside.
It’s low key event and not expensive, they provided this year a nice lightweight jacket, in past years they have had long sleeve tech shirts. Nice medal and a cold beer at the finish.