Since 1996, Med City Marathon has been providing a high quality, fun and energetic marathon in Rochester. The event starts in Byron and runs through many of the great trails system that Rochester has to offer. Come see all the great parts of Rochester, MN via the Med City Marathon …
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Since 1996, Med City Marathon has been providing a high quality, fun and energetic marathon in Rochester. The event starts in Byron and runs through many of the great trails system that Rochester has to offer. Come see all the great parts of Rochester, MN via the Med City Marathon course!
The Med City Marathon presented by Scheels starts in Byron, which is about 8 miles away from Rochester and is a point to point marathon. You start the day by taking a bus from downtown Rochester by the Mayo Civic Center to Byron Elementary School (or drive if you like). You start at the school and run on Country Club Road with the half marathoners and the 20 milers for the first 7 miles. This road is a typical rolling hills road of southern Minnesota. Once you get into Rochester the course is very flat. You start by going through Cascade Lake Park on the west end of town. Then you go through Kutzky Park on you way towards Silver Lake area. You cut through Silver Lake area on 7th Street and then take residential roads to Quarry Hill Park on the east end of Rochester. You run through a part of Quarry Hill Park before going under the railroad tracks and onto East Center Street.
At this point, the half turns off and go directly into the finish and the marathoners and 20 milers turn and go south on 9th Street down to Bear Creek. Marathoners then head north and follow the trails into the downtown area and then south on the Mayowood Trail system. This trail is along the Zumbro River and even though you are in the city, it feels like the country along this trail. You go south all the way to the end of Mayowwod trail and then do a loop and come back towards downtown. You then come back into downtown on the trails and turn onto East Center Street and finish in front of the Mayo Civic Center.
This marathon offers you a taste of the many great pieces of Rochester. You start your run with the rolling hills that surround Rochester. Then you go through some of the great parks and beautiful trails Rochester has to offer. You then finish downtown at the Mayo Civic Center. A lot for one day of fun.
The Founder Wally Arnold says “We have always tried to provide a race that I would have loved to run”.
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Hometown Half
I got the unique experience of running Med City, my hometown half marathon, on my birthday, and it was a great time. The course is a point-to-point that starts out … MORE
I got the unique experience of running Med City, my hometown half marathon, on my birthday, and it was a great time. The course is a point-to-point that starts out at the airport and runs into downtown Rochester. For the half, about 8 of the 13.1 miles aren’t even really in Rochester, as you’re running county roads from the airport into town. Once in the city, you hop on bike trails for nearly the rest of the race.
I personally am not in love with the course as it’s very long stretches on county roads, but it is extremely flat with one major downhill around mile 6.
That also makes fan support difficult, and I would describe it as mostly scarce for the majority of the race.
That said, 2023’s race had a perfect day to run, cool and overcast, and I love the long-sleeve tech shirt. The expo was organized and the athletic trainer station was able to help me with some back trouble I had going into the race. I also ran my fastest time in more than 2 years, which was great – but I think that was because my Nike Run Club app had the course coming up short of 13.1.
All in all, this was a really fun race for me. It sounds like the race is under some relatively new ownership, and they’re doing their best to continuously improve the experience. I expect this race to get better and better as the years go by!
Airport to farmland to Rochester.
Race day started with clear weather, gentle breezes, and a temperature in the low 50s. The race started near the airport and immediately entered a long stretch of Rollinghills in … MORE
Race day started with clear weather, gentle breezes, and a temperature in the low 50s.
The race started near the airport and immediately entered a long stretch of Rollinghills in farmland. The race organizers advertised this race as a course with a good bit of downhill. There was one stretch mid race of about a 1 mile downhill run. Otherwise, this may be just a joke that the locals have, I would’ve classify. The entire course is rolling. These weren’t Mount Rushmore or Colorado inclines but the course did roll out many of the races. I have ran in New England.
The officers and volunteers on the course were friendly. There were multiple water/aid stations on the course.
The last 3 miles or so of the course transversed a park along the river, heading into town. The final stretch ran through the canal system leading to downtown Rochester.
Finishers received a nice, long sleeve tech shirt, and a metal that was nice but not overly unique. There was live music and nice post race refreshments for the runners.
I enjoyed the visit to Rochester and would recommend the race if someone visits the area.
Nice point to point run in Rochester MN
Very enjoyable. Pretty much flat but a good course. Lots of support and refreshments along the way. Well done in a nice place. Nice refreshments at the end. MORE
Very enjoyable. Pretty much flat but a good course. Lots of support and refreshments along the way. Well done in a nice place. Nice refreshments at the end.
Lost checked bag and no shirt
My checked bag which contained the race shirt I got before the race and a few other things was lost. The RD agreed to mail me a replacement shirt. I … MORE
My checked bag which contained the race shirt I got before the race and a few other things was lost. The RD agreed to mail me a replacement shirt. I have followed up with him a few times through email over the past month. Sadly I still have not received the shirt.
unexpected storms cause mid race delay
Memorial Day weekend in Rochester Minnesota. A little warmer than average temps. I was not able to make the expo the day prior to the race. a Point to Point … MORE
Memorial Day weekend in Rochester Minnesota. A little warmer than average temps. I was not able to make the expo the day prior to the race. a Point to Point race starting at the airport and ending downtown Rochester. packet pickup and parking at the start was easy…enough porta potties. The race was relatively flat with some smalls. Enough aid stations with water/Gatorade etc, the course seemed to be well marked….Unfortunately, around the half marathon mark…a unexpected thunderstorm with rain caused the RD to suspend the race and divert the marathons runners to the finish as they were passing the half way point. Not a lot of information was provided, as I believed at the time the race was over…However, a little while later we were allowed to finish the race, a lot of the marathoners did not receive the word that the race would continue….I ended up running around 27.8 with being diverted to the finish and back to the course…other than that the course wasn’t bad overall as we ran through park, residential areas, and downtown….
The shirt was a hooded long sleeve tech shirt…the finisher medal was kind of plain….Post race food included bananas, cookies, and an assortment of drinks to include a beer truck…..plus a live band playing near the finish….Overall not a bad race…the pre race social media and emails was great….It was nice that we were able to finish after the weather delay but it would of been better if there was a better communication flow on the evolving situation., though my time was severely hampered by the delay
bet it was better before pandemic
Well organized race that runs mostly on bike/running paths on connected parks. Small ups and downs throughout the race. Nice hoodies for both the 5K and the half ( I … MORE
Well organized race that runs mostly on bike/running paths on connected parks. Small ups and downs throughout the race. Nice hoodies for both the 5K and the half ( I ran both. 5K was on the same course). It is still hard to compare the postrace experience due to the ongoing pandemic restrictions. I guess they normally have a band, etc but not much this time. I stayed at the Centerstone Hotel, which was the race hotel. It was about 3/4 a mile from start/finish/packet pickup. They shuttled from airport and offered to shuttle to start but I just preferred to walk. Easy walk from hotel via one of the parks. It was only $75 a night and well worth it. They have a restaurant at the hotel that is apparently very popular with the locals. Also, other places to eat nearby within easy walking distance since you are literally right next to the Mayo Center. Overall a decent experience.
Med City 5k
Beautiful Race! I really enjoyed it. Next year I hope to do the Half marathon and see more of Rochester which was the next day, so both races can be … MORE
Beautiful Race! I really enjoyed it. Next year I hope to do the Half marathon and see more of Rochester which was the next day, so both races can be done. The medal was awesome – a flag, so appropriate for a 9/11 race. The hoodie shirt is really nice, great quality.
Great family weekend!!
I've participated in the Med City marathon weekend for the last two years and am so pleased with both experiences! In 2016 my kids did the Kids K and I … MORE
I’ve participated in the Med City marathon weekend for the last two years and am so pleased with both experiences! In 2016 my kids did the Kids K and I ran the full marathon the next day. This year we ran the 5k together and I did the half as well. They really make it a fun event for the family and there is something for kids of all ages. Med City marathon weekend is officially a family tradition!
Good marathon with flat 2nd half
- First half is rolling hills from Byron to Rochester with easy spectator access - Second half is flat, but challenging access for spectators (when you need the cheers!) - … MORE
– First half is rolling hills from Byron to Rochester with easy spectator access
– Second half is flat, but challenging access for spectators (when you need the cheers!)
– Could have used more aid stations on second half
– Beautiful finish line
– Great race swag and weekend set-up
– Very humid run
– Excellent pacers
Solid intermediate level race course
Solid run with rolling hills the first 8 miles and multiple park runs throughout Rochester thereafter. Cool/light rain conditions made it comfortable. Ran the first split 1:47:08, and 2nd split … MORE
Solid run with rolling hills the first 8 miles and multiple park runs throughout Rochester thereafter. Cool/light rain conditions made it comfortable. Ran the first split 1:47:08, and 2nd split 1:59:58. Course was properly supported and relatively small so no overcrowding issues. The biggest charm was the scenic tour through the parks … not a boring out and back.