SUNDAY'S TWIN CITIES MARATHON and TC 10 MILE
Start times: The 10-mile starts at 7 a.m. and the marathon at 8 a.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium. That means the first 10-milers will finish at the Capitol before the marathoners start. The first marathoners arrive at the Capitol a little after 10.
You can watch in person, or: The races will be live-streamed on www.kare11.com/marathon.
Forecast: Good news, runners: A cool, dry morning in the 50s with partial sun.
And here are 7 story lines to know:
- The 10 Mile start will be staggered to give the elite women a six-minute head start. (The men's course record is 5:12 faster than the women's.)
- Winners earn $12,000 with the overall champion getting an extra $10,000. "Ten thousand is a lot of money," said Emily Durgin, one of the favorites. "The women have to get fast and get way ahead of the men, because if it comes down to the last mile, they will catch us."
- A late 10-mile entry is Aliphine Tuliamuk, who won the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, then had a daughter in early 2021. She competed at the Tokyo Games later that year, but had to drop out because of a hip injury. The 33-year-old was born in Kenya and has six USATF road-running titles since becoming an American citizen.
- The 10 Mile field is strong, not only because of the money and national championship, but also because some elite runners are using it as training for November's New York City Marathon.
- The men's marathon field has some notable Kenyan runners — Wilfred Kimitei, Mike Chesire, Bernard Rotich and Luke Kibet – leading the way.
- An intriguing name is Yuya Yoshida, 25, who has the best marathon PR of two hours, seven minutes and five seconds, set when he won the Fukuoka International Marathon in 2020.
- Kim Conley, 36, wasn't happy with her first marathon; she ran 2:41:38 at New York City in 2016. But she's a two-time U.S. Olympian at 5,000 meters and hopes her second marathon — today in the Twin Cities — is a winner.
