Mankato Marathon
2021 Mankato Marathon logo
Date	Oct. 21, 2023
Location	Mankato, Minnesota
Distance	Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay, 10k, 5k
Primary sponsor	Mayo Clinic Health System
Established	2010
Course records	Men: 2:29:26 (2017) Jacob Gallagher Women: 2:58:18 (2013) Amy Halseth
Official site	https://www.mankatomarathon.com
Participants	5,000

The Mankato Marathon is an annual marathon race in Mankato, Minnesota, 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.^[1]

The race is held in mid-October, when the hardwood forests of the Minnesota River valley turn bright with color. 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.^[2]

The marathon weekend is now one of the major events in southwest Minnesota.^[3][4][5]

As with most modern marathons, many runners raise money for charity. 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.^[6]

Mayo Clinic Health System is the main sponsor of the race,^[7] though at its 2010 genesis, Hy-Vee sponsored the race.^[8]

The race is owned and managed by Visit Mankato (the tourism branch of Greater Mankato Growth).^[9]

In 2017 and 2018, the website Bibrave named the Mankato Half Marathon as one of the best in the United States. The editors noted the fall scenery, the support, and the paved trails as winning features.^{[10] [11]}

Broadcast coverage of the weekend is provided by KATO-FM (93.1) and KDOG-FM (96.7).^[12]

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.^[13] 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.^[12]

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.^[14][15]

The marathon course starts in downtown Mankato,^[16] 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.^[17][12][18] The course is a certified marathon distance (USATF #MN19070RR).^[19]

Prizes

In 2018, the first place winners received $250 and a trophy made of Kasota stone from the Kasota-Mankato quarries.^[12]

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.^[20] 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.^[21]

The inaugural race was sponsored by Hy-Vee^[22] 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.

A light rain fell as the race began, but it cleared up, and the wind was not a factor in the race as some feared.^[23]

James Sorenson graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2005, where he ran cross country and track, and he decided to run the inaugural race.^[24] the Gustie won the race in 2:37:04.^[25] 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.^[26]

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.^[27] A 32-year-old Janesville, Minnesota, mother of three, Elisa Johnson, won the woman's title in 1:27:36.^[28] 350 runners took to the 10K course.^[29]

In 2011, 3,800 runners raced. And the 5K was added. The finish line shifted slightly, and Mayo Clinic became the main sponsor. ^[21]

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.^[30] Mechler was arrested and in court, he pleaded innocent to charges of terroristic threats.^[31][32] Regardless, the court found him guilty. He served jail time and received mental health treatment.^[33]

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.^[34]

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.^[35][36]

Marathon race results

Key:   Course record

All cities in Minnesota unless indicated otherwise

	Men						Women
Year	Place	Name	Age	Hometown	Time		Year	Place	Name	Age	Hometown	Time
2022[37]		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[38]		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	3:30:50
2020[35]		Race canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic*					2020[39]		Race canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic*
2019[40]		Nicholas Wimmer	29	Minneapolis	2:35:28		2019[41]		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	3:25:15
2018[42]		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[43]		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[44]		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[45]		Tim Hardy	40	North Mankato	2:41:16		2015[46]		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[47]		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 Mankato	2:54:08				Paula Morozas	27	Andover	3:12:19
2013[48]		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 Center	2:39:35				Michele Asmus	33	Austin	3:07:20
2012[49]		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[50]		Brian Sames	25	Shakopee	2:36:18		2011[51]		Kim Scheel	35	Mankato	3:00:47
		Eric Thies	22	Arlington	2:44:49				Monica Dorn	32	Hendricks	3:01:19
		Ronald Hoffman	34	Waconia	2:51:36				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	Owatonna	2:44:33				Monica Dorn	31	Walnut Grove	3:17:09

*A "virtual" race was scheduled.

Half marathon race results

Key:   Course record

All cities in Minnesota unless indicated otherwise

	Men						Women
Year	Place	Name	Age	Hometown	Time		Year	Place	Name	Age	Hometown	Time
2022		Mike Friedman	26	St. Paul	1:13:42		2022		Leah Knowles	25	St. Peter	1:28:42
		Jacob Bastyr	31	Owatonna	1:16:45				Lana Wegner	34	Wells	1:31:16
		Josiah Swanson	30	Rochester	1:17:41				Lori Kelly	34	Austin	1:32:10
2021[38]		Mohammed Bati	22	St. Paul	1:09:32		2021		Caryn Herrick	31	St. Louis Park	1:27:59
		Alex Wischnack	24	Kasota	1:09:38				Brittany Opatz	35	Waconia	1:29:14
		Kurt Keiser	48	Jordan	1:13:45				Michele Asmus	41	Austin	1:30:46
2020[35]		Race canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic*					2020[52]		Race canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic*
2019[53]		Dan Greeno	31	St. Paul	1:08:02		2019		Ashlie Greeno	27	St. Paul	1:19:19
		Alex Wischnack	22	St. Peter	1:11:32				Mary Wirtz	32	Rochester	1:22:19
		Jared Genteman	24	Eagan	1:11:49				Annie Magnusson	22	Mankato	1:25:30
2018[54]		Matt Longen	24	Mankato	1:12:12		2018		Sasha Gallagher	23	Mankato	1:19:27
		Tim Hardy	43	North Mankato	1:12:16				Janna Swenson	42	Minneapolis	1:28:02
		Josiah Swanson	26	Rochester	1:12:34				Michele Asmus	38	Austin	1:29:35
2017[55]		Josiah Swanson	25	Rochester	1:13:11		2017		Lena Wegner	29	Walters	1:27:10
		Bart Johnson	31	Marshall	1:14:19				Alyssa Breu	28	St. Paul	1:32:19
		Daniel Gerber	27	Richfield	1:14:55				Carmen Jaskulke	41	Granada	1:32:40
2016[56]		Josiah Swanson	24	Rochester	1:12:33		2016		Cynthia Jerop	21	Lakeville	1:15:09
		Kai Sill	30	Mankato	1:17:21				Laura Paulsen	27	Brookline, Massachusetts	1:15:59
		Thomas Schiltz	20	Mankato	1:23:57				Amy Feit	36	Luverne	1:27:23
2015[57]		Dan Greeno	27	Richfield	1:07:46		2015		Lindsay Henkels	35	Mankato	1:21:55
		Josiah Swanson	23	Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin	1:10:58				Kristen Mullen	32	North Mankato	1:30:47
		Nick Ross	26	Minneapolis	1:11:15				Janet Smith	34	Dundas	1:31:07
2014[58]		Christopher Gruenhagen	31	Brookings, South Dakota	1:11:19		2014		Lindsay Henkels	34	Mankato	1:23:10
		Garrett Eklof	24	Madison, Wisconsin	1:12:06				Alyssa Westrup	26	North Mankato	1:27:00
		Eric Thies	25	Apple Valley	1:12:20				Greta Sieve	27	New Ulm	1:27:11
2013[59]		Chris Erichsen	27	Minneapolis	1:09:55		2013		Elizabeth Yetzer	25	Lakeville	1:18:25
		Christopher Gruenhagen	30	Brookings, South Dakota	1:12:34				Lindsay Henkels	33	Mankato	1:22:19
		Joe Metcalf	38	Glencoe	1:13:23				Joyce Bourassa	46	Lakeville	1:26:37
2012[60]		Seth Brickley	25	Mound	1:09:15		2012		Danielle Stack	22	Mankato	1:17:24
		Nicholas Jamnick	23	Becker	1:10:28				Lindsay Henkels	32	Mankato	1:19:33
		Christopher Gruenhagen	29	Brookings, South Dakota	1:11:01				Andrea Rediger	23	Plymouth	1:20:35
2011[61]		Peter Gilman	36	Rochester	1:09:52		2011		Greta Sieve	24	New Ulm	1:20:18
		Jeff Stuckenbaker	25	Windom	1:10:28				McKenzie Holt	15	St. Cloud	1:21:58
		Nick Ross	23	Hastings	1:10:31				Lindsay Henkels	31	Mankato	1:23:10
2010[27]		John VanDanacker	48	Greenfield	1:15:36		2010[28]		Elisa Johnson	32	Janesville	1:27:36
		John Hage	28	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	1:22:10				Keri Brown	33	Garfield	1:30:15
		Jacob Kocak	25	River Falls, Wisconsin	1:22:31				Ashley Hertling	26	New Ulm	1:32:21

*A "virtual" race was scheduled.

References

External links

• Official website
• Mankato Marathon on Facebook
• Mankato Marathon on Twitter
• Mankato Marathon on Instagram
• Mankato Marathon YouTube channel
• Mankato Marathon Flickr albums