Expo:

Lots of vendors and being from MN it was great to see MN gear present.
Went on Saturday at 2pm (2nd day of expo). A lot of the clothing merchandise I was interested in buying from the Brooks store was already out of size medium products. (Brooks had the biggest vendor spot with the largest selection of Twin Cities Marathon merchandise, so this was disappointing as there was some really cool items there that I would have liked to have added to my running collection. I still managed to find some great stuff, but probably would have doubled the amount bought if more items were in my size.

Packet Pickup was located at the expo. There were no lines at the time I went there and was able to get my packet, including my bib, with no wait. Each year for the 10-miler and marathon you are given an extra gift in your packet pickup bag. This year it was a TC Marathon winter hat. I was happy with the gift, especially because it is an extra item they give above and beyond the finisher shirt, but I would have been happier had it been made for running (made out of some sort of running material).

Drop Bags. These were not very high quality. My wife, both friends we went to the expo with, and myself all had our bags rip while we were walking around the expo and we had to go back to the packet pickup stand and ask for another bag since we were all using the back drop the next morning.

Pre-Race:

Transportation: I drove myself and parked next to the very last light rail stop in downtown Minneapolis (this was right next to the Twins Stadium). Being a little ways from the Vikings Stadium, where the race started, meant that I didn't have to pay for event parking (since there was a Vikings game at noon the same day as the race). Parking cost my $3 for 6 hours of parking. The light rail was free to runners the entire weekend so I didn't have to pay for that. The Vikings Stadium was about 5 stops away from where I got on the light rail and only took about 10 minutes. This also dropped us off right next to the start of the race. It doesn't get much easier than that. Another added bonus is that the light rail also goes pretty close to the finish line, so I was able to get on the light rail after the race in St Paul and take it all the way back to my car in Minneapolis.

Bag drop was very organized based on which coral you were in. The people taking bags made sure that the correct bags were getting into the correct trucks.

There were plenty of port-a-potties at the starting line. And since the 10-miler had started an hour prior to the marathon start, there were additional port-a-potties about a block further away that really had no line, so obviously I just walked a bit further and found one empty right away.

Race:

I think the temperature at the starting line was around 35 degrees. I was still able to wear shorts, tank top, and arm warmers and was perfectly fine waiting for the race to start.

The course was very beautiful and takes you around many lakes (Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, and Lake Nokomis) in Minneapolis and then along the Mississippi River. This scenery really makes you forget that you are right in the heart of Minneapolis and St Paul. Crowd support was fantastic!! There were people cheering throughout the entire course.

This course was very flat until you get to mile 20. From mile 20 through mile 26 I felt like I was constantly going uphill. There is one longer gradual incline around mile 20, and then a bunch of short steeper hills the rest of the way. This is definitely not the easiest on the legs after they have already put in 20 miles.

Post-Race:

Immediately after crossing the finish line I was awarded my medal. This gold designed medal is amazing. The way it catches the light with the curves is just so different from medals from other races.

Post-race food included Powerade, water, fruit cup, chips, nut rolls, chocolate milk, vegetable and chicken broth, and bagel bites.

Drop bag pickup area: I walked right over to my bib line to get my bag. There was no line and they had my bag to me within 10 seconds, THIS WAS AMAZING!! One of the things I hate about checking a bag is the massive lines that ensue at the finish to get your bag back. I must say, this was the fastest I have ever gotten my bag post-race before.

Finisher shirt line: Again this was really quick. I think it took about 30 seconds once I found my line (shirt size medium line) to get my shirt. My first thought on the design of the shirt was that "These shirts are bright" and wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the shirt and was so happy to add a bright shirt to my collection. With it getting closer to winter and there being less and less sunlight during the day, this bright shirt will help with visibility on future training runs. There was also a shirt exchange table set up right next to the finisher shirt table incase the size didn't fit. Mine fit fine so no need to exchange.

Massage Tent: I was told the wait time would be about 10 minutes, and I think it was closer to 5 than 10...how can you beat this short of a wait for a free massage. While I waited a man walked down the line to make sure that everyone waiting was doing ok and to see if anyone needed any help. There was also a lady following close behind him offering more vegetable and chicken broth if people wanted it.

The massage tent was heated and I can honestly say that this felt like one of the best massages I have ever had. I asked the lady who was giving me my massage to concentrated entirely on my legs...amazing!! I don’t know if it was how sore I was, or just how good it felt to lay down for a bit after the race that made this experience so good, but either way, I was really happy I made the time for it!

Beer garden (Summit Beer): I received a free drink ticket on my bib for racing the marathon. Summit Brewery gave all finishers a free beer in the beer garden area. There was plenty of space to stretch out and there were speakers set up in the beer garden so we could still hear the announcers at the finish line.

Overall Thoughts:
This was a local race for me. The scenery was beautiful and that alone made the race worth it. For me personally this was my first marathon in 8 years and I trained really hard for it, so the feeling of accomplishment after the race made it that much more special to me. I would highly recommend this race to others looking for a good fall race with a relatively flat course. Just make sure to incorporate some hill workouts into your training cycle so that you are ready for the last few miles of the race!!