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Apr. 22—ROCHESTER — The Med City Marathon is on the move for 2025.
The festival entertainment and the marathon expo are moving to Peace Plaza.
The race schedule is the similar to previous years ending at First Ave Southeast and Third Street. The marathon and half marathon, as in all previous years, remain set for Sunday, May 18 with a 7 a.m. start time. The 20-mile race starts at 7:15 Sunday. As usual, the Altra Federal Credit Union 5K is the day before, Saturday, May 17, and begins at 6:30 p.m. and the kids run is still Saturday starting at 4 p.m.
However, the marathon festival will now be in the heart of downtown. Live music and the other events will be in the plaza and at the Chateau Theatre to give the post-race events more space and nearby downtown businesses more visibility to race event participants, organizers said.
The change this year that will help bring traffic to businesses downtown further north along First Avenue at Peace Plaza.
"We really want to see more local businesses and organizations getting involved with the event," said Evin Haukos, Med City Marathon race director. "Being right in the center of downtown gives us a chance to tie the finish line closer to our expo, and really just show off the entire First Avenue area."
With the change of venue, the marathon festival music lineup is also getting an upgrade, Haukos said.
A pair of Thaw Music Festival headliners will perform free shows open to the public. Salty Dog, of Duluth, will perform Saturday night, and Maygen and the Birdwatcher will play late morning Sunday at the finish line fest.
The marathon is also partnering with Rochester Pride to offer a chance for 5K participants to support Rochester Pride's annual festival. People can select to register for the Altra Federal Credit Union 5K under the Pride edition of the race with a portion of registration proceeds going to Rochester Pride.
"We really just want everyone to feel invited and get out and celebrate health and fitness together, and ultimately have a great experience at our Altra 5K event," Haukos said.
In addition to the full marathon and 5K, the weekend race events include a half marathon, a 20-mile run and a kids run presented by GLK orthodontics.
A change of venue last year helped boost participation and fundraising for the Unleash the SHE race 5K and 10K races.
The event, supported by Mayo Clinic, raises funds for the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance. It was moved to Little Thistle Brewing Co. with a race route around Cascade Lake in 2024.
Last year, about 800 people participated in Unleash the SHE, up from about 400 participants in 2023. So far about 900 people have pre-registered for the event which is Saturday, April 26. Early registration closes Thursday night. Same day registration will open Saturday too.
Participants in Unleash the SHE also get a beverage at Little Thistle on race day with registration.
When: 11 a.m., Sunday, May 18, 2025.
Where: Peace Plaza, downtown Rochester.
How much: Free.
Continue reading...
The festival entertainment and the marathon expo are moving to Peace Plaza.
The race schedule is the similar to previous years ending at First Ave Southeast and Third Street. The marathon and half marathon, as in all previous years, remain set for Sunday, May 18 with a 7 a.m. start time. The 20-mile race starts at 7:15 Sunday. As usual, the Altra Federal Credit Union 5K is the day before, Saturday, May 17, and begins at 6:30 p.m. and the kids run is still Saturday starting at 4 p.m.
However, the marathon festival will now be in the heart of downtown. Live music and the other events will be in the plaza and at the Chateau Theatre to give the post-race events more space and nearby downtown businesses more visibility to race event participants, organizers said.
The change this year that will help bring traffic to businesses downtown further north along First Avenue at Peace Plaza.
"We really want to see more local businesses and organizations getting involved with the event," said Evin Haukos, Med City Marathon race director. "Being right in the center of downtown gives us a chance to tie the finish line closer to our expo, and really just show off the entire First Avenue area."
With the change of venue, the marathon festival music lineup is also getting an upgrade, Haukos said.
A pair of Thaw Music Festival headliners will perform free shows open to the public. Salty Dog, of Duluth, will perform Saturday night, and Maygen and the Birdwatcher will play late morning Sunday at the finish line fest.
The marathon is also partnering with Rochester Pride to offer a chance for 5K participants to support Rochester Pride's annual festival. People can select to register for the Altra Federal Credit Union 5K under the Pride edition of the race with a portion of registration proceeds going to Rochester Pride.
"We really just want everyone to feel invited and get out and celebrate health and fitness together, and ultimately have a great experience at our Altra 5K event," Haukos said.
In addition to the full marathon and 5K, the weekend race events include a half marathon, a 20-mile run and a kids run presented by GLK orthodontics.
A change of venue last year helped boost participation and fundraising for the Unleash the SHE race 5K and 10K races.
The event, supported by Mayo Clinic, raises funds for the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance. It was moved to Little Thistle Brewing Co. with a race route around Cascade Lake in 2024.
Last year, about 800 people participated in Unleash the SHE, up from about 400 participants in 2023. So far about 900 people have pre-registered for the event which is Saturday, April 26. Early registration closes Thursday night. Same day registration will open Saturday too.
Participants in Unleash the SHE also get a beverage at Little Thistle on race day with registration.
When: 11 a.m., Sunday, May 18, 2025.
Where: Peace Plaza, downtown Rochester.
How much: Free.
Continue reading...
