Twin Cities Marathon Fills in 19 Days

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon officials announced this afternoon that registration has closed for the 26th running of the event. The race reached its 10,500 runner capacity in 19 days.

“Strong registration online indicates the continued growth in running as a sport around the world,” Twin Cities Marathon executive director, Virginia Brophy Achman said in a media release. “We anticipated filling the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon within a month as we’ve done for 20 years, but are thrilled that the event continues to attract such a varied field in such a short time."

TCM's fast pace to its limit contrasts with Grandma's Marathon's recent plod to its 9500 runner capacity. The Duluth race took an uncharacteristic three months to fill.

Those still wishing to take part in this year's TCM can reserve an entry through an online-only fundraising program to benefit the event's "Youth Fitness Partners." For the $85 price of registration, plus a $100 tax-deductible donation, the first 150 entries received can still gain entry to the race. Information is available on the TCM web-site.

Twin Cities Marathon takes place October 7.

Also ... The Road Running Information Center recently reported that TCM and Grandma's are the 9th and 12th largest marathons in the country, repectively, based on number of finishers in 2006. TCM had 8196 finishers; Grandma's had 6912. Neither race cracks the top-15 world-wide. The New York City Marathon leads the country and the world with an all-time record 37,866 finishers last year.