2009 Minnesota Marathon & Half Marathon

Status - Certification in Progress

select courses - done
preliminary measure to validate courses - done
adjust courses as necessary to achieve alignment of start/finish lines - done
measure course (twice) - done and done
build maps - done
fill out certification paperwork - in progress
mark courses & validate wording for splits
turn in certification paperwork
receive certification numbers
build webpage describing course - in progress

Marathon: USATF Certified Course MN-????-RR.

Half Marathon: USATF Certified Course MN-????-RR.

Course Description

Both starting lines are near the intersection of Portland Ave and S 2nd St in Minneapolis, MN.

Runners are allowed full width of the streets
The starting line for the half marathon is aligned with the stop sign post for north west bound traffic on S 2nd St at Portland Ave.
The starting line for the marathon is aligned with the southern edge of the building at 600 S 2nd St.

The two courses have starting lines within 50m of each other and have the same finish line. The half marathon course follows the marathon course with an early turnaround. The remainder of the course description will be of the marathon course, with the early turnaround for the half marathon noted..

The course proceeds SE along S 2nd St
turn left (NE) on 11th Ave S
turn left (NW) on W River Pkwy
go past the finish line
turn right (E) on W Broadway St
turn right (SE) on Marshall St NE
turn left (NE) on 3rd Ave NE
turn right (SE) on 2nd St NE
turn right (SW) on 1st Ave NE
turn left (SE) on Main St NE
turn right (SW) on 6th Ave SE
cross the Mississippi River on the Stone Arch Bridge
turn left (SW) as you enter the parking lot at the end of the bridge
turn left (SE) on W River Pkwy
go past the finish line in the other direction
runners are restricted to the half of the road where cars would travel in the same direction from this point on, unless noted
turn right (W) on E 32nd St -- runners have full width
turn left (S) on Edmund Blvd -- runners have full width
turn right (E) on E33rd St -- runners have full width
Half Marathon turns left (N) on W River Pkwy - Marathon turns right (S) on W River Pkwy
W River Pkwy bends west and becomes Godfrey Rd
at the roundabout, go against traffic to take the Minnehaha Ave to the south (not around the roundabout like a car would)
prior to getting to Hiawatha there is a parking lot on the right. prior to that parking lot, the bike path crosses Minnehaha Ave. Turn right (SE) onto the bike path.
veer right when the bike path branches after passing the parking lot
cross Minnehaha Ave
follow the unnamed road (S) on the east side of Hiawatha to the cul-de-sac
enter the bike path adjacent to Hiawatha continuing south
turn left (E) into the parking lot access road for Fort Snelling
traverse the left edge of the parking lot
turn left (E) on the road towards old Fort Snelling
after crossing over 5, turn right (SW) on the first bike path
just east of where 5 crosses the road to the Mendota Bridge, turn left (NE) onto another bike path
at the bottom of the steep hill, turn right (SW) onto another bike path
stay to the right when the bike path merges with road
when the bike path starts up again (underneath 55), take the bike path parallel to the road
veer right (SW) onto the dirt road at the NW corner of Snelling Lake
veer left to cross the asphalt road and continue on the dirt road (near the ranger station)
turn left (E) onto the bike path that parallels the Minnesota River
cross the asphalt road on the bike path
cross the causeway/bridge at the N end of Snelling Lake on the bike path
at the end of the causeway/bridge, veer right onto the asphalt road, staying left in the coned off lane
after going under 55, continue on (retracing steps), entering the bike path at the end of the road
continue retracing steps until the bike path branches (at the foot of the steep hill)
continue straight (instead of retracing steps up the steep hill)
cross Minnehaha Ave on the bike path
continue to the right where the bike paths join (retracing steps)
traverse the left edge of the parking lot
turn left (NW) onto Minnehaha Ave
at the roundabout, turn right (E) onto Godfrey Rd
Godfrey Rd turns left and becomes W River Pkwy going north
at E 33rd St, the Half Marathon joins, with everyone going north on W River Pkwy
finish on W River Pkwy, north of 11th Ave S at parking meter WRP-32

Course Maps

Certification maps (pdf)
Google earth (kml)
Course Overview - Marathon (jpg) - Half Marathon (jpg)
Start Line - Marathon (jpg) - Half Marathon (jpg)
Upper Loop - Marthon (jpg) - Half Marathon (jpg)
Middle Section - Marathon (jpg) - Half Marathon (jpg)
Half Marathon Turnaround - Marathon (jpg) - Half Marathon (jpg)
Lower Section - Marathon (jpg)
Roundabout - Marathon (jpg)
end of Minnehaha - Marathon (jpg)
Fort Snelling - Marathon (jpg)
Snelling Lake - Marathon (jpg)
Common Finish (jpg)

Exact Locations of Marathon Course Marks

Start: on S 2nd St, SE of Portland Ave at the SE edge of the building at 600 2nd St. PK nail at the street.
1 mile: on W River Pkwy, 16 m south of the Island around the support pillars for the Central Ave NE overpass
2 mile: on W River Pkwy, south of Plymouth Ave. Count 5 trees on the west side of the road back from the traffic island or 10m north of the southernmost driveway to the parking lot on the east side of the road.
3 mile: on Marshall St NE, 7m south of 11th Ave NE
4 mile: on Main St NE, at the north edge of the north crosswalk at E Hennepin Ave
5 mile: on the Stone Arch Bridge, 20m east of the east edge of the road next to the lock that passes under the Stone Arch Bridge
6 mile: on W River Pkwy, south of 10th Ave SE overpass and 72m north of Dinky Town Trail overpass
7 mile: on W River Pkwy, east of S 4th St and west of I94, 560m east of 25 mile marker
8 mile: on W River Pkwy, 46m south of south edge of E 25th St
9 mile: on W River Pkwy, south of Marshall Ave, 29m south of south edge of sidewalk to large building
10 mile: on W River Pkwy, 51m south of south edge of south crosswalk at E 38th St
11 mile: on W River Pkwy, south of E 44th St and directly across from the centerline of the northern entrance to the parking lot at Lock and Dam road north of Ford Pkwy.
12 mile: on Minnehaha Ave, south of 46th Ave S, 60m south of the south edge of the bike path crossing
13 mile: on trail next to ramp from westbound 62 (Crosstown Hwy) to northbound 55 (Hiawatha Ave), 9m south of first light pole north of the north edge of large building on the east side
14 mile: on trail next to 5, 75m south of right turn away from old Fort Snelling
15 mile: on dirt road on west side of Lake Snelling, 293m south of where dirt road begins, or 50m south of where large, over-road, sign on 5, up on the bluff.
16 mile: on the path along the Minnesota River, east of the ranger station. From the gravel road by the ranger station, the path goes straight, turns left, then straight (paralleling the river). Where the first power line crosses the path (just before the path starts to wiggle right then left to get closer to the river).
17 mile: on trail at east end of bridge across Lake Snelling
18 mile: on trail next to Mississippi River, 295m west of 5 overpass (west 7th extended). Near stone fort wall on bluff
19 mile: on trail next to dog park, 98m south of trail gate near Minnehaha Ave (or 130m south of Minnehaha Ave)
20 mile: on Minnehaha Ave, 4m north of the north edge of the island forming the parking lot across from the rail road station building.
21 mile: on W River Pkwy, south of E 42nd St and north of E 44th St, 3m south of the light pole on the east side of the road at the south edge of the winding driveway to the west.
22 mile: on W River Pkwy, 3 m north of north edge of north crosswalk at E 36th St
23 mile: on W River Pkwy, 23m south of south edge of sidewalk on south side of E 29th St. Aligned with 46th Ave S
24 mile: on W River Pkwy, south of E Franklin Ave, 114m south of south edge of southern exit ramp from WRP.
25 mile: on W River Pkwy, 3m east of the east edge of S 4th St
26 mile: on W River Pkwy, east of 11th Ave S, 20m west of the edge of the Red Cross building on the south side
Finish: on W River Pkwy, north of 11th Ave S, at parking meter WRP-32

Exact Locations of Half Marathon Course Marks

Start: on S 2nd St, at the stop sign pole for traffic going NW on S 2nd St at Portland Ave
1 mile: on W River Pkwy, at south edge of first parking lane on north side of road north of Portland Ave
2 mile: on W River Pkwy, north of River St and 75m south of south driveway to first parking lot south of Plymouth Ave N
3 mile: on Broadway St NE, at the corner with Marshall St NE
4 mile: on Main St NE, at the corner with 1st Ave NE
5 mile: on the Stone Arch Bridge, above the river edge of the lock
6 mile: on W River Pkwy, 33m east of the east edge of 10th Ave bridge
7 mile: on W River Pkwy, half way between S 4th St and I94 bridge, 5m west of west end of river wall
8 mile: on W River Pkwy, 16m north of north edge of north crosswalk at E 25th St
9 mile: on W River Pkwy, 13m south of south edge of south entrance ramp from Marshall Ave
10 mile: on W River Pkwy, 4m north of north edge of driveway to 2836 W River Pkwy
11 mile: on W River Pkwy, just south of Franklin Ave bridge, 25m north of southernmost tip if road island
12 mile: on W River Pkwy, 155m west of west edge of S 4th St
13 mile: on W River Pkwy, 25m northwest of the west edge of 11th Ave S
Finish: on W River Pkwy, north of 11th Ave S, at parking meter WRP-32

Required Cones

From the finish line south on W River Pkwy, Godfrey Ave and Minnehaha Ave, cones must be placed on the road centerline (2-way traffic). Marathon and Half Marathon runners go in the same direction as car traffic. Exceptions
- at the finish line, the first time runners go by (on the way north), they have full use of the road from 11th Ave S to the finish line. By the time they come back going south, the road must be coned down the middle, starting just to the north of the finish line (to get them to merge over into the west half of the road) then down the centerline to11th Ave S. All other cones on W River Pkwy can be placed prior to race start.
- at the roundabout at Godfrey Ave and Minnehaha Ave, cone so the runners going in both directions use the single lane on the SE part of the roundabout (runners going out will be running against the traffic flow for vehicles). Cone this single lane in half to accomplish this.
across W River Pkwy at E 32nd St to ensure runners make the turn (and don't keep going south on W River Pkwy)
the bike path from Minnehaha (near Hiawatha), and along the parking lot, must be coned down the middle (2-way traffic), all the way to where the path Ys.
the bike path at the foot of the steep hill in Fort Snelling Park must be coned down the middle (2-way traffic).
the asphalt road in Fort Snelling Park that goes under 55 must be coned on the north side. The eastern part has 2 running lanes (2-way traffic) and the rest (from 55 to the north end of Lake Snelling) has one running lane. Use 4' lane widths.

Recommended Cones

at the parking lot at the end of the Stone Arch Bridge - to make sure runners take the turn
at all bike path entrances/exits - to encourage runners to not trip over the raised curbs at the edges of the bike paths

Recommended Starting Procedure when both courses are used

cone S 2nd St down the middle to create two lanes, from before the half marathon start to about 800 S 2nd St.
Have the half marathon start in the west lane at their starting line and the marathon start in the east lane at their starting line.
Everyone is restricted by the cones to stay in their lane until about 800 S 2nd St. Then let them merge.
Use either marathon or half marathon mile markers up to the half marathon turnaround (the difference is small, and only noticeable at mile 1 and at the first mile marker after the half marathon turnaround.

This information available online at twincitiesracewalkers.org/courses/2009MinneapolisMarathon+Half