Twin Cities Marathon officials canceled the race early Sunday from Minneapolis to St. Paul when the threat of heat — with forecasted record highs in the 80s and humidity — was deemed too dangerous for participants.
As many as 8,000 runners were set to compete in the 42nd running of the marathon, with 12,000 more in the TC 10 Mile, and thousands of spectators on the streets of both cities.
Sunday's weather conditions elevated the races into black-flag status ("extreme and dangerous conditions"), prompting their cancellation.
In an e-mail early Sunday morning to runners, race organizers said "the latest weather forecast update projects record-setting heat conditions that do not allow a safe event for runners, supporters and volunteers."
Twin Cities in Motion (TCM), organizers of the event, had telegraphed the concern earlier in the week when the races were considered red-flag conditions — extreme caution for runners. When race conditions are deemed to have reached black-flag status, the recommended action is to cancel the event.
TCM's statement continued: "It saddens Twin Cities in Motion and its partners to be unable to hold races that runners have been pointing to for months, but the safety of participants and the community will always be our primary concern."
The overnight low Saturday was in the high 60s, with a Sunday midday high near 89 with mostly sunny skies, according to the National Weather Service.
Regarding refunds for participants, the TCM statement early Sunday morning read: "Please expect an update about possible credit for the cancelled event by end of day Thursday, October 5."
The heat has hit the Twin Cities Marathon before. The 2007 event is the warmest in the race's history, at 74 degrees with 87% humidity at the 8 a.m. start. That same day the Chicago Marathon canceled its race hours into the event, owing to the conditions.
Race organizers were busy Sunday morning connecting with runners, and partners, volunteers and others who help put on the races.
"We're trying to get runners and volunteers back to where they need to go, and then take down everything we built for the event," said TCM communications manager Charlie Mahler.
Runners near the start area for both races early Sunday had a mix of reactions. Some planned to get a run in anyway.
"I came down here and it looked awfully quiet," said Rob Kurak of Lino Lakes.
"I'll go for a run along the river," he added. "I don't get down that often."
"I'm a little sad," said Rebecka Lassen of St. Louis Park. She was warmed up and ready to go, knees covered in kinesiology, or KT, tape. But she said she was already getting warm, and understood the race organizers' caution. "People aren't always the best decision-makers. especially us athletes," Lassen said.
Matt Mousel and Alex Rongstad of Eau Claire were trying to figure out what changed to cancel the races. After a week of red-flag heat warnings, why change to black on the morning of the race? "Of course I'm not a meteorologist but being a runner I pull up the weather every single day," Mousel said.
After training through the summer he had been prepared for the heat. "A lot of the mornings were a lot warmer than this," Mousel said.
Rongstad said he wondered about the runners who spent hundreds or thousands of dollars to fly in for the races. "With the marathon distance it's good to take precautions because, man, it can be a real dire situation in the heat."
Rongstad and Mousel planned to run to St. Paul anyway.
A race official in a neon yellow vest who declined to give his name yelled a warning for runners. There would be no water stations and no medical support.
"You're just entirely going out for a run on your own."
