Anyone been there and done that?
Anyone been there and done that?
fat hill at ~21... bad timing...
It's not a big hill at 21, people make way too much of that. Miles 21-25 are slightly uphill. Flat to rolling course, last 2 years weather has been 45-55. Great crowds.
I heard people mention there was a hill, but I ran this course and don't remember any hill. The people that call it a hill must be from an incredibly flat area.
The early miles are great, huge fan support. The lakes area is like running down a corridor with screaming and clapping fans all along. Very inspiring and impressive from the people of Minneapolis.
Those hills mentioned earlier are as tough as indicated. The run into the finish line is great.
Here's the deal:
If you're having a great day, still rolling after 20 miles, you'll barely notice the climb on Summit Avenue. It's that gradual.
If the wheels are coming off, Summit Ave. can be a bitch. Seems like you're climbing a mountain.
Moral of the story: run smart. Don't go out too hard. Save a little for the last 10k.
Much like Boston, TCM can be a fast course - if you run it right.
First half has a few slight rises, but mostly flat and pretty sheltered from any winds (prevailing winds are north/south).
There is a slight rise just before 14 miles that goes on for about 400 metres, if you're fine it's no problem, if you're having a bad day this is where you might find out first. Then you get another 6.5 miles of basically flat running going north on the west bank of Mississippi river(slight rise up to a bridge at 19 miles). Between 20 and 21 miles you have the steepest hill of the race. Again, if you're running fine and have held something in reserve for this section it's not a problem. If you're beginning to bite it, it could hurt. There is a very gradual climb up Summit Ave for 2 miles to 23 miles, then 2 miles of gradual downhill. Around 25 miles there are some short rises which might hurt, and then a gently sloping downhill to the finish.
The temperatures are generally ideal at Twin Cities, and if you hold a little bit back for the climb between 20 and 23 miles you can run a good time on this course.
The course map, with elevation chart is here:
http://www.twincitiesmarathon.org/twincities/pdf/TCM%20Map%2004.pdf
You climb 160 feet in 3 miles, then lose half of that in the last 3.
Hey, thanks for all of the tips, everyone!
What % grade would you guess that the hill at 21 is?
Look for the guy that runs the TC Marathon every year barefoot. I saw him a couple of years ago and someone told me that he's been doing it for years. No idea on his name and he was running around 3 hr pace when I saw him.
His name is Dean Laiti...fairly fast local guy. He always races barefoot...hence the nickname Barefoot Dean. Tiny guy, so that might explain why he's able to do that. Nice guy too. When he's not racing, he's usually out taking pictures for his running club at the races.