The verified 2026 shortlist
Eight Minnesota full marathons have current official 2026 date evidence in this shortlist. As of August 20, 2026, two have taken place and six remain on the calendar. This is a curated planning page, not an exhaustive race registry; smaller events can appear, change format or move dates.
Use the official race link before registering or booking travel. Dates, routes, entry availability, start procedures and cutoffs can change after this page is verified.
Which Minnesota marathons are still upcoming?
The remaining 2026 options run from mid-September through mid-October:
- Moose Mountain — September 12. The official guide describes a technical point-to-point trail marathon with 4,050 feet of gain and loss. It is a materially different preparation job from the road events below.
- Ely — September 26. The current registration listing shows a 7:30 a.m. full-marathon start in Ely. Verify the organiser's final participant instructions before travel.
- Twin Cities — October 4. The official weekend page lists an 8:00 a.m. marathon start. The point-to-point route connects Minneapolis and Saint Paul, so transport and finish-area planning matter alongside the training block.
- Bemidji Blue Ox — October 10. The official marathon page lists an 8:30 a.m. start at the Sanford Center, a 275-runner cap and a paved road-and-trail course around Lake Bemidji.
- Mill Towns — October 11. The official site lists a 7:30 a.m. marathon start in Dundas on a certified flat road course. It is one day after Bemidji, so treat the two as alternatives.
- Mankato — October 17. The official full-marathon page lists a 7:20 a.m. start and a new course for 2026. Verify the current course map rather than relying on an older elevation profile.
These races are close together. That makes them alternatives, not a sensible progression for most runners. Pick one primary event and prepare specifically for it.
How to choose among the remaining Minnesota marathons
Start with the constraint that can actually change the decision.
Choose by logistics
Twin Cities is a large point-to-point urban race. Bemidji starts at the Sanford Center and stays around paved roads and trails near Lake Bemidji. Mankato starts early and has announced a new 2026 course. Compare hotel availability, start transport, finish transport, packet pickup and the time needed to reach northern Minnesota before comparing marketing claims.
Choose by course-specific preparation
Do not reduce the choice to a single elevation number. Look for sustained climbs, descending load, turns, exposed sections, surface and where difficult kilometres occur. The relevant question is whether you can practise those demands safely without destabilising the rest of your week.
Choose by runway
From August 20, the remaining races were 23 to 58 days away. Those windows are shorter than a normal first marathon plan. They can fit a runner who already has a stable race-specific base; they are not invitations to compress 16–24 weeks of training.
Use the training start-date calculator for a future event. If the standard start date has passed, decide from current weekly frequency, long-run recovery and recent specific work. Do not repay missing weeks with stacked long runs or extra intensity.
What the completed spring and summer races tell you
Med City and Grandma's are no longer registration options for 2026, but they help clarify the range of Minnesota marathon experiences.
- Med City ran on May 17 in Rochester. The official page describes a point-to-point route from the airport through farmland, wooded roads, river trails and downtown.
- Grandma's ran on June 20 from near Two Harbors to Duluth along Lake Superior. Its official material identifies a rolling, net-downhill point-to-point course.
If one of those formats is the better match, wait for the next officially announced edition instead of forcing an October race that does not fit your preferences or base.
A calm race-selection checklist
- Confirm the full-marathon date on the organiser's current page.
- Check whether registration is actually open and whether a cap or transfer rule applies.
- Read the current course map, not a prior edition's route summary.
- Compare the cutoff with an honest pace range and aid-station stops.
- Check start and finish transport before booking a hotel.
- Count the available weeks from current repeatable training, not from an ideal plan.
- Prefer the race whose demands you can practise safely and consistently.
Once the event is chosen, use the marathon training hub, running pace calculator and marathon fueling planner for the next decision. General training information cannot provide medical clearance or guarantee a finish.
Verification note
Official organiser pages were checked on August 20, 2026. Recheck time-sensitive facts before registration, travel and race week. A listed race is not an endorsement, and omission does not imply that another Minnesota event is invalid.