Med City Marathon 2026

Rochester, MN — 30 Years of the Midwest's Fastest Growing Marathon

The Med City Marathon presented by ActivePT celebrates its 30th anniversary over the weekend of May 16–17, 2026 in Rochester, Minnesota — home of the Mayo Clinic. The full marathon is now a USATF-certified Boston Qualifier, ranked the 2nd fastest marathon course in Minnesota (Course Score 99.55). Shuttle buses depart from downtown Rochester starting at 5:20 AM, ferrying runners to the start near the RST airport. The brand-new finish line is in the heart of downtown Rochester, with a full Finish Line Festival and live band.

Weekend highlights: Saturday May 16 — Health Street Expo (2–6:30PM, Historic Chateau Theater/Peace Plaza, packet pickup), Altra 5K evening race on the Zumbro trails into a closed-off downtown with free beer & live music. Sunday May 17 — Full Marathon, GPC Half (Minnesota's fastest!), Med City 20 Mile and Relay races all launch from near the RST airport starting at 7:00 AM (20 Milers start earlier at 7:15 AM from a separate point).

26.2 miMarathon BQ (USATF)

30thAnniversary 2026

#2Fastest course MN

7:00 AMSunday start

"30 years of running Rochester — from farmland panoramas near the airport to the Zumbro River trail system, through tree-lined neighborhoods and parks, finishing in the heart of downtown. The Med City Marathon is Minnesota's most exciting spring race weekend."

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Full Marathon course — RST Airport → Downtown : Starts at Rochester International Event Center (7333 Airport View Dr SW), follows county roads through picturesque farmlands and wooded forests on a gentle downgrade → links to the Zumbro River trail system → cuts through tree-lined Rochester neighborhoods, parks and city center → finishes in downtown Rochester. Marathon time limit: 6h. Boston Qualifier. USATF certified. Relay exchange zones at ~mi 6.8, 13.5 and 20.

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Med City Block Party & Finish Festivals : Saturday 5K — Karate Chop & Silence live, 6:30–8:30PM, free beer (21+), "Fastest Wheels Competition" sprint finish. Sunday Marathon Finish — band Amateur on the main stage. Saturday Expo — Loud Mouth Brass live 3:00–5:00PM, Peace Plaza. Bag drop sponsored by Two Men and a Truck at the Sunday start line.

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Rochester, MN (55902, Olmsted County) — Home of the Mayo Clinic, one of the world's leading medical research institutions. Population 125,000. Packet pickup: Saturday May 16, 2:00–7:00PM, Historic Chateau Theater, 15 1st St SW. Sunday morning: 5:30AM at start (7333 Airport View Dr). Free downtown parking + shuttle to start. Access: RST Airport (Rochester) for direct flights; MSP Minneapolis airport (90 mi). No walk-up registration on Sunday.

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Road Running Shoes & Gear — i-Run

Lightweight road shoes for Minnesota's 2nd fastest marathon course — Zumbro River trails + downtown Rochester finish: i-Run, running specialist. Ships worldwide.

Shop i-Run →

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Official Results

Full results on mtecresults — Marathon · Half · 20 Mile · Relay · 5K — May 16–17, Rochester MN.

mtecresults →

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Official Site

medcitymarathonmn.com

Course maps, race-day logistics, expo, block party, relay info and all 2026 Med City Marathon details.

medcitymarathonmn.com →

Race Weekend — May 16–17, 2026

Event	Distance / Start	Details
Altra 5K NEW FINISHSAT	5K — SAT Evening	Zumbro trails → closed downtown · Free beer (21+) · Live bands · Sprint finish timed
Full Marathon BQSUN	26.2 mi — 7:00 AM	USATF · RST Airport → Zumbro River → Downtown · 6h limit · #2 fastest course MN
GPC Half Marathon SUN	13.1 mi — 7:00 AM	MN's FASTEST half · Downhill feel · USATF · Same Zumbro trail system
Med City 20 Mile SUN	20 mi — 7:15 AM	Separate start (6.2mi ahead) · 5h limit · Great BM training race · Downtown finish
Marathon & Half Relays RELAYSUN	2 or 4 person teams	Marathon Relay (2-person half each; 4-person ~6.5mi each) · Half Relay (2-person)
Health Street Expo SAT	2:00–7:00 PM	Historic Chateau Theater / Peace Plaza · Packet pickup · Loud Mouth Brass 3–5PM

Med City Marathon 2026 — Results, Live