Mankato Marathon
The Lowdown
The Mankato Marathon is an annual Boston-qualifying marathon held each October in Mankato, Minnesota, first run in 2010 and presented by Mayo Clinic Health System since 2011. The 2026 edition debuts new courses billed as scenic, faster, and flatter, tracing Mankato's trails and the Minnesota River Valley before finishing in the heart of City Center Mankato. Race weekend opens Friday evening with a 5K and KidsK, followed Saturday by the full marathon, half marathon, 10K, and marathon relay, plus multi-race "Kato Challenge" combos pairing the 5K with a longer distance. The full marathon starts at 7:20 AM from 417 Poplar Street, is USATF certified, carries a 6-hour-15-minute time limit, and caps the field at 500 runners. Race weekend also includes the Scheels Wellness Expo, official gear-check bags, 15 aid stations along the course, and a free shuttle to the start, with roughly 5,000 runners across all events.
Race Day
Weather Forecast
Elevation
Terrain Profile
Relatively flat course
Participants
Field Size
Intimate field
Crowd Rating
Spectator Support
Crowd data unavailable
Boston Qualifier
This race is a certified Boston Marathon qualifying event. Achieve your qualifying standard here on a verified course.
417 Poplar Street / All-Sports Dome (start)
City Center Mankato (finish)
Minnesota River Valley
Mankato trail system
Other distances available during the event weekend:
417 Poplar Street, Mankato, Minnesota, USA
US
Average rate for 3-star accommodations near the start line
Entry Methods
- Online registration via Race Roster
- In-person registration at the Friday Scheels Wellness Expo and Saturday morning at the start line
First run in 2010; Mayo Clinic Health System has been the presenting sponsor since 2011.
Course redesigned for 2026 ("Scenic. Faster. Flatter."); prior editions (through 2025) used a different route that included Minnesota State University, Mankato, the Red Jacket Trail, Mount Kato, Sibley Park, the Blue Earth River, and a finish on historic Front Street -- those legacy landmarks may not apply to the new 2026 course.
Roughly 5,000 runners participate across all race-weekend events combined (full marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, relay, KidsK); the full marathon itself is capped at 500 entrants.
Men's course record 2:29:26 (Jacob Gallagher, 2017); women's course record 2:58:18 (Amy Halseth, 2013) -- both set on the pre-2026 course.
15 aid stations on course with water, Gatorade, ice, GU Energy Gel, bars, and oranges.
Official drop bags (Mayo Clinic Health System bags only) available for marathon, half marathon, first relay leg runner, and 10K participants.
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Community
Stories, tips, and race-day snapshots from runners who have tackled this course.
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