The race is completely flat, as far as I'm concerned. I've read repeatedly about the incline up…read moreSummit Ave. around mile 20. But other than about a short hill a block long, I don't recall any other "hills". (Keep in mind, this, coming from a San Franciscan.) The tour of the lakes was a treat, as was the various neighborhoods the course wound through. Out of the 35+ races I've done, this is my favorite, thus far. I'm a big fan of well-organized races that are smaller and more low-key. But I forget how a huge amount of support can help. I have never done a race with this many spectators lined up from beginning to end, cheering for YOU. After awhile, you zone out--especially in those latter miles when all you want to do is finish--but whether you realize it or not, their enthusiasm certainly keeps your morale up. Thank you, MSP, for your Midwestern hospitality!

I had a great experience running the Twin Cities Marathon this year-so glad I signed up!…read more Email updates were helpful and timely, my corral placement (there were 3 and I was placed in 2) was fair, and I love that I didn't need to enter a lottery to enter like I had to for Chicago last year. The expo (held at the St. Paul RiverCentre this year) was busy but pretty well-organized, if you knew to head past all of the booths to the packet pick-up. Participants had to self-scan their bibs to activate the timing chip, but that only took a second and there wasn't much of a line. Wide variety of cool running apparel/gear and marathon essentials sold, along with lots of freebies (yay Clif bar samples, Caribou coffee, and other swag). I found this expo much less stressful than Chicago's. The race course is absolutely beautiful, taking you from downtown Minneapolis to St. Paul. After some hard-core googling for previous marathoners' accounts of this race, I psyched myself out about hills, especially on Summit Ave. My take on this after running the race: don't worry! There are some hills, but nothing crazy, and the course is quite flat for the most part (and there's an downhill finish that makes you feel amazing crossing the finish line). Running around the lakes was probably my favorite part. Crowd support was amazing (lots of funny signs, kids offering high fives, and nice spectators offering hugs/water/donuts/beer/fruit/etc.), and the volunteers made the race go super smoothly! Powerade/water stations were labeled clearly and staggered appropriately every few miles (along with port-a-potties), and the post-race refueling options were great (bananas, fruit cups, chocolate milk, soup, coffee, water, chips, nut rolls, etc.). Got an emergency blanket, and the finisher medal and long-sleeved tech shirt I received are pretty and of good quality, too! I also love that as a spectator or runner, you can sign up to receive mobile text notifications on up to 3 runners-that way you know when runners pass certain points and finish the race! My results were also available by the time I got back home from the race, and the photos should be up within a few days. (Instant gratification is my fave!) Would definitely return to attempt a PR on this marathon. Highly recommend for marathon newbies or veterans!

We booked a private party for adults at Pro Kart and had an awesome experience from start to…read morefinish. The booking process was super easy, straightforward, and pleasant. They send the check-in form ahead of time, so once you arrive it's quick and seamless, no standing around filling out paperwork. You can bring your own helmet or use one of theirs, which is nice, and I loved that you can choose between different course and race options. We booked the Grand Prix package and it was perfect. Tons of lap time, a great mix of practice, qualifying, and racing, and plenty of time actually on the track. They also have an option to show up and drive also for spontaneous dates. The karts themselves are great. Fast, gas-powered, and really fun to drive. The track setup is well designed and makes the racing feel legit, not gimmicky. One of the best parts was getting to see all the stats afterward, lap times, rankings, and performance breakdowns. It adds a competitive edge that makes it even more fun for a group. The staff were super friendly and helpful throughout the whole experience, and everything ran smoothly. This is such a great option for adult group events, birthdays, or date night. We would absolutely do this again.

First time visit! I was super intimidated going on the track especially figuring out the helmet,…read morecart, and remember the flag colors but the staff is helpful, easy going, and attentive. I felt like I got plenty of track time and overall a fun experience!

The "FitnessGram PACER Test" is a multi-stage aerobic capacity test where participants run back and…read moreforth across a 20-meter or 15-meter distance, completing a lap each time a beep sounds. The pace starts slow but gets faster every minute. The test ends when you fail to get across the line twice. Oh and I like raec

got left at the track by a friend after hours, the owners of the bar and elko speedway were super…read moresweet and helped me out! shout out Mikey aswell for keeping me company while we waited for my friend. such a positive overall experience!!! an absolute must "come back" !!!!

It was kids night and they had all the cars out on the track, then let everyone walk on the track…read moreand interact with the drivers who were giving out candy and autographed pictures of themselves. Fun! I knew the track was mud, but how cool to actually walk on it! Kids under 16 were free and everyone was was $15 to get in for hours and hours (we were done around 9:30/10 of entertainment. They even threw out candy to the people in the stands at one point! I can't quite explain the cars, but there were four "classes" who raised 20 laps around the track, stopping when there were crack ups. Some of the bleachers had backs to them, which was nice. There was an indoor bar and food area with typical fast food style food and fairly cheap drinks ($6 for a mixed drink.) Parking was free and they left us with a schedule for the rest of the season to hang up in our house. Bring your ear protection, it's loud! Also bring your eye protection, it's dusty! Bring layers as it gets cold when the sun goes down. Otherwise, stop by and try out something new!

The website said that coolers were allowed, and that nobody will be turned away. These were good…read moreto know, as we were able to get tickets right at the gate and came stocked with bug spray, sunscreen, and some snacks and sodas. This place is very popular. There's parking on both sides, and since we arrived a little late, we were waved towards the back side and then had to go all the way to the back of that lot. It was a good five minute walk from our car to the ticket booth. There are grandstands on both sides, and bathroom/concession facilities. It's open seating. I recommend going far away from the gate because it's less crowded the further you go. The racing was really well-run. They have the next round lined up and ready to go as soon as the previous one finishes. There's a winner's interview, which is nice because it helps give you an idea of who everyone is and what they thought of that race. The caution procedures are very clear and orderly. I've been to other places where it takes ten minutes to get everything reset. There's a big screen with the camera feed and a lap count, and another screen with scoreboard and lap times. I couldn't read the scoreboard too well until the sun went down. I was way over on the other side by turn 3, though. Speaking of the sun, it was still up for an hour or so once they start, and the backstretch is directly into the sun. I would've brought some hats in retrospect.

I love this race. I've only run it once, but having downtown Minneapolis shut down to allow folks…read moreto run a fast road race was a blast! Runners are broken up into various waves. I was in the 40+ masters wave, and was able to nearly toe the line. Some slower milers were up front as well, so that would be a strike against the organizers. Each 1/4 mile is marked off with a timing split, tho I somehow missed the first 1/4 mile marker. Not sure what happened there. Maybe the haze of lactic acid build up was messing with my vision? After you are finished, you can watch the elite women and men race. I feel fortunate that I've seen 5 or 6 people race a mile in under four minutes by attending this race. Not too many people can say that, you know

Enjoyed walking around looking at all of the art. There is so much talent in the Twin Cities!…read moreJumped in on some Zumba too! And of course what's a festival without food. I stuck with the basics of corn, corn dog and churro. Prices seemed high but sadly food costs are on the rise. Can't wait until next year!

6.21.26 If I liked snow and brutally freezing weather, I would move here. All the green spaces…read moreencourages you to get up and move, get outside, smell the roses and get your vitamin D on. From the music to art festivals, everything is FREE. Though....parking is a bit challenging. Nonetheless, I would do it again and again. Weather was perfect 73 degrees People, hmmm...I am impressed on so many levels. For 1 they support the Somalian community and they stand for what is just and fair. Its funny, my friend of 52 years asked me, what are we doing this year, I said Cruise, Jamaica, Mexico...she said how about Minnesota. I said what's in Minnesota? And that's when I went down the rabbit hole and did my research. I can honestly say, I'm glad I was too busy to plan our annual trip this year. She did it all, I just had to send my money. From a ferry down the Mississippi river, to several lakes, downtown Minneapolis, Paisley Park, Mall of America to sooo much more. I would like to come back, but there is so much more on my bucket list to double back. Cheers to Minnesota and all its fabulousness!

Replying to one star comment on here. You probably won't ever read this. But I'm sorry you had a…read morebad experience. Hobby grade RC is really far from toys for kids. It may have evolved from adults who still love toys and you may see it that way because of the scale details. But it's a very involved hobby. And if the parent isn't willing to get involved, the kid has no chance. I challenge you to do a little homework and get a car yourself. That is honestly the only way to take the hobby seriously. But with all that aside, I showed up as a very nervous adult who has never driven RC drift before. I brought my own car that I had just set up and they were more than helpful to answer any questions. I can't remember the pricing exactly but I was surprised, it is very reasonable. A seasoned patron was there, and he was even more helpful! I begrudgingly asked him to borrow his tools to move my motor from stock position to up high. He basically grabbed my car, did it for me and we chatted the whole time. I had a great experience. Thanks Ken G!!! They also rent cars, if I would've known that, I would've checked this place out a lot sooner. But I wanted to finish my car and get it somewhat ready to tune. So with that being said, I highly highly highly recommend this place for anybody into any type of RC or looking to get into a new fun somewhat involved, VERY rewarding Hobby.

This is clearly not for kids, even though it looks like it should be. The employees were not good…read morewith kids and kept talking about how expensive their cars were, stressing out my child. Poor customer service. Unreliable cars. Boring track. Not recommended.

One of the many things I love about the state fair is that you can either go and have the same…read moreexact experience or each time can be completely new. From the food to performances, you can stick with the staples or mix things up entirely. I'm forever in awe of the logistics of the fair. Starting with the park and rides. One of my drivers lives in Missouri and comes to Minnesota ever August for two weeks to work the fair. To the different buildings, like the creative arts competitions. To all the animals and the logistics of keeping both the FFA/4Hers and animals feed and happy is no small feat. Through the rain to blazing temperatures. I absolutely love the fair and all the grandstand, roast corn, and new food vendors have to offer.

My first time at the State Fair and it did not disappoint…read more Things we did that helped our group have a great time: Attend during the week if possible. The crowd is much smaller than the weekends. Very few long lines for food or rides. We parked across the street at a school and paid a small parking fee. It was a short walk to the entrance and at the end of the day, you want a short walk back to the car. We brought water, lots of water. It's hot and food and beverages can be expensive. Dress cool. Denim is not your friend with the heat and humidity. We wrote down new food options we wanted to try ahead of time as there are hundreds of food and beverage stands throughout the fair. We only found one of the new food options which was disappointing but we still ate all kinds of yummy treats. We rode the skyway to the other side of the fairgrounds snd worked our way back to the front. There are an abundance of alcoholic beverage buildings throughout the fair and they don't care if you walk around the fair with alcohol. All of the animal exhibits were wonderful. Beautiful animals. Especially the birthing building. How lucky were we to view a live birth! There are so many craft and food exhibitions. However, all of the buildings are hot. No air conditioning. It was difficult to spend too much time in any one building which was disappointing. If you are with a larger group such as us, we only bought a couple of food items and shared amongst the group so we could try more items. The rides and carnival games were meh. I could skip this entire section next year. Loved that there were plenty of security guards throughout the fair. I think this helped quite a bit with crowd control. Especially the evening. A variety of shopping available with deals including pontoons, clothes, docks, RV's etc. There were various music venues scattered through the fairgrounds. All the bands were heard were excellent. Especially in the international section. All the staff we interacted with were very nice. Overall we had a nice time. Would definitely attend in the future.

actually insane that i did this…read more as someone who doesn't workout (like i literally just walked around lakes everyday for a week to "train" for this) this wasn't as bad as i thought it was gonna be. i did all of the obstacle courses except for tear gas and electric shock. luckily i was with the HOTWORX team so it helped a lot since you really need boosts to complete a few. i was fully prepared to just check this off once but i would do it again.