Twin Cities Marathon fully refunding runners after event canceled over heat

Runners who missed out on the chance to participate in this year’s Twin Cities Marathon due to unusually hot conditions at the start of the month received at least a little good news on Friday.

More than two weeks after heat led organizers to cancel the Oct. 1 race just hours before it was set to start, Twin Cities In Motion announced plans to fully refund runners’ race registration fees.

“We understand the race cancellation on October 1 was a difficult and emotional experience. While a registration refund does not replace the experience of a great, safe race and does not necessarily cover all the expenses you incurred for Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend, we are glad to be able to refund your race registration,” the organization said in an email to runners.

The nonprofit says it was able to cover the refunds thanks to event cost savings, insurance coverage, and cash reserves that were approved for use by its board.

Twin Cities in Motion says refunds will be processed through Race Roster, the marathon’s registration partner, to the credit or debit card that runners used in their registration. That refund will only be for the registration cost, not processing fees.

With 20,000 registered runners, the organization says it could take up to six weeks for all refunds to be issued, but the process is expected to get underway next week. Once finalized, runners will get a receipt emailed to them from the Race Roster.

Additionally, runners who were signed up for this year’s marathon and 10-mile events will get “exclusive guaranteed access” to their event next year, and the cost will be the same as it was this year, Twin Cities in Motion says.

The cancellation was disappointing for many runners, primarily because of the timing of the cancellation and the fact that the forecast hadn’t changed in the days leading up to races. Ultimately, organizers determined the temperatures, which reached the upper 80s on race day, were too dangerous to continue the events as planned.

A spokesperson for the Twin Cities Marathon said it was the first time hot weather has canceled the marathon.

“Our priority throughout this process was to do the best possible for you, while remaining an active, vital, and solvent member of the Twin Cities nonprofit community. We’re committed to continuing our efforts to engage people through movement and stewarding the community’s marathon weekend tradition, the organization’s email to runners said in part.