![Runners had a perfect day for a Marathon creating a blur of bodies in motion for the start in downtown Minneapolis.Nick Arciniaga won the 2013 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. ] BRIAN PETERSON • brianp@startribune.com St. Paul, MN - 10/06//2013](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/SCR2YWPVGL7GPBQTZ4FXCKPAHM.jpg?&w=1080)
Marathoners took over two major cities, running a friendly 26.2-mile gantlet on what has become a colorful early-fall spectacle.
![Runners had a perfect day for a Marathon creating a sea of humanity for the start in downtown Minneapolis. Nick Arciniaga won the 2013 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. ] BRIAN PETERSON • brianp@startribune.com St. Paul, MN - 10/06//2013](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/ZX7DGXJ34LZXNM5AKV5THQJXOU.jpg?&w=1080)
The faster runners later would separate themselves from the pack, but all marathon entrants were bunched at the start on a crisp Sunday morming. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
![Bethel University senior Ethan Blankespoor directed runners to water being distributed by other volunteers, just past the the 19 mile mark in Minneapolis. ] (JIM GEHRZ/STAR TRIBUNE) / October 6, 2013, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – BACKGROUND INFO- About 12,000 runners were expected to participate in the annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. The 26.2 mile course began in downtown Minneapolis and ended at the state capitol in St. Paul. Several hundred thousand spectators were expe](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/JHCBQ3TGK7GPHVCWLHCGHSWSB4.jpg?&w=1080)
Ethan Blankespoor showed that he could lead a marathoner to water. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
![Chad Johnson, Corydon, ID, concentrated at the 3 mile mark in Minneapolis. ] (JIM GEHRZ/STAR TRIBUNE) / October 6, 2013, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – BACKGROUND INFO- About 12,000 runners were expected to participate in the annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. The 26.2 mile course began in downtown Minneapolis and ended at the state capitol in St. Paul. Several hundred thousand spectators were expected to witness the event and to cheer runners on along the course as well. The](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/JETFOAJAV5OFHWTS2AX66WVOOI.jpg?&w=1080)
Wheelchair racer Chad Johnson put his head down and surged forward at the 3-mile mark in Minneapolis. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
![The signs of fall were evident in the Kenwood neighborhood in Minneapolis, as runners passed by leaves along the street along the marathon course. ] (JIM GEHRZ/STAR TRIBUNE) / October 6, 2013, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – BACKGROUND INFO- About 12,000 runners were expected to participate in the annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. The 26.2 mile course began in downtown Minneapolis and ended at the state capitol in St. Paul. Several hundred thousand spectators were expected to](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/GL6P3C5CYUZRBWMXMLSHATVCD4.jpg?&w=1080)
The signs of fall were evident in the Kenwood neighborhood in Minneapolis, as runners passed by leaves along the street along the marathon course. ] (JIM GEHRZ/STAR TRIBUNE) / October 6, 2013, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – BACKGROUND INFO- About 12,000 runners were expected to participate in the annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. The 26.2 mile course began in downtown Minneapolis and ended at the state capitol in St. Paul. Several hundred thousand spectators were expected to witness the event and to cheer runners on along the course as well. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
