Twin Cities Marathon

Twin Cities Marathon

Thousands of runners are pounding the pavement for the 28th annual Twin Cities marathon. The first runners passed the starting line near the Metrodome at about 8:00 a.m. Sunday. The marathon takes runners from downtown Minneapolis through several city neighborhoods until reaching the finish line at the state Capitol in St. Paul Organizers bill their 26.2-mile course as the most beautiful urban marathon. The event also includes a separate 10-mile race. This year's race includes 30 women who competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials. On the men's side, the field includes a Stillwater man who has already qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic marathon trials.

At stake: Four of the races are for U.S. championships, the men's 10-mile run, the women's marathon and the men's and women's masters marathons. Any woman running the marathon in 2 hours, 46 minutes or under qualifies for 2012 U.S. Olympic trials. Purse is $260,000; men's and women's winners each earn $25,000.

About the field: The oldest runner is Lloyd Young, 86, the youngest is Olivia Verhoye, 14. Thirty-one percent of the entrants (3,617) are running their first marathon. There are runners from every state and 21 countries. Men's favorites: Stephen Loruo, Coon Rapids (personal best, 2:10.46); Grigoriy Andreev, Ufa, Russia (2:11.01); Augustus Kavutu, Mwingi, Kenya (2:11.39).