Record-Setter Dominic Ondoro Looks for Third Straight Victory in 36th Annual Event
St. Paul, Minn. – September 18, 2017 – Kenya’s Dominic Ondoro, who shattered Phil Coppess’ long-standing men’s event record at last year’s Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, is set to return to this year’s race on October 1 with sights on becoming only the second runner to win the event three years in a row.
It won’t be easy for Ondoro to join fellow countryman Andrew Musuva (1997-1999) as a three-time Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon champion, however; returning to the Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America® is 2016 runner-up Elisa Barno of Kenya, a three-time Grandma’s Marathon champion and the third-fastest runner in Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon history.
The top three runners from 2016 will return in the women’s competition. Defending champion Jane Kibii of Kenya is back with hopes of becoming only the third woman to win back-to-back Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon titles. Also returning are last year’s runner-up Sarah Kiptoo of Kenya, the Grandma’s Marathon record-holder, and Ethiopia’s Serkalem Abrha, the 2015 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Champion, who finished third a year ago.
Professional runners at this year’s Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon will race for a $69,500 prize purse, plus a pair of $25,000 event record bonuses, if the winners break Ondoro’s men’s mark of 2:08:51 or the women’s record of 2:26:51 shared by Russians Zinaida Semenova (2001) and Irina Permitina (2004).
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend kicks off at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 29, with opening of the Health & Fitness Expo at Saint Paul RiverCentre. The expo, which runs through Saturday evening, features more than 100 exhibitors, a full schedule of free presentations, and packet pick up for the weekend’s races.
30,000 people are expected to participate in running events held Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1. Saturday events at the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul include the TC 10K, the TC 5K, presented by Fredrikson & Byron, and the Medtronic TC Family Events.
The Medtronic TC 10 Mile, known as the Shortcut to the Capitol®, starts in downtown Minneapolis and kicks off the Sunday races at approximately 6:54 a.m. The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon follows at 7:55 a.m. This marks the signature race’s 36th year serving as the Twin Cities’ premier marathon.
