Chicago Athlete hit the road and headed to the Twin Cities for a weekend full of fitness and fun. These family friendly vacations are put together for you to be able to replicate on your own or with little ones. Our goal is to create an itinerary that a fitness-minded family will enjoy complete with high movement options and healthy meal availability.
As many of you remember the Twin Cities Marathon was cancelled last fall, due to high heat and safety precautions. All participants received a full refund or deferral option. As such, we know many of you are contemplating visiting the Twin Cities again this October for a re-do! The Twin Cities Marathon is one of our favorite Midwest marathons and you will not be disappointed with the race experience. You can read a full recap from the 2022 race here.
This year’s race will be held on Sunday, October 6th and touts their traditional point to point marathon route which showcases the fall colors in a truly picturesque way. Registration for all events is still open and can be found here.
We at Chicago Athlete thought we should check back in with the area to make sure that our travel recommendations were still on point for runners seeking to travel this fall. So, like any good run-cation-er, we found a local race to accompany the trip, the Xenia Avenue Half and Full Marathon in Champlin, Minnesota. Read on for details about this small and community focused race.
Upon arrival on Friday, my family and I went straight to the Radisson Blu Hotel, which is connected to the Mall of America. This hotel is by far the most convenient, comfortable and classy place to stay for a trip like this. The Radisson Blu also embraces athletes with the best fitness center I have ever found in a hotel, complete with top-of-the-line treadmills, weight machines and Peloton bikes. There is also an indoor heated pool and spa for guests to enjoy during their stay.
Staff was incredibly kind and helpful from the moment we arrived, making sure that everything was as we had expected it. The hotel offers adjoining rooms, which is so important when you have teenagers. This is an important feature to look for for many families, and the Radisson Blu not only has several adjoining rooms, but ensures that you actually have them when you check in, regardless of the time. Some hotels only have a few adjoining rooms available and they go to guests on a first come, first serve basis. Not this hotel. If you book adjoining rooms, they will be waiting for you and your family, upon arrival.
The rooms were clean and comfy, immediately calling everyone to plop down on their beds after the 6 hour drive from Chicago. The bathrooms were spacious and inviting, and made for a great post-run shower. There was also a small refrigerator where I could store my morning pre-race food and a coffee maker which would come in handy for a 5am wake up.
After getting settled, we walked to the lower level and were able to gain immediate access to the Mall of America through the sky way walking bridge. This access is invaluable when you have a family that is famished and wants to find food fast. As Chicagoans, we will frequently park our cars on a Friday and not touch them again until Monday morning for work. That is the exact routine you can have if you stay at the Radisson Blu.
The Mall of America is the largest mall in the US with nearly 3 million feet of retail space, not including the amusement park. There are hundreds of stores, many of them unique to the mall, plus restaurants, a theme park, cinema, mini-golf facility, aquarium and so much more.
We left the walkway, found Wahlbergers, and enjoyed their classic American favorites. We then hit the M&M store, which is something you can’t miss. The kids have the opportunity to fill up small buckets from the multidude of colored milk chocolate M&Ms, and even mix in all of the flavors like peanut butter, carmel brew, and almond. It’s such a bright cheery space and touts two levels of fun and charm.
We headed back to the hotel so that I could get some sleep before the race on Saturday, but not bevore doing a quick walk through the amusement park. There’s nothing like a full sized roller coaster nestled inside the mall!
On Saturday morning, I woke up at 5 am and let the family sleep in. I drove about 30 minutes to Champlin Park, where the race was being held. Runners all met at the local high school to grab packets and enjoy a quick morning briefing. This small community event is only 5 years old and serves as a fundraiser for the Champlin Park Cross Country teams. This year the event raised $6,500 for the runners to use on uniforms, meets and other team needs. Many of the cross country runners and their families were at the race, which was hosted by all volunteers.
The race began at 6:30 am, however despite the early temp the humidity levels were already in the 70% and the temperatures were mid-70’s. The sun didn’t make it’s way out in full force until about 8 am, but it sure did it’s damage after that point. Runners, myself included, fought through high temps, humidity, full sunshine and black topped trail, making this an extremely difficult event.
The course began and ended at the high school with multiple out and backs on a 4.80 mile loop. The course began with a quick 2.2 mile loop thorough an adjoining neighborhood, after which runners began the main loop, which full marathoners completed five times. The course was mostly on a trail system and wove through a local park. There was one aid station at the start and finish and one that runners passed two times, so on each loop runners could grab aid three times.
Volunteers and spectators were scattered throughout the course cheering on runners and ensuring everyone took correct turns. I found the course to be very well marked and after doing the loop one time, I had the pattern down.
I think I would have enjoyed this event if it had not been for the weather conditions. As it were, I was pretty miserable for the last 10 miles and appreciated the support from the volunteers very much. I’d like to return to this event when it’s cooler, cloudier and maybe even rainier. But, we all know how weather goes with races – you get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit!
All runners received a short sleeved cotton t-shirt and finishers medal. Each of the aid stations had water, Gatorade and a variety of fueling options. The volunteers did a great job with this race and the runners each became a little tougher as a result of the conditions.
After the race, I went back to the hotel a sweaty mess and was thankful for the clean, efficient shower awaiting me. The kids were ready to hit the Mall of America so I wasted little time getting cleaned up, grabbing a drink and heading to the stores.
This mall will certainly get your steps in, as we each racked up 20K steps just on Saturday alone. The mall has four floors of shopping, dining and entertainment options. We made sure to visit Arc’teryx, Lululemon, Vuori, Under Armor, Nike and Wilson. We also checked out a brand new shoe store called Kizik, which features sneakers that have hands free technology eliminating the need to bend down and struggle to tie your shoes. What a cool concept! Another fun visit was TravisMathew which had great athleisure offerings. The MOA Lululemon is an experiential store, like ours located in Lincoln Park, so there is a small café which offered coffee drinks and even a gluten free donut!
There are a multitude of healthy eating options with smoothies, healthy wraps and lots of high protein bowl offerings. We also hit a not so healthy option and grabbed Cold Stone ice cream for a night cap.
The Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park is one spot you can’t miss. It’s housed in the center of the mall and requires a wristband to ride the rides. There are options for all ages that are all tied into the various Nickelodeon characters like Dora the Explorer and Spongebob Squarepants. There is an even an area where you can get slimed if you want to relive those Double Dare days!
With everything from massive roller coasters to water rides, there is something magical about being able to ride theme park rides inside a mall! There are no weather elements to have to contend with, as noted above was a sore point for me on Saturday afternoon. And, the park was clean. Pristine actually. The floor sparkled, the rides were spotless. It was refreshing to be in a theme park and not have funnel cake sticking to my feet or a slushy dumped in the seat I’m supposed to buckle into.
After our ice cream treat, we found our way back to our rooms where we collapsed for the night. The Mall of America will certainly building your step counts and will keep everyone entertained with shopping, roller coasters and food.
We left on Sunday morning to head back to the City and gear up for fall marathon training! Twin Cities in Motion Marathon weekend is October 4-6 and registration is still open for 5K, 10K, 10 miler, half and full marathons, as well as the challenge series which combine those events. I’d encourage you to make your reservation now at Radisson Blu and combine your marathon stay with a visit to the Mall of America and Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park.
And, if you’re looking for a half or full marathon in late July, put the Xenia Avenue half and full on your calendar. There are very few marathons in July, and even less the last weekend, so if you’re looking for a longer distance this is a great one. You’ll be supporting the cross country high school team, a team many of us came from, and will have the chance to meet some really great people. Runners are always great people!
