The race is completely flat, as far as I'm concerned. I've read repeatedly about the incline up…read moreSummit Ave. around mile 20. But other than about a short hill a block long, I don't recall any other "hills". (Keep in mind, this, coming from a San Franciscan.) The tour of the lakes was a treat, as was the various neighborhoods the course wound through. Out of the 35+ races I've done, this is my favorite, thus far. I'm a big fan of well-organized races that are smaller and more low-key. But I forget how a huge amount of support can help. I have never done a race with this many spectators lined up from beginning to end, cheering for YOU. After awhile, you zone out--especially in those latter miles when all you want to do is finish--but whether you realize it or not, their enthusiasm certainly keeps your morale up. Thank you, MSP, for your Midwestern hospitality!

I had a great experience running the Twin Cities Marathon this year-so glad I signed up!…read more Email updates were helpful and timely, my corral placement (there were 3 and I was placed in 2) was fair, and I love that I didn't need to enter a lottery to enter like I had to for Chicago last year. The expo (held at the St. Paul RiverCentre this year) was busy but pretty well-organized, if you knew to head past all of the booths to the packet pick-up. Participants had to self-scan their bibs to activate the timing chip, but that only took a second and there wasn't much of a line. Wide variety of cool running apparel/gear and marathon essentials sold, along with lots of freebies (yay Clif bar samples, Caribou coffee, and other swag). I found this expo much less stressful than Chicago's. The race course is absolutely beautiful, taking you from downtown Minneapolis to St. Paul. After some hard-core googling for previous marathoners' accounts of this race, I psyched myself out about hills, especially on Summit Ave. My take on this after running the race: don't worry! There are some hills, but nothing crazy, and the course is quite flat for the most part (and there's an downhill finish that makes you feel amazing crossing the finish line). Running around the lakes was probably my favorite part. Crowd support was amazing (lots of funny signs, kids offering high fives, and nice spectators offering hugs/water/donuts/beer/fruit/etc.), and the volunteers made the race go super smoothly! Powerade/water stations were labeled clearly and staggered appropriately every few miles (along with port-a-potties), and the post-race refueling options were great (bananas, fruit cups, chocolate milk, soup, coffee, water, chips, nut rolls, etc.). Got an emergency blanket, and the finisher medal and long-sleeved tech shirt I received are pretty and of good quality, too! I also love that as a spectator or runner, you can sign up to receive mobile text notifications on up to 3 runners-that way you know when runners pass certain points and finish the race! My results were also available by the time I got back home from the race, and the photos should be up within a few days. (Instant gratification is my fave!) Would definitely return to attempt a PR on this marathon. Highly recommend for marathon newbies or veterans!

I took my kids here for a birthday party and it was a bit chaotic. The party room wasn't ready…read moreuntil after the gym time so we couldn't put our stuff anywhere during that time. The gym smelled like feet, like it hasn't been washed properly. There was a lot of free play time at first, which isn't terrible, but they didn't really communicate when the festivities and organized activities would start. Cool concept, kids love ninjas and obstacle courses, but for sure room for improvement.

Took my 6 year olds here for open gym, and they had a blast. They liked the open format with some…read morehelp/guidance from staff. It wore them out for sure and I felt that they were safe the whole time. The complex that the ninja gym is in has a yogurt bar for treats after.

This is an awesome local half marathon! Jeff winters City of Lakes Half Marathon is more low key…read morethen these other half marathons with a maximum number of participants capping at 1,500 for the 2109 38th annual run. It is growing in popularity however, when I first ran this race five years ago it capped out at 800 participants and usual gets close to selling out. Every year for finishers you receive a beer mug with the given years logo and a finishers medal. No finishers t-shirt but you can purchase a shirt with the logo on it for $25. For this race you basically run around lake Harriet and lake Bde Maka Ska twice( formally know as Lake Calhoun). Also they provide water, and Power aid stations. It draws some nice cheer sections between the two lakes that give you the extra adrenalin to keep you going. See you there next year!!

I had a great time at Vertical Endeavors with a group of friends! I haven't been climbing in years…read moreso we took a quick orientation and then got to climbing. We went on a Saturday but it wasn't terribly busy! There are definitely less automatic belays than there are regular belays but luckily we had someone in our group who could practice his belay skills! He did have to go through a safety lesson first though before he could belay for us. The courses were definitely varied in difficulty so it was nice to get a few easy ones under our belts before we attempted the more challenging ones. After an hour of climbing we decided to check out the bouldering area before heading home. It was a fun experience and the staff were super helpful! Would recommend!

I go to this gym almost every week with a group a friends and we couldn't enjoy it more! The staff…read morehas always been super friendly and talkative (in the best way) and they are always changing up the routes at a good pace! I truly couldn't recommend this gym enough!

I enjoyed my in water course. Pat was good about answering questions leading up to the in water…read more Spencer was a great instructor. He was very detailed in what he was showing us and had us do. He was very patient with the 5 of us in his group. Two individuals had a hard time equalizing and he took his time with them till they were able to descend the required depth. He was very knowledgeable and gave advice in gear options. I enjoyed the in water experience and look forward to my future dives.

Update: We had Paul this time and he was wonderful! He made…read moreus feel comfortable and confident. He renewed our excitement for diving! It really is about finding the right instructor for you! Update: Spoke with the owner and another instructor. They were very apologetic and want to make it right. I am very happy with their professionalism and the collaborative nature of all the instructors to turn this around for us! Instructor was impatient, rude, not thorough, and belittled members of our group. Worst experience ever and honestly ruined scuba diving for me and my daughter. Run.

This is an amazing gym run by some incredibly talented athletes. The owner and most of the coaches…read morehave been on American Ninja Warrior or a similar show. If you're more interested in obstacle course racing, they have multiple coaches who have made the podium at major races and qualified multiple times for the Obstacle Course Race World Championships! Not just for adults, this is a great facility for kids as well!!!

This place is amazing! They hosted 22 girls from my confidence building retreat and the girls were…read moreecstatic over it. Sarah is a true ninja and I would recommend this place for ninja training, or if you have a group that would like to experience the adventure of taking on obstacles. Everything they do at this gym is stellar. Their service and personal style is warm and inviting. I imagine you could do a team building event, a birthday party, a fun get together or go to train ninja style. You'll get the real deal here with tons of awesome obstacles that you can't find anywhere else. A couple of my girls made it to the top of the warp wall (they have multiple walls, even one taller than the ninja course on NBC) and it was awesome!

My son went here 2-3 years ago but quit due to our lives getting busy with other activities. He…read moredecided he wanted to come back and it's been only a week but he's happy he came back! All the coaches are great and super supportive, they always think of cool obstacles to makes the kids better athletes. Scott and Jacob do a great job and my kid loves going to classes they teach. It's a great place to get in shape as well, they have classes for kids and adults. Only downside: prices per month... it's $99 month to month or $79 month to month with a year commitment. I know they don't have a choice due to the inflation of everything but it makes it hard to stick around for a really long time unless my kid is very serious about it.

My son and I visited and I can't say enough good things. Lots of space. Helpful staff. A wide…read morevariety of stations to try and experience. I was also struck by how clean the location was. I would come back for a party, open gym or anything in between.

Knockersquad Rocks! Knockersquad was the activity we had on-site for our all-staff corporate…read moremeeting. Our team LOVED it! It was hilarious to watch and even more fun to participate in. We played for about two hours and everyone was able to jump in and out as they wanted to, allowing anyone to play. Colin and Stu are fantastic. These guys are professional, prompt, and fun to be around. This made our corporate event top notch! We highly recommend these guys.

We had a company event at the Harriet Island Pavilion with the Big River Pizza truck and Knocker…read moreSquad as our main activity. Everyone had a blast! It's tiring and hot, but totally worth it. They had two people there reffing for us and they make everything super simple. They know it's tiring, so they just have you play in 5 minute stints and then have you switch up the teams. We took a 30 minute break after the first hour and they stuck it out with us. At their suggestion, we played another game called Sharks and Minnows and everyone loved it. Some people joined in that hadn't played soccer the first time. Even those who decided not to participate were cheering and hollering from the sidelines. It is hilarious to watch your coworkers get bounced around and knocked over in a giant bubble!