How moving the Med City Marathon's finish line downtown helped businesses

John Molseed, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

May 19—ROCHESTER — The finish line of the Med City Marathon brought hundreds of runners to the heart of downtown Rochester over the weekend.

Marathon organizers and the Rochester Downtown Alliance coordinated bringing the 28th annual marathon to businesses downtown.

First Avenue between Second Street and Third Street Southwest looked more like a regular summertime Thursdays Downtown event than a Sunday in the heart of the city.

For downtown advocates, it was a step toward addressing a chicken-and-egg problem.

"We need more activity downtown on the weekends so businesses can be open," said Naura Anderson, RDA's public space coordinator. "But we need business to be open to bring people downtown on the weekends."

More than a thousand people including runners, spectators, supporters and volunteers brought more foot traffic to downtown. Staff at Cafe Steam said they had a busier morning than usual. Sundays are a good day for the coffee shop in part because it's one of the few downtown businesses open on Sundays. Anderson said that helps her Threshold Arts gallery and shop.

Niles Ribeiro, of Minneapolis, who ran his first-ever race in the half marathon Sunday, sat down for a cup of coffee waiting for his friend who ran the full marathon. He had his cup along with an order of potato croquettes at the 507 Public House. Tim Ross, 507 Public House owner, said he appreciates the organizations' efforts to bring more traffic downtown over the weekend.

"I appreciate all the energy," he said. "I appreciate the new direction."

However, it was too early to tell whether that translated to more sales.

"I can't say yet, business-wise, whether it hurt or helped," he added.

Some regular diners or downtown visitors might have avoided the area. However, a bigger crowd Sunday could have made up for that, Ross said.

"We're hoping for the best," he said.

McKenzie Hartke ran the full marathon — her first ever — made brunch reservations with her husband and friends who traveled from the Twin Cities for the event. A May marathon seemed like good timing, she said. After a short rest, she and her husband, Hunter Hartke, headed to their lunch reservation at Crave American Kitchen and Sushi Bar.

Hunter Hartke compared the Med City Marathon to a race he ran recently that ended in downtown Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It was a nice place to end the race and spend some time, he said.

"Just like this is a very nice place to end it," he said of downtown Rochester.