Twin Cities Marathon, 10 Mile runners have to wait on refund details for canceled races

Runners who registered for the canceled Twin Cities Marathon and TC 10 Mile this past weekend will have to wait to learn the status of any refund or credit for next year's events, organizers said Thursday, the day they originally planned to share compensation details.

It's possible the approximately 8,000 marathon runners and 12,000 10-milers will have to wait another two weeks before hearing if any money is coming back their way.

"A final decision was not able to be made today," TCM President Dean Orton said Thursday.

Twin Cities in Motion (TCM), the organization that puts on the event, called off this past Sunday's races when organizers deemed the threat of heat — with a record high in the 90s plus humidity and cloudless skies — too dangerous for participants. It marked the first cancelation due to weather in the marathon's 42-year history.

In an email to registered runners sent Thursday evening, the nonprofit said it needed more time to see what declaration its insurance company will make regarding its filed claim. TCM will provide runners a progress update on the status of the refunds by or before Oct. 20, Orton said. Registration alone cost marathon runners $129 to $220. Many spent even more on travel and lodging, plus all the costs for months of training.

The Thursday email did say runners who prepaid for select services with vendors — namely photography and personalized engravings on medals that would have included their name and finish time — are eligible for refunds. For those still seeking a marathon to run, TCM has partnered with other operators to provide discounted rates on upcoming races, even some that already closed registration, Orton said. Entry is free for Boulderthon, a marathon in Boulder, Colo., this weekend.

Twin Cities in Motion notified runners in both races in an e-mail at about 8:30 p.m. the Saturday ahead of the event that it was monitoring the weather and would update them in the morning. An email announcing the cancelation came about 5:30 a.m. Sunday.

TCM secured cancelation insurance for its marathon and larger events in 2014 following the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, Orton said. Prior to that tragedy, most operators, including TCM, held no-refund policies, he said.

The organization "appreciates the patience of our runners" as it moves through the process of the insurance claim, Orton said, adding his office is eager to "receive a swift answer."

Details in the Thursday message also included instructions on how to pick up medals despite no one officially racing. Several registrants did run the marathon and 10-mile course on their own Sunday morning.