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, caramel brew, and almond. It’s such a bright cheery space and touts two levels of fun and charm.
