Proposed Minneapolis Marathon Route Denied Weeks Before Race

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It looks like runners signed up to do the Minneapolis Marathon on June 5 will not be running in Minneapolis.

The group that organizes the race requested approval for a route through the city, and it's been denied. Now, Team Ortho is putting together a new plan. They're hoping to find a course before thousands of runners travel to Minneapolis for the marathon.

Team Ortho, the sponsors of the Minneapolis Marathon, are working overtime looking for a new place to hold its upcoming race.

The team had to scramble after learning the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) denied the nonprofit organization's request for a permit to run the 26.2 mile race.

"Late Summer, early Fall we started talking with team Ortho because the route they had previously used uses the Franklin Avenue Bridge, which is closed right now," MPRB spokesperson Jennifer Ringold said.

Ringold says Team Ortho failed to get them a revised route for the race, leaving them no choice but to deny the request.

Team Ortho has done 12 events in the past four years in Minneapolis, but the MPRB says there is not enough time to get things in place to accommodate them for the June 5 Minneapolis Marathon.

Ringold says to accommodate a marathon, certain roads need to be closed. She says it would take 80 officers to work the race, and there is just not enough time to get the precautionary pieces in place.

Ted Davis, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis Marathon, released a statement saying, "Team Ortho is currently working on an alternative site for the race." The group says they will have more information within 24 hours.

WCCO has learned Team Ortho has applied for a right of way permit in Dakota County. County officials say they are working to accommodate the request.

The Better Business Bureau says it has fielded 12 complaints over three years about Team Ortho, but no complaints so far connected to the June 5 race. It believes many runners are waiting to hear a new plan from organizers before reacting.