Miles for a Mission: Charity Team Registration for 2027 Now Open

Give your miles a purpose and help your organization reach new supporters at Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend.

A race can be a personal goal, a team challenge, or a reason to bring people together. For charity runners, it can be all three.

Twin Cities In Motion's Charity Program gives nonprofit organizations a way to raise funds and awareness during Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend. Charity Partners receive guaranteed entries to recruit runners for fundraising efforts, including access to high-demand races. Charity team registration for 2027's Marathon Weekend opened November 2.

The opportunity can help organizations find new supporters, deepen community connections, and put their mission in front of thousands of participants and spectators. For Hennepin Health Care Foundation, Bolder Options and vraniCURE, this years' experience did all of that and gave their runners a reason to go the distance.

Turning miles into momentum

Hennepin Healthcare Foundation joined the program in 2025 with 14 runners who raised more than $7,000. This year, its team grew to 39 runners and raised more than $23,000 for patients and caregivers.

"Our team was made up largely of Hennepin Healthcare employees and former patients, so the experience was especially meaningful,” said Sean Reynolds of Hennepin Healthcare Foundation. “For our staff, it was an opportunity to celebrate the institution they work so hard to support. And for our former patients, it was a chance to give back to the people who had cared for them."

The team's "I ❤️ HCMC" shirts carried that pride along the course. The experience also introduced the Foundation to people with personal connections to Hennepin Healthcare, including former patients and family members who learned about the team through the program.

For Reynolds, the connections were as valuable as the fundraising. "Through our runners reaching out to their friends, families, and colleagues, we were able to connect with so many people who might never have encountered Hennepin Healthcare Foundation otherwise."

Bolder Options has partnered with the Twin Cities Marathon since the early 2000s. The nonprofit connects middle schoolers with adult mentors through physical activity, goal setting, and shared experiences. This year, its runners raised $7,673, while the organization cheered on participants at the marathon's Mission Mile, and introduced its work to runners, spectators, and other nonprofit partners.

“The connection feels natural,” said Cori Soto of Bolder Options. “People run for many reasons: social connection, emotional wellness, physical activity, and the satisfaction of working toward a goal. Those same things bring youth and mentors together at Bolder Options.”

The experience inspired the team to start planning for next year: recruit more runners, involve more mentoring pairs, and build a new cheer zone.

For vraniCURE, Marathon Weekend offered a first chance to bring its mission to a new audience. Founded by Jacquelyn Vranicar after her diagnosis with stage IV metastatic breast cancer, the Minnesota nonprofit funds metastatic breast cancer research, raises awareness, and supports women living with the disease. Its first Marathon Weekend team raised approximately $7,000 for research.

“Every runner who shared their fundraising page, talked about our mission, wore our shirt, or explained why they were running helped introduce metastatic breast cancer to someone who may not have otherwise known about it,” Vranicar said. “The connections, conversations, and sense of community that came out of Marathon Weekend were just as meaningful as the funds raised.”

Growing the Impact of Charity Partnerships 

As the program grows, Twin Cities In Motion is looking for new ways to bring nonprofits and the running community together.

“The Miles for a Mission Charity Program helps local and national nonprofits raise critical funds, share their missions and connect with new supporters across the running community," said Asheley Ramacher, Twin Cities In Motion's Senior Coordinator of Community Programs. "We’re honored to support these organizations and excited to expand the program at Get in Gear in 2027, creating even more opportunities to connect with the community and grow their impact year-round.”

For participating organizations, the program's impact reached beyond dollars raised. It gave a way to celebrate care they have received, build relationships, share a cause, and take on a challenge together.

“Running has always been something that brings people together,” Vranicar said. “There is something incredibly special about bringing together people who may have never met but are united by the same mission.”

Charity team registration for 2027 is now open! If your organization is looking for a meaningful way to fundraise, raise awareness, and connect with the running community, consider becoming a Charity Partner for next year's Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend.