After starting at the high school in Holdingford, the route quickly links to the Lake Wobegon Trail and goes southwest to the small town of Albany.

On the outskirts of the town, the trail turns directly east and passes over the South Branch of Two Rivers, past two smaller lakes and a state-designated science and nature area.

[4] The trail is named after a fictional region in Minnesota that appears in author and radio personality Garrison Keillor's stories.

[10][11] A tragedy took place during the race in 2011, when a 35-year-old man from Byron, Minnesota, collapsed after finishing and suffered a cardiac arrest.

In a press release, the marathon organizers said they would "join numerous other events in an attempt to protect runners, volunteers and emergency medical personnel by putting [participants'] health and safety first.

The week of the Lake Wobegon race, Governor Tim Walz issued new guidelines that stated wearing masks wasn't necessary while with groups of less than 500 people outdoors.

[17][18] The race, which was labeled a Road Runners Club state championship, saw faster than average times, with the top three marking the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-all-time fastest runs on the course since its inception in 2008.