The twelfth edition of Midwest Speedfest’s flagship marathon, Midwest Speedfest 2026, will take place at VGM Con: Stitched Together on April 17-19 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West, just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota!

Timeline

• Submissions open: Dec 30, 2025
• Submissions close: Feb 8, 2026 11:59pm CT
• Schedule reveal: Late February/Early March
• Volunteer applications:
• Marathon begins: Friday, April 17
• Marathon ends: Sunday, April 19

Important Information

• Midwest Speedfest 2026 is part of VGM Con: Stitched Together and will begin on the morning of Friday, April 17, and end on the evening of Sunday, April 19. The event timezone is Central Daylight Time (CDT).
• This is an on-site marathon, taking place at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West (3131 Campus Drive, Plymouth, Minnesota 55441). Any person wishing to attend must purchase a ticket for VGM Con: Stitched Together, which can be done on their website.
• This is a charity marathon supporting PFund Foundation.
• Attendees must follow VGM Con’s COVID policy and Code of Conduct at all times.
• As always, bigotry, harassment, and otherwise inappropriate and/or disrespectful conduct is not permitted. We reserve the right to bar a runner, commentator, or volunteer from participating in this and future events if we feel they have violated this rule.
• For more information, contact MWSF staff and/or check VGM Con’s website.

Submission Details

• Midwest Speedfest 2026 is an on-site marathon, meaning runners (and commentators) must attend VGM Con: Stitched Together in Minnesota. Registration for VGM Con will be required to attend. If you are accepted and absolutely cannot afford the registration fee, contact a staff member and we will try to find a solution for you.
• Potential runners must be in our Discord server, which is our main method of communication. Submissions from runners who are not in our Discord server when submissions close will be disqualified.
• Submission videos must contain a completed run of the submitted game and category, under estimate, by the same runner(s) who submitted. For races and co-op runs, all players must submit. Submissions that do not follow this rule will be disqualified.
• Runs with a length over 3 hours or under 10 minutes are difficult for us to accommodate due to scheduling and/or logistical constraints. While you may still submit these runs, be aware that they have a lower chance of being accepted.
• We can support up to two screens for co-op runs and races. Submissions requiring more than two screens will be disqualified.
• Providing a commentary example (either in your submission videos or in the Commentary Example field) is strongly recommended. Commentary is an important part of a marathon run, and submitting without a commentary example may impact your chance of being selected.
• Console runners are generally expected to bring their own game, console, video and power cables, and necessary accessories (especially if using a newer or less common console). If you’d like to submit a console run but cannot bring the respective console with you to the event, we recommend contacting staff first to ask about accommodations.
• We will accept emulated runs, but we prefer real hardware be used if possible.
• More information for accepted runners will be given after the schedule is released.
• Ask a staff member if you have any further questions or are having trouble submitting.

Safety

• As always, the safety of attendees and staff is our and VGM Con’s top priority.
• All attendees must adhere to VGM Con’s Code of Conduct and COVID-19 Policy at all times.
• We will be cleaning all equipment between runs, as usual.
• Please stay home if you are sick. We take the health of our attendees very seriously; anybody who is found to have intentionally attended with a contagious illness (such as COVID-19) may be subject to suspension from future marathons.