ST. PAUL — State and local officials prepared for a planned Black Lives Matter protest at the finish line of Minnesota’s largest marathon on Sunday, with St. Paul’s mayor saying the city will do whatever’s needed to ensure the race goes smoothly.

The plan by the St. Paul chapter to demonstrate at the Twin Cities Marathon sparked an intense divide about the group’s tactics and raised fears among some of the estimated 11,000 runners that, after months of training, they’d be blocked from crossing the finish line. The race is a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

Group organizer Rashad Turner said protesters wouldn’t block runners but would “become the finish line” with signs and chants, calling attention to incidents involving St. Paul police and people of color.

“They will have to see our signs, they will have to hear our voices,” Turner said. “We shouldn’t have to protest or disrupt to get justice.”

The same group drew widespread scorn after a protest outside Minnesota’s state fair this summer, when some marchers were captured chanting to fry police “like bacon.”