With over 7,000 finishers, it is one of the ten largest marathons in the United States.[3]
Race history
Finishers by year, total and men and women
Scott Keenan, a member of the North Shore Striders running group, had the idea to start a marathon from Two Harbors to Duluth but was turned down by local banks and businesses in 1976.[4] The newly opened Grandma's Restaurant was the only local business that would sponsor the then-fledgling event, providing $600 out of a race budget between $600 and $1200.[5][6] The registration fee for the first running of the event was $3, with a $4 late registration fee.[7][8][9] In 1986, Grandma's Saloon and Deli announced it could no longer afford to provide Grandma's Marathon the budget it deserved. It contributed $55,000, but the race had an estimated budget of $250,000 that year.[10]
Grandma's was first run in 1977 with only 160 participants, ten of whom were women.[11] The race initially started at the split between Scenic Highway 61 and the Highway 61 expressway in Two Harbors. A red truck driven by Gordy Nichols led the runners along the race course.[12]
The first race was won by Minnesotan and 1976 Olympic 10000m runner Garry Bjorklund and Wendy Hovland.[13][14] Bjorklund wore leather shoes for most of the race which proved to be slippery, changing them into a pair with "more bounce" in front of a supper club called London House in Duluth.[15] The first running of Grandma's Marathon had a four hour time-cutoff, however multiple runners finished after this mark.[16] The last place finisher in 1977 was Dr. Leonard Linnell, who finished in 6 hours and 5 minutes.[17]
Aid stations in the 1977 through 1980 races offered water and a sports drink called ERG, which stood for electrolyte replacement with glucose.[18][19][20] Aid stations since at least 2016 have provided water and Powerade.[21][22][23]
Grandma's Marathon is now run by almost 20,000 participants every year, has nearly a $2 million operating budget and is credited with increasing tourism within the city of Duluth.[24][25][26] The race is a major event on the North Shore, filling hotels in many cities around Duluth. Thousands of runners and visitors fill the marathon, half and 5km races. As of 2016, VisitDuluth estimated 65,000 people visit Duluth for Grandma's and spend a total of $10 million.[27][28] After high numbers in the 1990s and 2000s, 2009 was the first time in 15 years that all of the 9,500 available spots were not filled, leading to a deficit in the race budget. Executive director Scott Keenan suggested that the economy was the main reason for the downturn in participants.[29][30] Lifetime entries were offered in 1987 (for $100) and again in 1990 (for $125) to help increase the number of runners entering the race.[31][32]
The men's record for Grandma's is 2:09:06, set in 2014 by Dominic Ondoro of Kenya.[33][34] The previous record of 2:09:37, set in 1981 by Wayzata, Minnesota-native Dick Beardsley stood for 33 years before being broken.
The US Army 477th Medical Company provided first aid assistance for Grandma's Marathon since 1980.[36][37][38][39]
In 1986, an eight year old named Erin Seitz was volunteering at an aid station at Grandma's Marathon and was injured when a van struck her.[40] She broke two bones in the incident.
In 2001, Grandma's Marathon first used ChampionChip timing devices. The devices were attached to runners' shoes and were collected at the end of the race.[41] Previously, finishers had to line up in narrow chutes at the finish so race officials could detach a section of each runner's bib containing a bar code, where they would be stuck onto a spindle, and later entered into a computer.
In 2005, Halina Karnatsevich was the first finisher with a time of 2:33:39 but she was later disqualified for failing her post-race doping test.[42]
In 2007, Grandma's Marathon race officials seized portable media players at the start of the race and mailed them back to their owners to comply with USATF rules banning the use of headphones. About 30 runners who ignored the ban were disqualified that year.[43]
The 35th edition of the marathon in 2011 had its first photo-finish: eventual winner Christopher Kipyego mistook the electronic timing mat for the finish point and prematurely stopped, leading to an impromptu sprint finish against Teklu Deneke. Just two tenths of a second ended up separating the pair.[44]
The 37th running of the race in 2013 saw the first time that more people registered for the Bjorklund Half Marathon than Grandma's Marathon. There were 7,835 registered for the Bjorklund Half Marathon but only 7,338 people registered for Grandma's Marathon.[45][46]
The 40th annual race in 2016 set a record for the largest number of finishers at 7,423.[47] 2016 also saw a record number of female finishers at 3,742, just short of the men's total at 3,780.[48]
In 2020, Grandma's Marathon added a woman to its official logo in a move organizers said was "long over-due."[49]
The race was run every year for 44 years until the COVID-19 pandemic. Race officials monitored the spread of COVID-19 in the state, and as the count of infected grew in St. Louis County, concerns mounted. On March 25, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced a "stay at home" executive order for all citizens of the state. Three days into the "stay at home" order, Grandma's Marathon officials announced that, for the first time, the marathon, the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and the William A. Irvin 5K would be canceled. No refunds or deferments were granted, but officials offered those who had already signed up a 40 percent discount on the 2021 or 2022 race.[50][51]
In 2023, Grandma's Marathon announced the Running to Common Ground program which offers 500 discounted entries to underrepresented communities and cultures.[52] This built upon the introduction of a non-binary division starting in 2022.
The 48th annual race in 2024 set a new event record for the largest number of finishers at 7,536.[53] With 3,126 female finishers, 2024 did not surpass the 2016 record number of female finishers at 3,742.[54]
The Grandma's Marathon course has several iconic landmarks, including:
What started in 1977 as a single race has grown to a weekend of running events hosted by the Grandma's Marathon organization.[59]
Thursday starts the health expo at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. Races begin Friday, kicked off with Whipper Snapper races for kids at Bayfront Festival Park, followed by the William A. Irvin5K, which was first run in 1994. The race is named after the Great Lakes ore boat docked in the slip at the canal; the course starts at the stern, circles the canal area and finishes at the bow. Nearly 2,000 runners participate.
Early Saturday morning, the Garry BjorklundHalf Marathon, kicks off, sending more than 7,000 runners south on Scenic Route 61 to Duluth. The half marathon was first run in 1991 and has since eclipsed the marathon in participation by a few hundred runners. The race starts near the Talmadge River.[60]
The half marathon begins at 6:00 am. The full marathon begins at 7:40 am for men's elite and sub-elite, followed by women's elite, sub-elite and citizens at 7:45.
Throughout the rest of the year, the Grandma's Marathon organization runs other races, such as the Fitger's 5k, the Park Point 5 Miler, and the Grandma's Minnesota Mile.[61] Grandma’s Marathon was the 10th largest marathon in the United States in 2023
The Twin Cities Marathon is a marathon in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area which normally takes place the first weekend in October. The race is often called "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America" due to a course that winds through downtown districts, then along parkways that hug lakes and waterways all throughout dense urban forests in the neighborhoods of both cities.
Dick Beardsley is an American long-distance runner best known for tying for first place with Inge Simonsen in the inaugural 1981 London Marathon and his close finish with Alberto Salazar in the 1982 Boston Marathon.
Irina Permitina is a Russian long distance runner, who won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. She is the women's course record holder for the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, along with fellow Russian Zinaida Semenova, who ran the same time in 2001.
Garry Brian Bjorklund is an American middle- and long-distance runner. He represented the United States in the 1976 Summer Olympics in the 10,000 meters. As a high schooler, he set a Minnesota state record for the mile run which lasted 39 years. At the University of Minnesota, he won the 1971 national championship in the six-mile run, and won numerous conference championships in various disciplines. Following his 1976 Summer Olympics appearance, Bjorklund became a marathon runner, and set a national age group record in 1980.
The 2019 Los Angeles Marathon, the 34th annual edition of the Los Angeles Marathon, was held in Los Angeles, California, United States on March 24, 2019. The men's race was won by Kenya's Elisha Barno, and the women's race was won by Ethiopia's Askale Merachi in a course record time. The race is the fourth-largest marathon in the U.S. with 19,992 finishers. The last finisher crossed the finish line 8:43:03 after the 6:55 a.m. start.
Elisha Kiprop Barno is a Kenyan marathon runner. Barno is the most prolific runner in Grandma's Marathon history, winning the race four times 2015 to 2018 and again in 2023 and 2024. He has won several marathons during his career, including the Los Angeles Marathon, the Jacksonville Marathon, and the California International Marathon.
Boniface Kongin is a marathon runner from Iten, Kenya. Born March 16, 1990, Kongin grew up in an era that saw distance running records continually set by runners from Kenya and Ethiopia. He became a strong distance runner and placed high in several marathons before taking first place in the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2019. He then ran Grandma's Marathon in June and beat out four-time champion Elisha Barno and course record holder Dominic Ondoro while finishing with a time of 2:11:56. Then he proceeded to finish first in the Montreal Marathon in 2:15:18.
Dominic Ondoro is a Kenyan long-distance runner best known for holding the course records at Minnesota's Grandma's Marathon and the Twin Cities Marathon. He has won many other major marathons, some multiple times, such as the 2017 and 2023 Houston Marathon in Texas, his two Melbourne Marathon wins in Australia and his unrivaled four Twin Cities Marathon wins in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Jane Kibii is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in marathon races and other road running events. She is from Moiben. Kibii has won the California International Marathon, the Twin Cities Marathon (twice), and Grandma's Marathon along with several other top 10 finishes in major marathons. Kibii has also won several competitive half marathons, and dominated fast "SacTown" 10 mile race in Sacramento, California. Her lifetime prize winnings total more than $100,000.
Christopher Kipyego is a runner from Kenya who has won multiple major marathon races, including the Mexico City Marathon in 2006 with a time of 2:17:23.
Sammy Malakwen is a middle- and long-distance runner from Kenya who also trained in Two Harbors, Minnesota. He has won several major marathons, and has finished in the top 10 of several major road races.
Pavel Andreyev is a Russian middle-distance and long-distance runner who has won multiple US and European road races including the Dallas, Helsinki, St. Petersburg White Nights and Grandma’s marathons. He was also the silver medal winner in the 1997 Russian Athletics Championships 10,000 meters.
Svetlana Nekhorosh is a Ukrainian middle- and long-distance runner from Donechchyna, Ukraine. She was the 1999 Ukrainian national champion in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. In 2001, she was the runner-up in the Ukrainian Championship for the same races. She is the winner of multiple notable road races and a top finisher in major international races.
Sarah Kiptoo Cheriwoi is a Kenyan-born long-distance runner who is the winner of the 2014 Casablanca International Marathon as well as the 2013 and 2016 Grandma's Marathon, the 2017 Philadelphia Marathon and several other American road races.
Philemon Kiprono Kemboi is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed in Africa, China, Europe and the United States, where he won the Grandma's Marathon in 2010.
Everlyne Lagat is a retired long-distance runner with multiple marathon wins. Lagat has nine siblings, all of which ran competitively in some fashion, including her brother, Olympian Bernard Lagat.
Dakotah Marie Lindwurm is an American professional long-distance runner sponsored by Puma who qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Lindwurm gained notoriety after winning back-to-back victories at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota in 2021 and 2022. Her victory in 2022 made her the 12th fastest U.S. women's marathoner of all time.
Mary Adah Akor Beasley is a Nigerian–American athlete who competed for the US at the 2005 and 2007 World Marathon Championships. In 2006, she was ranked the seventh fastest U.S. woman marathoner of the year; in 2007, the sixth. She runs multifarious marathons around the United States, Mexico and Africa. After running the Gobernador Marathon in Mexicali, Mexico, in December 2012, she was found to be using a banned substance. She accepted her sanction and returned to competition in 2015.
Yihunlish Delelecha is an Ethiopian-American distance runner who was a member of the 1998 World Athletics Cross Country Championship silver medal-winning team for Ethiopia.
Wendy Cregg is an American long-distance runner. She is notable because she won the first Grandma's Marathon in 1977 and is the youngest winner of Grandma's Marathon as of 2021. Grandma's Marathon has since become the tenth largest marathon in the United States as of 2024, and is widely considered an iconic American marathon race.
References
↑ Przytarski, Jake (23 November 2024). "Size of the starting line - What factors go into Grandma's Marathon's capacity?". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ Marx, Patrick (19 June 1980). "Grandma's marathon makes strides towards acceptance". Minneapolis Tribune.
↑ Weegman, Rick (20 June 2020). "Daugherty on quite a run - Grandma's Restaurant Co. president recalls memorable 1986 marathon, contributions to race". Duluth News-Tribune.
↑ Roe, Joe (9 June 1985). "The Man Who Runs Grandma's Marathon". Minneapolis Star and Tribune.
↑ Brophy, Bill (24 April 1977). "On Shore flatlands and Duluth hills they'll race". Duluth News-Tribune.
↑ Goebel, Jim (12 June 1977). "Hoag, Sundquist join Grandma's Marathon". Duluth News-Tribune.
↑ Frazzini, Kevin (23 June 2002). "RETRO - Then and now: Grandma's Marathon". Minnesota Star Tribune..
↑ Hobbs, Maurice (14 September 1986). "Demand brings Grantsburg's Syttende Mai back from the dead". Minneapolis Star and Tribune.
↑ Goebel, Jim (12 June 1977). "Hoag, Sundquist join Grandma's Marathon". Duluth News-Tribune.
↑ Hallback, Patti (11 June 2022). "LOCAL VIEW - First Grandma's marathoners were an amusing, odd sight". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ Weiner, Jay (23 June 1979). "Grandma's Deli Serves Up Popular Duluth Marathon Today". Minneapolis Tribune.
↑ Weiner, Jay (5 June 1983). "Grandma's race has become Duluth festival". Minneapolis Star and Tribune.
↑ Augustoviz, Roman (26 June 1977). "26 Miles-Just a Snap for Bjorklund". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ Hobbs, Maurice (25 April 1993). "True marathoner? It's a matter of time". Minnesota Star Tribune.
↑ Augustoviz, Roman (26 June 1977). "He finished last in marathon-but in style". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ Augustoviz, Roman (26 June 1977). "26 Miles-Just a Snap for Bjorklund". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ Stodghill, Mark (23 June 1978). "Grandma's race 'in the oven'". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ Cook, Sam (18 June 1980). "Novice hopes to finish run". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ King, Bob (19 June 2016). "2016 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon Finishers". Duluth News Tribune. p.11.
↑ Haselbauer, Ben (24 June 2016). "From start to finish, Grandma's was great". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ St. George III, Louie (12 June 2018). "Volunteering to Run". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ Pates, Kevin (17 June 2016). "Marathon played role in Duluth renewal I-35 extension, Canal Park cleanup were catalysts in making city a tourist destination". Duluth News-Tribune.
↑ Kraker, Dan (16 June 2016). "Duluth tourism boom continues". Minnesota Public Radio News.
↑ Pates, Kevin (14 June 1998). "PERSEVERANCE A FAMILY TRADITION MOTHER KEEPS MARATHON RUNNERS RETURNING HOME". Duluth News-Tribune.
↑ "For some, Grandma's Marathon is the deal of a lifetime". Duluth News-Tribune. 16 June 2011.
↑ St George III, Louie (22 June 2014). "GRANDMA'S MARATHON MEN - Kenya's Ondoro rides late surge to beat Beardsley's 33-year-old record". Duluth News-Tribune.
↑ "Grandma's Marathon: Dominic Ondoro breaks Beardsley's 33-year-old record". Saint Paul Pioneer Press. 20 June 2014.
↑ Wellens, Matt (23 June 2024). "In a class by - Belarusian Olympian Mazuronak wins women's marathon by more than six minutes". Duluth News-Tribune.
↑ Peterson, Tom (21 June 1981). "Klecker finishes 8th despite broken toe". Duluth News Tribune. p.46.
↑ Lyden, Richard (4 July 1981). "Blanket burglars cost marathon". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ Lyden, Richard (27 June 1982). "Thanks to all who helped with marathon medical care". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ Pates, Kevin (16 June 2010). "Grandma's Marathon". Duluth News Tribune.
↑ "TEEN WINS $700,000 INJURY AWARD". Saint Paul Pioneer Press. 7 October 1995.
↑ Pates, Kevin (12 June 2001). "KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES BY POPULAR DEMAND, GRANDMA'S WILL BECOME LAST MAJOR U.S. MARATHON TO IMPLEMENT MICROCHIP TIMING". Duluth News-Tribune.
↑ Olson, Rochelle (15 December 2006). "Marathon winner is disqualified - The top female runner at this year's Grandma's Marathon tested positive for steroid use". Minnesota Star Tribune.
↑ "First-timers, old salts come together for race". Post and Courier, The (Charleston, SC). 3 April 2008.
↑ Pates, Kevin (18 June 2011). "Kipyego leads pack in closest finish in Grandma's Marathon history". Superior Telegram..
↑ Grandma's Marathon staff (31 March 2020). "COVID-19 Update/Cancellation". grandmasmarathon.com. Duluth, Minnesota. Archived from the original on 2 April 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
↑ Wellens, Matt (15 June 2023). "Grandma's Marathon steps up diversity efforts". Duluth News-Tribune.
↑ In 2006, after finishing first, Karnatsevich was disqualified after testing positive for steroids. She was banned from competition until 2008, but her 2005 results remained unchanged.
↑ Pates, Kevin (22 June 2024). "Elisha Barno wins sixth Grandma's Marathon; Volha Mazuronak sets women's course record - Mazuronak has twice finished fifth at the Olympics, but can't compete this year because Belarus is banned". Minnesota Star Tribune.
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