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.
The Ottawa Race Weekend is an annual weekend of road running events held the last weekend of May in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The two-day running event includes seven races, including the Ottawa Marathon, all of which start and end at Ottawa City Hall. The marathon was first held in 1975, and is categorized as an Elite Label Road Race by World Athletics. Over 40,000 participants take part in the races each year.
The Peachtree Road Race is an American 10-kilometer run held annually in Atlanta. After being held on Independence Day from 1970 to 2019, the race was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic after originally being set for Thanksgiving. It is the world's largest 10k race, a title it has held since the late 1970s. The race has become a citywide tradition in which over 70,000 amateur and professional runners try to register for one of the limited 60,000 spots. The event also includes a wheelchair race, which precedes the footrace. In recent years, the race also has a special division for soldiers stationed in the Middle East. The race attracts some of the world's elite 10K runners and has served as both the United States' men's and women's 10K championship.
Bizunesh Deba, also known as Buzunesh Deba, is a Bronx-based Ethiopian long-distance runner. Her personal best for the marathon is 2:19:59, set during the Boston Marathon in 2014, which she won, though in a recent interviews it was confirmed she was never paid the winner's prize money for her first place finish nor the prize money for setting the women's course record.
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.
Kellyn TaylornéeJohnson is an American long distance runner.
Cynthia Jerotich Limo is a Kenyan female long-distance runner who competes mainly in road running competition. She has the silver medallist at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2016. Her half marathon personal best of 66:04 minutes, set in 2016, ranks her as the fourth fastest woman ever for the distance.
The Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon is a race in Bemidji, Minnesota, first run in 2013. The race runs around a lake, along a state trail and through a state park. It takes place in October, when many of the forest surroundings are bright with color.
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.
Bob Wallace was a runner from Croydon, Victoria, Australia. He was best known for running the marathon, with a PR of 2:13:14 in 1981.
David Kimani Mungai is a Kenyan mid- and long-distance runner.
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.
Dakotah Marie Lindwurm is a professional long-distance runner who qualified to represent the United States in the Women's Marathon 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. She is known for her characteristic smile while racing. In 2022, she signed a sponsorship deal with Puma.
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.
