Grandma's Marathon

Grandma's Marathon (Grandma's) is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors on Scenic Route 61 and continues along Lake Superior into the city of Duluth. The finish is located in Canal Park, near Grandma's Restaurant, which is next to the highly visible Aerial Lift Bridge.

Race history
Grandma's was first run in 1977 with only 150 participants; the first race was won by Minnesotan and 1976 Olympic 10000m runner Garry Bjorklund. The newly opened Grandma's Restaurant was the only local business that would sponsor the then-fledgling event, for the fee of $600.The race ends since then at a restaurant named Grandma's.Rosa Brochi, a real 1800s immigrant, became the legendary, generous “madam” of a brothel and inspiration for Grandma’s “overly doting” restaurant, thanks to the marketing of JFP & Associates, Jeno’s public relations firm. (Rosa’s “brothel” has since become a “boarding house”.The older folks in town say that 60 or 80 years ago, Grandma's was a brothel, and Grandma was the Madame. Grandma's Marathon is now run by almost 20,000 runners every year, has nearly a $2 million operating budget and is credited with bringing tens of millions of tourist dollars into the city of Duluth.

The men's record time for Grandma's is 2:09:06, set in 2014 by Dominic Ondoro of Kenya. The previous record of 2:09:37, set in 1981 by Wayzata, Minnesota, native Dick Beardsley stood for 33 years before being broken. The women's record time is 2:23:52, set in 2024 by Volha Mazuronak. 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.

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 5K races. After high numbers in the '90s and '00s, 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. Lifetime entries were offered in 1987 (for $100) and again in 1990 (for $125) to help increase the number of runners entering the race.

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.

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.

The 40th annual race in 2016 set a record for the largest number of finishers at 7,522. 2016 also saw a record number of female finishers at 3,742, just short of the men's total at 3,780.

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.

The 48th annual race in 2024 set a new event record for the largest number of finishers at 7,536. With 3,126 female finishers, 2024 did not surpass the 2016 record number of female finishers at 3,742.

Race Weekend
What started in 1977 as a single race has grown to a weekend of running events hosted by the Grandma's Marathon organization.

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. Irvin 5K, 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 Bjorklund Half 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.

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. Grandma’s Marathon was the 10th largest marathon in the United States in 2023

Past winners
Key:

* After canceling the race, a "virtual race" was held.

Multiple winners, men

 * 6 wins
 * Elisha Barno: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024


 * 2 wins
 * Garry Bjorklund: 1977, 1980
 * Dick Beardsley: 1981, 1982
 * Doug Kurtis: 1989, 1993
 * Patrick Muturi: 1996, 1997
 * Dominic Ondoro: 2014, 2022

Multiple winners, women

 * 3 wins
 * Lorraine Moller: 1979, 1980, 1981
 * Mary Akor: 2007, 2008, 2009


 * 2 wins
 * Janice Ettle: 1982, 1991
 * Jane Welzel: 1990, 1992
 * Irina Bogachova: 1995, 1997
 * Firiya Sultanova: 2003, 2004
 * Sarah Kiptoo: 2013, 2016
 * Dakotah Lindwurm: 2021, 2022

Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon past winners
Key:

* After canceling the race, a "virtual race" was held. </ref

Multiple winners, men

 * 6 wins
 * Ryan Meissen: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005


 * 3 wins
 * Dan Carlson: 1992, 1993, 1994


 * 2 wins
 * Thomas Plechter: 1991, 1995
 * Sean Mulheron: 1997, 1998
 * Panuel Mkungo: 2018, 2019

Multiple winners, women

 * 3 wins
 * Kelly Keeler: 1998, 2000, 2001
 * Debra Gormley: 1996, 1997, 2002


 * 2 wins
 * Sean Mulheron: 1997, 1998
 * Panuel Mkungo: 2018, 2019