| Bgcolour: | darkgreen |
| Date: | June 21, 2025 |
| Location: | Two Harbors, Minnesota to Duluth, Minnesota |
| Event Type: | Paved Road |
| Distance: | 26.2miles |
| Sponsor: | Grandma's Restaurant and others |
| Est: | 1977 |
| Record: | Men: 2:09:06 (2014) Dominic Ondoro Women: 2:23:52 (2024) Volha Mazuronak |
| Homepage: | http://www.grandmasmarathon.com |
| Participants: | 7,000+ |
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.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3] [4] The registration fee for the first running of the event was $3.[5] 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.[6]
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 and Wendy Hovland.[7] [8] The first running of Grandma's Marathon had a four hour time-cutoff.[9]
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.[10] [11] [12] 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 5 km races. As of 2016, VisitDuluth estimated 65,000 people visit Duluth for Grandma's and spend a total of $10 million.[13] [14] 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.[15] [16] Lifetime entries were offered in 1987 (for $100) and again in 1990 (for $125) to help increase the number of runners entering the race.[17] [18]
The men's record for Grandma's is 2:09:06, set in 2014 by Dominic Ondoro of Kenya.[19] [20] 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.[21]
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.[22] 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.[23]
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.[24]
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.[25]
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.[26] [27]
The 40th annual race in 2016 set a record for the largest number of finishers at 7,423.[28] 2016 also saw a record number of female finishers at 3,742, just short of the men's total at 3,780.[29]
In 2020, Grandma's Marathon added a woman to its official logo in a move organizers said was "long over-due."[30]
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.[31] [32]
In 2023, Grandma's Marathon announced the Running to Common Ground program which offers 500 discounted entries to underrepresented communities and cultures.[33] 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.[34] With 3,126 female finishers, 2024 did not surpass the 2016 record number of female finishers at 3,742.[35]
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.[40]
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.[41]
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.[42] Grandma’s Marathon was the 10th largest marathon in the United States in 2023
Key:
| Edition | Date | Men's Winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's Winner | Time (h:m:s) | Non-Binary Winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1977-06-25 | 2:21:54 | 3:23:39 | ||||
| 2 | 1978-06-24 | 2:18:42 | 2:57:14 | ||||
| 3 | 1979-06-23 | 2:14:44 | 2:37:37 | ||||
| 4 | 1980-06-21 | 2:10:20 | 2:38:35 | ||||
| 5 | 1981-06-20 | 2:09:37 | 2:29:35 | ||||
| 6 | 1982-06-19 | 2:14:50 | 2:41:21 | ||||
| 7 | 1983-06-11 | 2:12:10 | 2:33:52 | ||||
| 8 | 1984-06-16 | 2:12:41 | 2:37:30 | ||||
| 9 | 1985-06-15 | 2:11:08 | 2:39:45 | ||||
| 10 | 1986-06-21 | 2:12:53 | 2:38:45 | ||||
| 11 | 1987-06-20 | 2:16:00 | 2:36:12 | ||||
| 12 | 1988-06-11 | 2:20:07 | 2:43:27 | ||||
| 13 | 1989-06-17 | 2:16:49 | 2:39:50 | ||||
| 14 | 1990-06-23 | 2:18:12 | 2:33:25 | ||||
| 15 | 1991-06-22 | 2:13:59 | 2:35:27 | ||||
| 16 | 1992-06-20 | 2:13:25 | 2:33:01 | ||||
| 17 | 1993-06-19 | 2:16:38 | 2:34:46 | ||||
| 18 | 1994-06-18 | 2:18:19 | 2:33:42 | ||||
| 19 | 1995-06-17 | 2:15:23 | 2:34:11 | ||||
| 20 | 1996-06-22 | 2:13:43 | 2:32:42 | ||||
| 21 | 1997-06-21 | 2:15:44 | 2:38:44 | ||||
| 22 | 1998-06-20 | 2:12:47 | 2:35:46 | ||||
| 23 | 1999-06-19 | 2:13:22 | 2:29:13 | ||||
| 24 | 2000-06-17 | 2:14:31 | 2:33:53 | ||||
| 25 | 2001-06-16 | 2:14:25 | 2:35:13 | ||||
| 26 | 2002-06-22 | 2:10:57 | 2:32:21 | ||||
| 27 | 2003-06-21 | 2:11:22 | 2:27:05 | ||||
| 28 | 2004-06-19 | 2:17:59 | 2:35:08 | ||||
| 29 | 2005-06-18 | 2:13:18 | [43] | 2:28:43 | |||
| 30 | 2006-06-17 | 2:14:30 | 2:37:33 | ||||
| 31 | 2007-06-16 | 2:15:55 | 2:35:40 | ||||
| 32 | 2008-06-21 | 2:13:39 | 2:38:50 | ||||
| 33 | 2009-06-20 | 2:15:13 | 2:36:52 | ||||
| 34 | 2010-06-19 | 2:15:44 | 2:31:35 | ||||
| 35 | 2011-06-19 | 2:12:16 | 2:30:39 | ||||
| 36 | 2012-06-16 | 2:12:24 | 2:33:13 | ||||
| 37 | 2013-06-22 | 2:11:12 | 2:26:32 | ||||
| 38 | 2014-06-21 | 2:09:06 | 2:33:45 | ||||
| 39 | 2015-06-20 | 2:10:36 | 2:32:06 | ||||
| 40 | 2016-06-18 | 2:11:26 | 2:33:28 | ||||
| 41 | 2017-06-17 | 2:12:06 | 2:32:09 | ||||
| 42 | 2018-06-16 | 2:10:06 | 2:24:28 | ||||
| 43 | 2019-06-22[44] | 2:11:56 | 2:28:06 | ||||
| 44 | 2020-06-20* | xx:xx:xx | xx:xx:xx | ||||
| 45 | 2021-06-19 | 2:13:03 | 2:29:04 | ||||
| 46 | 2022-06-18 | 2:09:34 | 2:25:01 | ||||
| 47 | 2023-06-17[45] | 2:09:14 | 2:25:55 | 2:50:29[46] | |||
| 48 | 2024-06-22[47] | 2:10:54 | 2:23:52 | 2:44:43[48] | |||
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024
1977, 1980
1981, 1982
1989, 1993
1996, 1997
2014, 2022
1979, 1980, 1981
2007, 2008, 2009
1982, 1991
1990, 1992
1995, 1997
2003, 2004
2013, 2016
2021, 2022
Key:
| Edition | Date | Men's Winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's Winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1991-06-22 | 1:08:44 | 1:23:05 | ||
| 2 | 1992-06-20 | 1:07:27 | 1:21:28 | ||
| 3 | 1993-06-19 | 1:06:31 | 1:19:09 | ||
| 4 | 1994-06-18 | 1:08:20 | 1:25:30 | ||
| 5 | 1995-06-17 | 1:09:22 | 1:14:11 | ||
| 6 | 1996-06-22 | 1:06:12 | 1:16:57 | ||
| 7 | 1997-06-21 | 1:07:30 | 1:20:05 | ||
| 8 | 1998-06-20 | 1:06:53 | 1:15:16 | ||
| 9 | 1999-06-19 | 1:08:14 | 1:20:53 | ||
| 10 | 2000-06-17 | 1:08:09 | 1:16:21 | ||
| 11 | 2001-06-16 | 1:06:10 | 1:15:48 | ||
| 12 | 2002-06-22 | 1:04:19 | 1:20:18 | ||
| 13 | 2003-06-21 | 1:06:43 | 1:10:00 | ||
| 14 | 2004-06-19 | 1:05:51 | 1:10:30 | ||
| 15 | 2005-06-18 | 1:06:38 | 1:17:44 | ||
| 16 | 2006-06-17 | 1:06:40 | 1:15:33 | ||
| 17 | 2007-06-16 | 1:05:18 | 1:14:46 | ||
| 18 | 2008-06-21 | 1:04:48 | 1:13:29 | ||
| 19 | 2009-06-20 | 1:05:15 | 1:11:57 | ||
| 20 | 2010-06-19 | 1:04:24 | 1:12:40 | ||
| 21 | 2011-06-19 | 1:02:19 | 1:13:18 | ||
| 22 | 2012-06-16 | 1:02:46 | 1:09:46 | ||
| 23 | 2013-06-22 | 1:01:22 | 1:09:57 | ||
| 24 | 2014-06-21 | 1:03:36 | 1:09:50 | ||
| 25 | 2015-06-20 | 1:03:09 | 1:11:27 | ||
| 26 | 2016-06-18 | 1:03:33 | 1:13:21 | ||
| 27 | 2017-06-17 | 1:03:05 | 1:11:25 | ||
| 28 | 2018-06-16 | 1:02:50 | 1:09:55 | ||
| 29 | 2019-06-19 | 1:02:37 | 1:10:27 | ||
| xx | 2020-06-20* | xx:xx:xx | xx:xx:xx | ||
| 31 | 2021-06-19 | 1:04:14 | 1:14:23 | ||
| 32 | 2022-06-18 | 1:02:03 | 1:12:45 | ||
| 33 | 2023-06-17 | 1:02:30 | 1:09:26 | ||
| 34 | 2024-06-22 | 1:00:17 | 1:07:33 | ||
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005
1992, 1993, 1994
1991, 1995
1997, 1998
2018, 2019
1998, 2000, 2001
1996, 1997, 2002
1997, 1998
2018, 2019