Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Apr 27, 2024

Grandma's Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Grandma's Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.7

Spectators 4.4

Number of comments: 298 [displaying comments 21 to 31]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 30 > ]

J. W. from Massachusetts (6/24/2016) "Wow and Whew!" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First, the great stuff: a nice straightaway course organized to perfection. Friendly and enthusiastic fans. Not a flat course: Be ready for some rolling hills and Lemon Drop Hill at mile 22. Nice expo, finding food at the finish a little nebulous but not that big of a deal. After the hot and humid race food was the last thing on my mind. I cannot overemphasize the friendliness and strong presence of the course support, which we needed badly because of the heat: a black flag warning for excessive heat was up by 11:30 and the race became a bit of a sufferfest for some. Also great: helium balloons tethered high in the air at all the mile markers, so you could see them from far away and plan accordingly. The course is that straight. Not so good: getting into the corral from the car dealership parking lot at the start. Many runners had to squeeze through a closed gate in muddy grass and blacktop. There was a lot of congestion around that gate. Next year it has to be open, or corral instructions have to be better broadcast over the loudspeakers. All in all, this is a tremendous race and should be on all bucket lists.
A. B. from Spring Green, WI (6/24/2016) "Great course, great spectators" (about: 2016) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved the course, although perhaps it is not for everyone. The first 19 miles or so are very quiet you run along the lakefront with great views of Lake Superior and lakefront properties, some of which are spectacular. Spectators are only allowed to congregate in select locations every few miles. You get miles of quietude interspersed with bursts of energy from the crowd. Then as you get into the city of Duluth, the crowd energy builds until the end. It's a great feeling the whole way. The racecourse was crowded at the beginning it took me six or seven minutes to get to the start after the gun went off but it thinned out after a couple of miles. No complaints there. The expo was unpleasantly crowded when I was there (noonish on Friday) so I didn't stay long. Race check-in was easy. A problem I had my 40th anniversary jacket had never arrived in the mail was quickly resolved at the marathon office. The weather was extremely hot black caution flags came out a half hour or so before I finished the race. The race organizers had plenty of water, ice, powerade and cold sponges to deal with the heat. Volunteers at the aid stations were great. The finish line area was well organized. The people giving out shirts and drinks and food and stuff were all located well away from the finish in order to prevent crowding. The chocolate milk people were especially enthusiastic about giving out their potations. I had three chocolate milks and about seven waters. I missed the salted nut bars, but apparently there were some.
T. M. from MO (6/22/2016) "Nicely done race" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was marathon #61 for me and my first one to walk. Overall, it's a great race, however, I was a little disappointed in the scenery. It was mostly a road with trees on either side. It was a nice road, with nice trees, but I was expecting more views of the lake. Those didn't come until 2/3 into the race. Duluth is a great town. I don't think I've ever run into friendlier people. My one complaint was lodging. The prices are inflated and in very limited supply. Make your reservations EARLY if you plan to do this race. Overall, it was a fun race and good venue. If you know someone in Duluth you can visit, all the better.
A. A. from USA (6/20/2016) "Great Organization" (about: 2016) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first full marathon and I had an amazing experience. The weather was horrid it was unusually hot and very humid for Duluth in June (which is normally very mild even at the peak of summer) so that was awful. However, the race organizers seemed prepared and had an abundance of aid stations that were well stocked with powerade, sponges and Clif shots. Even though about 2/3 of the race is on 'rural' roads, lots of people were sitting outside to not only to cheer but to cool runners off with hoses and some even had snacks. The course is very scenic and there are some amazing views of Duluth/ Lake Superior along the way. All in all, highly organized and a really fun time despite the weather. The whole town really comes out to support the event the entire weekend and makes it a special place for runners.
A. T. from Chicago (6/19/2016) "Great, great race even for back of the packers" (about: 2016) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran 5:30, and there were still SO MANY spectators along the course; lots of them had sprinklers for us (very hot and humid). Packed post-race, lots of food. Great organization (although except at the half marathon start, only a couple porta potties at a time even with 9600 registered marathoners and 10,000? Half marathoners); so if you can wait till you get to mile 13.1 where the Half starts, there are LOTS of porta potties. Miller Mall is super convenient shuttle pickup, and there are hotels by it. Clyde Iron Works was a great after-race place to eat and get a beer (and gluten-free). If you have time, go to the famous Betty's Pies in Two Harbors. Packet pickup is crazy busy and super long to get into the parking lot, so try to figure out alternative parking. Pasta dinner at Expo was fine. Post-race go to the Lake (right at finish) and cool your legs.
N. K. from Ann Arbor, MI (6/19/2016) "Incredible support!" (about: 2016) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I loved everything about this marathon, start to finish...except the very hot day, which of course they had no control over. The organization, volunteers, town support was just amazing. The weather forecast up until right before the race was for thunderstorms, not clear skies and unrelenting heat! The flags at the marathon went from yellow to red to black very soon after the start. I was very impressed with the organizers, who were prepared for anything....they had ice, sponges, plenty of water, and extra medical support ready to go. This was the smoothest, most well-organized, friendliest marathon of the 20 I've done. My only suggestion would be to start it a bit earlier if possible...7:45 is pretty late to start a race in late June with the temperatures possible during mid-day. We ran the 5K the night before, too, which was really fun. Pasta dinner was great, enjoyed the expo. Hotels really jack up the prices for the weekend so it's not a cheap marathon to do, but the friendly Duluth folks made it a great weekend start to finish!
Miguel Ayala from Fontana, CA. (3/8/2016) "Great marathon" (about: 2015) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the ideal marathon for fast times. Definitely recommend this course to anyone and everyone. The atmosphere is awesome, and the post-marathon festivities will be worth missing the shuttle back to your hotel. Ha!
S. H. from Colorado Springs, CO (7/21/2015) "A ¨Superior¨ Marathon!" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 7th marathon (Also run Twin Cities and Boston) and my first Grandma's Marathon. I felt the organization from start to finish was wonderful, even more impressive given Duluth is a small town. The people of Duluth were very supportive of the runners from the moment you enter the city. The bus ride from my hotel to the start line was seemless. I got to the start line about an hour early and the rain began to fall. This was a bummer, but was forecasted so I had a poncho, a garbage bag and a towel. I saw others who had bags on their shoes until the start... good idea. The rain slowed to a steady sprinkle for the first three miles and then was on and off for a few more miles. I thought this was going to be detrimental at first but proved to be perfect weather for running. Not too hot, not too cold. Prior to running the race, I was worried about the mental aspect of running basically one road for 26.2 miles through basically forest for the first 20 miles. I had nothing to worry about. There were many people along the route and you can gain a lot of time if you focus on running tangents (which there are lot of) that keeps your mind off the road head. In addition, when you can see Lake Superior during the race it is truly breathtaking. The aid stations had water, Powerade, ice, and later one had gels. They were located about every two miles and just as indicated on the course map. The volunteers were wonderful! Once you hit the city of Duluth, the crowds really picked up and the cheering on Superior Street rivaled any marathon or race for that matter I've ever run. It was almost deafening. The finish area is well organized with good food and drinks for recovery. I'm a huge fan of Salted Nut Rolls and was thrilled to see them at the finish line. The finisher shirt is black with green, the colors of the marathon, and it's a classy look. I'm sort of tired of all the neon finishers shirts of late. The finishers medal matches the shirt which I liked as well. I truly enjoyed the entire experience of this marathon. I ran 90 seconds under my goal time and qualified for Boston. I would recommend this marathon to anyone looking for something refreshing, beautiful, and truly Minnesota.
s. F. from Andover, MA (7/4/2015) "As anticipated, VER* well organized race" (about: 2015) 11-50* previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This very well known and popular marathon did not disappoint - except for Mother Nature getting me completely soaked before the start. I have run over 40 marathons and I can honestly say this was one of the best organized races I have run. One thing I really appreciated was getting my results via email shortly after the race. I usually have to wait and/or search for them so this was definitely a bonus. Spectators were plentiful but not as cheerful as expected. A lot of them just stood there, silently. Maybe the rain got to them too... We loved Duluth and the very beautiful serene views of Lake Superior. I would definitely recommend this race but reserve your room VERY early. Grandma, you rock!!
C. Y. from South Louisiana (6/28/2015) "Good, but not as good as expected" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Summary: Have heard so much about it that I likely had my expectations set too high. It was really nothing special and the logistics were a pain. Pros: - Scenic course - Plenty of well staffed and stocked water stations - Friendly town; very supportive Cons: - Waiting at the start line for over an hour because of the busing (point-to-points are not my favorite) - Chaotic starting area for full. Weather didn't help but it would have been bad anyway. - Poor signage to runners food at finish; I totally missed it until it was too late. - Expensive and inconvenient to fly in/out of Duluth, but long drive from major airports - No shirt until you cross the finish. There are many reasons why people don't finish and if they paid their money they should get their shirt. - Ran out of my size finisher shirts; hope they really do mail it to me as promised

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 30 > ]

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use