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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 31 to 41]

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S. T. from Atlanta, GA (6/22/2015) "Great Marathon w/ Perfect Weather" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I believe there is a 5k, 10k, Tot Trot, Half Marathon and Marathon. The Half is via lottery so spouse missed out on that but I did the full. Duluth is a cute small town but you can see all there is in a day or two. The Lake Walk is very pretty. The entire town seems to support the marathon. From the flight attendants on the way there to the hotel, stores, restaurants- everyone asks if you are running and welcome signs are everywhere. The course is pretty, but not spectacular as you run through lots of wooded areas, some right by the water, some not. There are also pretty neighborhoods with every other household out on their lawns cheering. For a small town I thought the spectator support was very good. The course is nearly flat for about half the way and uphill on a tolerable incline the rest of the way. Not bad at all. Lemon Drop Hill is not really a hill compared to some of the others they have in MN. It seemed like there was an aid station around every corner but they are really every two miles and very well attended. The bus ride from the hotel was easy as could be. We were dropped off about an hour early and it poured cold rain all the way thru to the start after which it was breezy and sprinkled pretty much the rest of the morning. The temp was between 55-62 for the race. During the run it was great but there was no where to hide from the rain at the start and some who were in shorts and singlets looked miserable (I had a rain jacket w/ hood). We stayed at the Sheraton where we paid a Kings ransom for a good, not great, hotel that's not that close to the finish. Two points: Book really early (like right now!) to get a hotel near the finish (Comfort Suites) and make a reservation at Bellisio's Restaurant for the night before the race. Fantastic food and service. Really, really good so they will book up. One disappointment: the marathon shirt and medal are black and green. Very boring compared to the half marathon shirt and medal which were colorful. Looks like two entirely different organizers planned the event medals. Anyway that's a minor thing in an overall very well organized, relatively easy marathon which I definitely recommend.
R. G. from McMinnville, OR (1/8/2015) "Best expo, sneaky hills, start area chaos" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Of the nearly 20 marathons and 50+ half marathons I've run, this had probably the best expo I've seen. The speakers, including Beardsley and Ulrich, made for a great pre-race experience. The start area was a chaotic mob of people trying to drop off gear bags and figure out the lines to the porta-potties. The course itself was pretty much as advertised, but don't be lulled into thinking the only hill happens around mile 24. There are a number of gradual hills you may feel along the way. The weather for my race was great for running, lousy for viewing the lake (fog hung over it for most of the race). Overall a great experience, though for this runner it was overhyped relative to what it delivered.
Ed Robins from Philadelphia, Pa (7/10/2014) "The whole town welcomes the runners" (about: 2014) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I think if you've read a few of the comments for Grandma's Marathon that you get an accurate picture of this race. It is a large (6211 in full, 7299 in half), well run and very welcoming race. Full disclosure: I do not like bigger races as a rule. I feel smaller races have more intimacy and the race morning stress is significantly less. Having said that this race shows you how well a larger race can be run! There's a large expo at the local convention center. Parking cost $5. There was not enough area for a race of this size. To get into the main floor we had to walk down a narrow entry way which was a major bottle neck. If you are claustrophobic beware. For a race this large this was not well planned. Once inside it was better but still a little cramped. There are plenty of booths and race souvenirs to be had. The biggest thing about Grandma's is how the entire city knows about the race and goes out of its way to welcome the runners. I'm a 50 stater and so often I travel to a city and mention I'm running the marathon and all I get is a blank stare. Not in Duluth! There are signs everywhere welcoming runners and I bet 90% of the clerks I saw asked me if I was running. The race must get volunteer shirts out early because Thursday and Friday I kept seeing folks proudly wearing theirs. Nice touch! If you are coming from out of town book early. Hotels really fill up quickly. It is pricey getting to Duluth but to save some money I flew into Minneapolis and drove up. It was way cheaper and the drive is about 2.5 hours. Even with the rental car cost I saved quite a bit. The race is a point to point race where runners must take race transportation to the start. This worked effortlessly for me. The shuttle came right to my hotel (it looked like buses came to most hotels in the area) and was a snap. Runners could drive to the finish line and park and catch a shuttle from there also. The pre-race area is just a large field. If there's rain there would be no shelter at all. There are lots of port-a-johns but in races this large I never feel there are never enough. If you weren't in line by 30 minutes before the gun you were left out. I was surprised that there weren't wave starts but I felt like the roads thinned out pretty quickly so I guess it wasn't necessary. I felt the course was a fast course but I can see why some folks disagree. There is only one 'real' hill (lemon drop hill at mile 22) but as others have said there are quite a few very gradual climbs. I live in a hilly area so I barely noticed these and I felt they were the type that allowed runners to use different muscles. But I guess some folks may disagree. The course runs along Lake Superior and on a clear day I bet the views would be great. This year with all the fog we barely saw any water at all. The weather this year was ideal for running, 50ish with no wind to speak of and no sun. Talking to local runners I got the impression that this kind of weather is the norm. There are plenty of aid stations and they are well organized and everyone is laid out exactly the same with signage. So many races just don't realize how helpful this is for runners in a marathon, especially a large race like this! Every stop had water and powerade and later stops added gels and sponges. There could (should) be more pot-a-johns along the course. I saw lots of lines at every one and therefore lots of folks just used the bushes. Fan support the first 20 miles is sporadic. Quiet sections broken up by large, vocal clusters of fans. Once we get into Duluth proper the support is constant and great! Look for the Troll dolls that line the street around mile 21. :) Post race area is spread out but it needs to be with all the runners. I found food and gear bags pretty easily. Runners get a nice medal and a finishers shirt. I always like it when I have to earn the shirt and not just get it at packet pick-up. This race is advertised as a big city race with a small town feel and I think that is a pretty accurate summation.
s. c. from St. Louis (7/2/2014) "Deceptively tough course..." (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Cons: This IS overall decreasing elevation course, however, there are a LOT of slight, LONG uphills. The only reason this is a con is bc it is so frequently referred to as 'relatively flat'. My hamstrings and glutes were on fire at the end- a result of up hill... The Expo was a not well layed out at ALL, complete cluster...needs reorganizing esp with such a huge area set up for the pasta dinner- flip flop this and the expo? Accomadations are NYC prices... Don't bank on a tail wind- we didn't get it this year. Finish was great except food and bag drop were on opposite sides with only one entry/exit? difficult to navigate after 26.2 Pros: The whole town is all about the Marathon, hotel was very accommadating- balloons, food. Bus transportation and bag drop perfect, views of Lake Superior would have been great if there wasn't fog, aid water stations, volunteers were excellent! course well marked. Pros:
Jim Cummings from Mannington, WV (6/26/2014) "The great reputation of this race is well deserved" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The things that can be controlled by the race organizers were all executed nearly perfectly (although I noticed that both the half and the full marathon started about 5 minutes late). The weather and enthusiasm of the spectators which cant be controlled by the organizers were nearly perfect also. As many others have noted, this race is expensive for the travel and lodging, but in my experience this year, it was well worth it.
J. S. from Kittanning, PA (6/25/2014) "Race great for the runners, expo too crowded" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The course was awesome, the shuttle to the start was convenient for those of us at UMD. (Enjoyed chatting with a group of 22-year-olds on the bus.) The spectators on the course were great. The expo was a clustermess though and should have been organized better to get in and out of. (Flip-flop the location of the expo and the spaghetti dinner in the DECC?) Parking for family members to meet me at the finish area was difficult, to say the least. Overall, I would recommend this run. Staying in an apartment on the UMD campus was worth it.
T. L. from Minneapolis, MN (6/25/2014) "Incredibly Well Organized" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 It's hard to imagine a town this small organizing a race of this scale so well, but with lots of experience they have it down. I signed up just a month ahead after a disastrous Green Bay Marathon, and the hotels were all booked but I stayed in the UMD dorms and they were great - nice rooms, friendly staff, coffee and food starting at 4 AM on race day, race and weather information. I've stayed in plenty of hotels that weren't as good. The course is great - rolling hills with a net downward incline keep the various muscles engaged without monotony fatigue. It was cold and foggy, which meant the famed lake views weren't there, but it's pretty. Aid stations abound, with water then powerade then water again at every station. Crowd support is great for the final 8 miles or so, but the first 18 are way out in the country along old US-61 and crowds are sparse except for some clusters in towns. All the logistics - transportation to the start, portapotties, medical, etc. - were excellent.
C. C. from Oklahoma (6/24/2014) "A Great Marathon" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and it did not disappoint! This is a great 'summer' marathon with cool weather. Temperature at race time was 45 degrees, which I think is ideal. I would recommend registering for this marathon and reserving a hotel as early as possible. There are not a lot of hotels in Duluth and they fill up pretty fast. If you wait too long, you'll have to stay in some local university dorms, which are not horrible, but also not ideal. The course is fairly flat, with gentle rolling hills throughout. There is one 'big' hill at mile 22 which is not too bad objectively speaking, but feels like it's a mountain after running 21 miles. After that, though, it is downhill to the finish. The entire city comes out for the race. There will be people cheering for you throughout the entire 26 miles. In summary, I would definitely recommend this marathon.
Eric Cofffin from Stoughton, WI (6/22/2014) "Cool, misty, and PERFECT" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organizers, volunteers, and people of Duluth over-all deserve a pat on the back for an outstanding effort to make this a fantastic experience for runners and spectators. Weather - low-mid 50's and mist/fog was perfect!
J. K. from Niagara Falls, NY, USA (6/21/2014) "The best, but coldest summer race I've done." (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Grandma's Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There's really nothing like this marathon - whether it's the friendliness of everyone from the fellow runners, to the volunteers to the First Aid people...every time I run Grandma's I finish remembering why I love Minnesota marathons. For 2014: this is the first year (I've done most since '93 with a couple of small gaps) I really struggled with the fog and cold. Many runners at the start, who ditched their sweats and ended up walking after a few miles, were in shorts/tshirts and freezing. Medical scooped up quite a few in distress around miles 5-8 who dropped out, had that warming blanket on. That, for me, was tough to watch as I mentally had to get over being underdressed for the elements myself. That, and the fact that many of us were ill-prepared since we had such a hard, long winter (didn't really get outside until May) ended up with the most walkers I've ever seen (myself included). Still, volunteers and locals cheered us on like we were Olympic athletes. You can't get much better than that.

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