Marathon Details - Grandma's Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > MN > Duluth > Grandma's Marathon

Grandma's Marathon & Half Marathon, 5K

Duluth, MN USA

June 22, 2024

http://www.grandmasmarathon.com

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Address:	Grandma's Marathon PO Box 16234 Duluth, Minnesota 55816
Phone Number:	(218) 727-0947
Fax Number:	(218) 727-7932
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 4.7

Spectators 4.4

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Number of comments: 298 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

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

Dale Kufahl from Kewaskum Wisconsin (7/4/2019) "Good marathon on great course" (about: 2019) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Grandma's Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run 96 marathons including 16 grandmas marathons - great course with good views of lake superior, good finish atmosphere and crowd support as you enter Duluth. Only negative is hotels charge too much.
M. H. from Louisiana (6/25/2019) "Louisiana girls LOVED Grandma's" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was AMAZING! The hospitality of the volunteers, the pasta party, the train to the start, our hotel located AT the finish line, etc! I could not have asked for a better experience! My sole sista had medical issues and the med tent took great care of her! I highly recommend this race! Weather was perfect for us South Louisiana girls! I look forward to returning one day with my hubby!
T. M. from Iowa (10/28/2018) "Great race" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Grandma's Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great race under ideal conditions. I love this race and I'll be back
B. C. from Akron, Ohio (10/6/2018) "Excellently organized" (about: 2018) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Grandma's Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I came back to Grandma's this year in 2018 to redeem myself after being injured in 2017. The weather was fantastic this year - foggy and in the low 50s with a light tailwind most the way. Race organization is top notch. You can tell they've run this for many years. Ample fluids on both sides of the course, and each mile checkpoint is marked with balloons on both sides of the road. Busing to the start is well run, though admittedly it's a long ride with a lot of time to think about that you have to run all the way back to Duluth. Don't let people tell you it's flat or downhill. It's a net downhill race by a little over 100 feet, but I would characterize the course as gently rolling. There's just enough hills to keep it from being monotonous, but not too many to wear you out. I don't find it difficult to keep a constant pace. If large urban marathons are your thing, you might not like Grandma's since the first 2/3rds of the race is out in the country, but I found it refreshing and at each minor collections of houses along the way there were always enthusiastic crowds of people. Plus it's a big race so you're very unlikely to find yourself running alone. Yet it's not so big that you don't have a little room if you need it. The hardest part is just finding lodging, so try to reserve well in advance if you can. UMD dorms are a fine backup option but bear in mind they are not air conditioned. A good tip is to bring a box fan. The race is on a Saturday as well, so plenty of time to recover. Note that most places will require a 2 night stay. Plenty of things to do around the area afterwards though. Try going up the coast - it's very scenic.
S. C. from Greensboro, NC (7/18/2018) "Wonderful marathon" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the 2018 Grandma's, which was my 41st marathon, with my first being in 1978. I am a 59-year old who has run for 46 years and over 1,000 races around the globe. I once was fairly competitive (2:30 PR), but after a plethora of injuries, weight gain, and old age I'm a middle of the pack runner now. I ran Grandma's trying to get a Boston qualifier, with a 3:48-3:50 as my goal and ran a 3:41 with a slightly negative split. I found this to be a top notch race in most every way. The course is relatively fast; it is not flat but the rolling hills throughout are not particularly difficult and their is a net elevation drop. The weather cooperated, with temperatures in the low to mid 50s, fog, and a slight tailwind. Organization was superb, from the expo and packet pickup, to the morning shuttle buses, to the race volunteers, to the finish line. Very efficient and very friendly, including the fans. I rank Grandma's quite highly. This race is somewhat of a cross between a small-town, low key race and a major, high numbers, competitive marathon. There were over 9,000 in the marathon, with a very deep field, a great expo, and a big crowd at the finish. The last miles through Duluth was good fan support. The first 15+ miles were pretty desolate, though with lots of runners one doesn't notice so much. The pre-race gathering area was quite relaxed, though if it was raining I could see it being pretty problematic. Essentially, everyone gathers in a large, desolate parking lot with no tents, no indoor facilities, and your car is in Duluth. It would be a long, unpleasant pre-race in the rain. Hotels do gouge you in Duluth, as they increase rates several fold; expect to pay $300/night for an $89 room, with a two-night minimum stay required. Overall, a great race and I highly recommend.
F. C. from Minneapolis (7/16/2018) "PR under perfect conditions" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 16th marathon, and I had been looking for my PR that will eventually get me in Boston, after a couple of near misses. I will write mostly about race day, the course and the organization. At the end I will add a couple of words about the expo, logistics and others. I've heard and read that Duluth's weather can be crazy, and you can expect an 80 degree day to a cold and even snowy day. So whatever you do, be prepared for anything. This year, race conditions were PERFECT. No rain (a bit of mist) fog and cool temperatures (50-60 degrees). The course is a rolling hill course, that if you are able to run with a pace group or more people, you will not feel the small hills at all. I ran with the 3:05 pace group, and the group was a compacted and on pace throughout the race. As the course is mostly a rural course, there isn't much crowds, but in specific areas (such as the half way point, mile 5 and others), there are concentrated and very loud group of people + music cheering runners on. Excellent boost of energy. If you are looking for a great scenery, this might not be the best course (again we had fog, and we barely got to see the lake). Aid stations, and volunteers where perfect. Although is not NYC or Chicago, it has water and powerade on both sides of the course, and plenty of volunteers in each station. Mile markers... LOOK OUT FOR THE YELLOW BALLOONS! No big hills to worry about, Lemon Drop hill, is really not that bad. And the best part of it, is that once you are on the top, is a long almost two mile stretch smooth down hill, so take the Lemon Drop Hill easy, as you can gain speed and make up time right after it. Final turns, nothing to worry about. No more than 5 turns, and you can easily walk it the day before when you go to the expo. That really helped me to know what to expect on race day. Overall excellent organization, perfect weather conditions and a fast course that can be suitable for a PR. Like mine! Expo: I did not like it. It is held at a Hockey arena, and is super crowded and tight. Logistics: be sure to book accommodations well in advance. At least 6 or more months before the race. Grandma's Marathon is THE EVENT of the year for Duluth, and everything goes out very fast (no wonder the race day is on a Saturday). I would run it again for sure.
D. G. from Michigan (6/25/2018) "Well organized destination race" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 35th marathon on 28 different courses. Nice course and very well organized - lots of information to digest. Yet I'm finding it not particularly memorable, perhaps because I was not as psyched up to run this one as I usually am. Still I would recommend this one - it's a nice town that is easy to get around, and the people turn out well to support the race.
S. B. from Waco, TX (6/21/2018) "One Sweet Grandma" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Grandma's Marathon was my 14th full marathon and absolutely ranks as one of my favorite races of any distance. This is a really fun race and is completely worth the trip to Duluth. That trip was the only part of the race that was difficult in any way. I flew into Minneapolis and drove a rental car 2.5 hours to get to Duluth. There are flights from Minneapolis or Detroit to Duluth, but you need a car in Duluth anyway so the drive was better than the extra expense of flying directly into Duluth. The drive wasn't that bad, and the view coming into Duluth was spectacular. I stayed at the Radisson and paid about 3 times the normal rate as all the hotels in the area jack up their rates for this weekend. Since that is out of the control of the race directors, I don't consider that a negative against the race. The Radisson location is fantastic and is walking distance to the expo and the finish line where you can take the train or bus to the start line. The expo was good, appropriately sized for the race with plenty of race merchandise for sale. I got there early on Friday morning so I didn't have any issues with huge crowds of people. Packet pickup was easy and they had a station to double check your time chip on your bib which was a nice thing to be able to do before leaving. The weather forecast leading up to the race was calling for thunderstorms for race morning. The afternoon before the race a large storm did blow in and knocked out power briefly and rained several inches in just a short period of time. Everyone was afraid that this was a preview of what was to come the next morning. I got up early on race morning to be able to take the train to the start line, which I highly recommend over the buses. The first thing I checked when I got up at 3:30am was the forecast and was amazed to see the storms had been moved rom early morning to late afternoon and the chance of rain during the race was dropped to about 30%. The forecast temperature of 59 turned into an actual temperature of 50, pretty close to perfect conditions. Taking the train to the start line was an option for the first 1000 runners wanting to ride. The train departs about 5:45 so the sun is up and the views heading out along Lake Superior are fabulous. The train is also plenty warm and roomy and there are lots of toilets available. The only downside is the trip takes every bit of an hour so if you want to get to the start line super early don't take the train. The race start is well organized with most runners lining up in accordance with their expected finish times. With the half marathon starting an hour earlier and starting from the marathon half way point, I never saw anyone with a half marathon bib and couldn't even tell you what color their bibs were. The first 19 miles of the course are along Lake Superior which is unfortunately very often blocked by all of the trees. We did deal with a pretty heavy fog and off and on light rain for most of the race, but the wind was at out our back and I never felt like the scenery became monotonous. Crown support during this part of the race was limited to certain spots along the road but was very enthusiastic in those spots and provided much needed boosts. The aid stations had clearly labeled water and power aid and was always water first. The volunteers did a spectacular job, you could tell this race has been run for over 40 years, these were some well trained and experienced volunteers. Just past mile 19 the course heads into Duluth and the pine trees and lake views change to a city run with spectators everywhere. The final 6 miles were full of rowdy spectators providing a ton of distractions, even a long line of troll dolls along the curb around mile 22 which qualifies as one of the strangest things I've come across during a race. The finish was great, there were a lot of twists and turns in the last half mile or so, but it didn't bother me as much as I feared from previous reviews. The finish line area was plenty busy, but I had no problem getting my medal and finisher's shirt and there was plenty of food and beer available. I actually like the fact that you get your finisher shirt when you finish the race, that's the definition of finisher shirt. The medals were big and heavy, certainly appropriate for the accomplishment. I love events where it seems like the whole town shuts down for the race and they really appreciate the runners who came to be a part of it. The way Duluth embraces the race and the runners is extremely impressive and rivaled the support I've experienced at much larger events like Chicago. If you can get to northern Minnesota in June you won't find a better event than Grandma's Marathon.
M. E. from CT (6/21/2018) "Fun in the fog!" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a big race with a small feeling to it, and I mean that in the best of ways. We ended up with perfect weather for running (50s and cloudy/foggy), but not great for viewing. I find viewing overrated in marathons anyway, so that was fine. The course is net downhill, but rolls gently. The only 'big' hill isn't that big, unless you live where there are no hills. Spectators were few in the first many miles, but the ones who were there were terrific. Great crowd support for the last several miles. Wonderful volunteers. Well organized, and well supported by a town that is eager to please. Put this one on your bucket list.
T. E. from Louisville, KY (6/21/2018) "A Must Do Event!" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A class act from top to bottom. Very well organized and structured. Course is great, expo is great, post party bands were out of this world. A wonderful experience from the time we rolled in to town until we left.

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

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Dale Kufahl from Kewaskum Wisconsin (7/4/2019) "Good marathon on great course" (about: 2019) 50+ previous marathons \| 6+ Grandma's Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have run 96 marathons including 16 grandmas marathons - great course with good views of lake superior, good finish atmosphere and crowd support as you enter Duluth. Only negative is hotels charge too much.
M. H. from Louisiana (6/25/2019) "Louisiana girls LOVED Grandma's" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was AMAZING! The hospitality of the volunteers, the pasta party, the train to the start, our hotel located AT the finish line, etc! I could not have asked for a better experience! My sole sista had medical issues and the med tent took great care of her! I highly recommend this race! Weather was perfect for us South Louisiana girls! I look forward to returning one day with my hubby!
T. M. from Iowa (10/28/2018) "Great race" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Grandma's Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great race under ideal conditions. I love this race and I'll be back
B. C. from Akron, Ohio (10/6/2018) "Excellently organized" (about: 2018) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Grandma's Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I came back to Grandma's this year in 2018 to redeem myself after being injured in 2017. The weather was fantastic this year - foggy and in the low 50s with a light tailwind most the way. Race organization is top notch. You can tell they've run this for many years. Ample fluids on both sides of the course, and each mile checkpoint is marked with balloons on both sides of the road. Busing to the start is well run, though admittedly it's a long ride with a lot of time to think about that you have to run all the way back to Duluth. Don't let people tell you it's flat or downhill. It's a net downhill race by a little over 100 feet, but I would characterize the course as gently rolling. There's just enough hills to keep it from being monotonous, but not too many to wear you out. I don't find it difficult to keep a constant pace. If large urban marathons are your thing, you might not like Grandma's since the first 2/3rds of the race is out in the country, but I found it refreshing and at each minor collections of houses along the way there were always enthusiastic crowds of people. Plus it's a big race so you're very unlikely to find yourself running alone. Yet it's not so big that you don't have a little room if you need it. The hardest part is just finding lodging, so try to reserve well in advance if you can. UMD dorms are a fine backup option but bear in mind they are not air conditioned. A good tip is to bring a box fan. The race is on a Saturday as well, so plenty of time to recover. Note that most places will require a 2 night stay. Plenty of things to do around the area afterwards though. Try going up the coast - it's very scenic.
S. C. from Greensboro, NC (7/18/2018) "Wonderful marathon" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the 2018 Grandma's, which was my 41st marathon, with my first being in 1978. I am a 59-year old who has run for 46 years and over 1,000 races around the globe. I once was fairly competitive (2:30 PR), but after a plethora of injuries, weight gain, and old age I'm a middle of the pack runner now. I ran Grandma's trying to get a Boston qualifier, with a 3:48-3:50 as my goal and ran a 3:41 with a slightly negative split. I found this to be a top notch race in most every way. The course is relatively fast; it is not flat but the rolling hills throughout are not particularly difficult and their is a net elevation drop. The weather cooperated, with temperatures in the low to mid 50s, fog, and a slight tailwind. Organization was superb, from the expo and packet pickup, to the morning shuttle buses, to the race volunteers, to the finish line. Very efficient and very friendly, including the fans. I rank Grandma's quite highly. This race is somewhat of a cross between a small-town, low key race and a major, high numbers, competitive marathon. There were over 9,000 in the marathon, with a very deep field, a great expo, and a big crowd at the finish. The last miles through Duluth was good fan support. The first 15+ miles were pretty desolate, though with lots of runners one doesn't notice so much. The pre-race gathering area was quite relaxed, though if it was raining I could see it being pretty problematic. Essentially, everyone gathers in a large, desolate parking lot with no tents, no indoor facilities, and your car is in Duluth. It would be a long, unpleasant pre-race in the rain. Hotels do gouge you in Duluth, as they increase rates several fold; expect to pay $300/night for an $89 room, with a two-night minimum stay required. Overall, a great race and I highly recommend.
F. C. from Minneapolis (7/16/2018) "PR under perfect conditions" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 16th marathon, and I had been looking for my PR that will eventually get me in Boston, after a couple of near misses. I will write mostly about race day, the course and the organization. At the end I will add a couple of words about the expo, logistics and others. I've heard and read that Duluth's weather can be crazy, and you can expect an 80 degree day to a cold and even snowy day. So whatever you do, be prepared for anything. This year, race conditions were PERFECT. No rain (a bit of mist) fog and cool temperatures (50-60 degrees). The course is a rolling hill course, that if you are able to run with a pace group or more people, you will not feel the small hills at all. I ran with the 3:05 pace group, and the group was a compacted and on pace throughout the race. As the course is mostly a rural course, there isn't much crowds, but in specific areas (such as the half way point, mile 5 and others), there are concentrated and very loud group of people + music cheering runners on. Excellent boost of energy. If you are looking for a great scenery, this might not be the best course (again we had fog, and we barely got to see the lake). Aid stations, and volunteers where perfect. Although is not NYC or Chicago, it has water and powerade on both sides of the course, and plenty of volunteers in each station. Mile markers... LOOK OUT FOR THE YELLOW BALLOONS! No big hills to worry about, Lemon Drop hill, is really not that bad. And the best part of it, is that once you are on the top, is a long almost two mile stretch smooth down hill, so take the Lemon Drop Hill easy, as you can gain speed and make up time right after it. Final turns, nothing to worry about. No more than 5 turns, and you can easily walk it the day before when you go to the expo. That really helped me to know what to expect on race day. Overall excellent organization, perfect weather conditions and a fast course that can be suitable for a PR. Like mine! Expo: I did not like it. It is held at a Hockey arena, and is super crowded and tight. Logistics: be sure to book accommodations well in advance. At least 6 or more months before the race. Grandma's Marathon is THE EVENT of the year for Duluth, and everything goes out very fast (no wonder the race day is on a Saturday). I would run it again for sure.
D. G. from Michigan (6/25/2018) "Well organized destination race" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 35th marathon on 28 different courses. Nice course and very well organized - lots of information to digest. Yet I'm finding it not particularly memorable, perhaps because I was not as psyched up to run this one as I usually am. Still I would recommend this one - it's a nice town that is easy to get around, and the people turn out well to support the race.
S. B. from Waco, TX (6/21/2018) "One Sweet Grandma" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Grandma's Marathon was my 14th full marathon and absolutely ranks as one of my favorite races of any distance. This is a really fun race and is completely worth the trip to Duluth. That trip was the only part of the race that was difficult in any way. I flew into Minneapolis and drove a rental car 2.5 hours to get to Duluth. There are flights from Minneapolis or Detroit to Duluth, but you need a car in Duluth anyway so the drive was better than the extra expense of flying directly into Duluth. The drive wasn't that bad, and the view coming into Duluth was spectacular. I stayed at the Radisson and paid about 3 times the normal rate as all the hotels in the area jack up their rates for this weekend. Since that is out of the control of the race directors, I don't consider that a negative against the race. The Radisson location is fantastic and is walking distance to the expo and the finish line where you can take the train or bus to the start line. The expo was good, appropriately sized for the race with plenty of race merchandise for sale. I got there early on Friday morning so I didn't have any issues with huge crowds of people. Packet pickup was easy and they had a station to double check your time chip on your bib which was a nice thing to be able to do before leaving. The weather forecast leading up to the race was calling for thunderstorms for race morning. The afternoon before the race a large storm did blow in and knocked out power briefly and rained several inches in just a short period of time. Everyone was afraid that this was a preview of what was to come the next morning. I got up early on race morning to be able to take the train to the start line, which I highly recommend over the buses. The first thing I checked when I got up at 3:30am was the forecast and was amazed to see the storms had been moved rom early morning to late afternoon and the chance of rain during the race was dropped to about 30%. The forecast temperature of 59 turned into an actual temperature of 50, pretty close to perfect conditions. Taking the train to the start line was an option for the first 1000 runners wanting to ride. The train departs about 5:45 so the sun is up and the views heading out along Lake Superior are fabulous. The train is also plenty warm and roomy and there are lots of toilets available. The only downside is the trip takes every bit of an hour so if you want to get to the start line super early don't take the train. The race start is well organized with most runners lining up in accordance with their expected finish times. With the half marathon starting an hour earlier and starting from the marathon half way point, I never saw anyone with a half marathon bib and couldn't even tell you what color their bibs were. The first 19 miles of the course are along Lake Superior which is unfortunately very often blocked by all of the trees. We did deal with a pretty heavy fog and off and on light rain for most of the race, but the wind was at out our back and I never felt like the scenery became monotonous. Crown support during this part of the race was limited to certain spots along the road but was very enthusiastic in those spots and provided much needed boosts. The aid stations had clearly labeled water and power aid and was always water first. The volunteers did a spectacular job, you could tell this race has been run for over 40 years, these were some well trained and experienced volunteers. Just past mile 19 the course heads into Duluth and the pine trees and lake views change to a city run with spectators everywhere. The final 6 miles were full of rowdy spectators providing a ton of distractions, even a long line of troll dolls along the curb around mile 22 which qualifies as one of the strangest things I've come across during a race. The finish was great, there were a lot of twists and turns in the last half mile or so, but it didn't bother me as much as I feared from previous reviews. The finish line area was plenty busy, but I had no problem getting my medal and finisher's shirt and there was plenty of food and beer available. I actually like the fact that you get your finisher shirt when you finish the race, that's the definition of finisher shirt. The medals were big and heavy, certainly appropriate for the accomplishment. I love events where it seems like the whole town shuts down for the race and they really appreciate the runners who came to be a part of it. The way Duluth embraces the race and the runners is extremely impressive and rivaled the support I've experienced at much larger events like Chicago. If you can get to northern Minnesota in June you won't find a better event than Grandma's Marathon.
M. E. from CT (6/21/2018) "Fun in the fog!" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Grandma's Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a big race with a small feeling to it, and I mean that in the best of ways. We ended up with perfect weather for running (50s and cloudy/foggy), but not great for viewing. I find viewing overrated in marathons anyway, so that was fine. The course is net downhill, but rolls gently. The only 'big' hill isn't that big, unless you live where there are no hills. Spectators were few in the first many miles, but the ones who were there were terrific. Great crowd support for the last several miles. Wonderful volunteers. Well organized, and well supported by a town that is eager to please. Put this one on your bucket list.
T. E. from Louisville, KY (6/21/2018) "A Must Do Event!" (about: 2018) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A class act from top to bottom. Very well organized and structured. Course is great, expo is great, post party bands were out of this world. A wonderful experience from the time we rolled in to town until we left.

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Marathon Details - Grandma's Marathon