You run along Scenic Highway 61 point to point. I felt like I was never running on flat ground… only up or downhill. While the hills are just rolling, there are a lot of them. The race website states that the course is negative in elevation. Grandma’s Marathon is a Boston Qualifier.

I’ve come to the conclusion that Minnesotans are used to torture from living through the winters here, so they don’t actually notice the torture of a marathon.ĭespite the cold winters here, I still think Minneapolis/St.

None of the Minnesotans who encouraged me to do this race warned me of how hilly it was. 1 being New Orleans where there was 1 single hill/bridge and 10 being a hilly trail race. I would rate this as a 5/10 on my very biased marathon difficulty rating scale.

What is the draw to run Grandma’s Marathon? I think it’s that the race has been going on for so long, has so many dedicated runners who participate every year, is along Lake Superior/is beautiful, and this small city in Minnesota has managed to attract amazing runners every single year. Race weekend also offers a half marathon, 5K, and 1 mile kids fun run. In 2018, runners from all 50 states and 49 countries showed up. People come from all over the country and world to run this marathon – 8,000 people to be more exact. I give into peer pressure sometimes, so I signed up for the full 26.2 miles.Ģ019 was the 43 rd year of Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. And everyone here has either run it or knows 5 people who have. After moving to Minneapolis, every person who found out I was a runner told me I HAD to run Grandma’s. Judging by how everyone talks about it, Grandma’s Marathon must be the most famous race in Minnesota.

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