Grandma's Marathon is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the town 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]
Grandma's was first run in 1977 with only 150 participants; the first race was won by the Minnesotan runner and 1976 Olympic 10000m runner Garry Bjorklund. The newly-opened Grandma's Restaurant was the only local business that would sponsor the then-fledgling event for $600. Race organizers thought it only fitting to name the new race after their sole sponsor. At the present time, Grandma's Marathon is run by almost 10,000 runners every year, has nearly a $2 million operating budget and is credited with bringing tens of millions of tourist money into the City of Duluth.[2]
The men's record time for Grandma's is 2:09:37, set in 1981 by Wayzata, Minnesota native Dick Beardsley. The women's record time is 2:27:05, set in 2003 by Firiya Sultanova.[3] 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.
Grandma's Marathon also includes other running events in addition to the full marathon. These include the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, the William A. Irvin 5k, the Fitger's 5k, the Park Point 5 Miler, and the Grandma's Minnesota Mile, as well as several "whipper snapper" races for kids.[4]
The 35th edition of the race in 2011 the marathon 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 with just two tenths of a second separating the pair.[5]
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2009 race
The race was scheduled for June 20, 2009. This was the first year that all of the 9,500 available spots have not been filled, leading to a deficit in its budget. The fee for runners was approximately $85. Executive director Scott Keenan suggested that the economy is the main reason for the downturn in participants; although, there are also two new marathons starting in the area which may be pulling runners away from the Duluth race.[6][7]
Past winners
Key: Course record American championship race
| Edition | Date | Men's Winner | Time (h:m:s) |
Women's Winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 25-06-1977 |  Garry Bjorklund (USA) |
2:21:54 | Wendy Hovland (USA) |
3:23:39 |
| 2nd | 24-06-1978 | Barney Klecker (USA) |
2:18:42 | Cheryl Westrum (USA) |
2:57:14 |
| 3rd | 23-06-1979 |  Richard Wilde (ENG) |
2:14:44 |  Lorraine Moller (NZL) |
2:37:37 |
| 4th | 21-06-1980 | Garry Bjorklund (USA) |
2:10:20 | Lorraine Moller (NZL) |
2:38:35 |
| 5th | 20-06-1981 | Dick Beardsley (USA) |
2:09:37 | Lorraine Moller (NZL) |
2:29:35.5 |
| 6th | 19-06-1982 | Dick Beardsley (USA) |
2:14:50 | Janice Ettle (USA) |
2:41:21 |
| 7th | 11-06-1983 | Gerry Helme (ENG) |
2:12:10 | Jenni Spangler (USA) |
2:33:52 |
| 8th | 16-06-1984 | Derek Stevens (ENG) |
2:12:41 | Anne Hird (USA) |
2:37:30 |
| 9th | 15-06-1985 | Don Norman (USA) |
2:11:08 |  Susan Stone (CAN) |
2:39:45 |
| 10th | 21-06-1986 |  Joseph Kipsang (KEN) |
2:12:53 | Karlene Herrell (USA) |
2:38:45 |
| 11th | 20-06-1987 | Dan Schlesinger (USA) |
2:16:00 | Janis Klecker (USA) |
2:36:12 |
| 12th | 11-06-1988 |  Armando Azocar (VEN) |
2:20:07 | Jacqueline Gareau (CAN) |
2:43:27 |
| 13th | 17-06-1989 | Doug Kurtis (USA) |
2:16:49 | Louise Mohanna (USA) |
2:39:50 |
| 14th | 23-06-1990 |  Igor Braskavski (URS) |
2:18:12 | Jane Welzel (USA) |
2:33:25 |
| 15th | 22-06-1991 |  Driss Dacha (MAR) |
2:13:59 | Janice Ettle (USA) |
2:35:27 |
| 16th | 20-06-1992 |  Roy Dooney (IRL) |
2:13:25 | Jane Welzel (USA) |
2:33:01 |
| 17th | 19-06-1993 | Doug Kurtis (USA) |
2:16:38 | Lorraine Hochella (USA) |
2:34:46 |
| 18th | 18-06-1994 | Donald Johns (USA) |
2:18:19 | Linda Somers (USA) |
2:33:42 |
| 19th | 17-06-1995 | Mark Curp (USA) |
2:15:23 |  Irina Bogacheva (KGZ) |
2:34:11 |
| 20th | 22-06-1996 | Patrick Muturi (KEN) |
2:13:43 | Mary Alico (USA) |
2:32:42 |
| 21st | 21-06-1997 | Patrick Muturi (KEN) |
2:15:44 | Irina Bogacheva (KGZ) |
2:38:44 |
| 22nd | 20-06-1998 |  Simon Peter (TAN) |
2:12:47 |  Elena Plastinina (UKR) |
2:35:46 |
| 23rd | 19-06-1999 | Andrew Musuva (KEN) |
2:13:22 |  Elena Makalova (BLR) |
2:29:13 |
| 24th | 17-06-2000 |  Pavel Andreyev (RUS) |
2:14:31 |  Svetlana Şepelev-Tcaci (MDA) |
2:33:53 |
| 25th | 16-06-2001 | Benjamin Matolo (KEN) |
2:14:25 | Lyubov Belavina (RUS) |
2:35:13 |
| 26th | 22-06-2002 | Elly Rono (KEN) |
2:10:57 | Zinaida Semenova (RUS) |
2:32:21 |
| 27th | 21-06-2003 | Joseph Kamau (KEN) |
2:11:22 | Firiya Sultanova (RUS) |
2:27:05 |
| 28th | 19-06-2004 | Vladimir Tyamchik (BLR) |
2:17:59 | Firiya Sultanova (RUS) |
2:35:08 |
| 29th | 18-06-2005 | Wesley Ngetich (KEN) |
2:13:18 | Halina Karnatsevich (BLR) |
2:28:43 |
| 30th | 17-06-2006 | Sergey Lukin (RUS) |
2:14:30 | Svetlana Nekhorosh (UKR) |
2:37:33 |
| 31st | 16-06-2007 | Wesley Ngetich (KEN) |
2:15:55 | Mary Akor (USA) |
2:35:40 |
| 32nd | 21-06-2008 | Lamech Mokono (KEN) |
2:13:39 | Mary Akor (USA) |
2:38:50 |
| 33rd | 20-06-2009 | Christopher Raabe (USA) |
2:15:13 | Mary Akor (USA) |
2:36:52 |
| 34th | 19-06-2010 | Philemon Kemboi (KEN) |
2:15:44 |  Buzunesh Deba (ETH) |
2:31:35 |
| 35th | 19-06-2011 | Christopher Kipyego (KEN) |
2:12:16.36 | Yihunlish Delelecha (ETH) |
2:30:39 |
Amazing Fact
On the same evening that the North Shore strider's (the founders of the Grandma's Marathon) were celebrating the completion of the first marathon, mayhem broke out at the famous Glensheen mansion located near the 22-mile mark. The heiress of the estate, Elisabeth Congdon, and her nurse were brutally murdered in the house by the husband of Elisabeth's adopted daughter, sparkling national media attention and a high-profile police investigation.[8]
Grandma's Marathon Staff
Scott Keenan, Executive Director –
Jon Carlson, Race Director –
Sarah Culver, Director of Administration –
Bob Gustafson, Public Relations Director –
Linda Hanson, Finance and Operations Director –
Zach Hitchcock, Promotion and Design Director –
Dani Minardi, Director of Event Development –
Jeffrey P. Rosenthal, Director of Race Management Services – [9]
See also
References
- ^ Grandma's Marathon :: Races - Grandma's Marathon
- ^ Grandma's Marathon :: Other Info - History
- ^ http://www.grandmasmarathon.com/other_info/history.php?page=records
- ^ Grandma's Marathon :: Races - Races for Kids
- ^ Gaffe at finish line leads to photo finish at Grandma's Marathon. InFormum (2011-06-19). Retrieved on 2011-06-19.
- ^ "Grandma's Marathon Sees Decline In Participants". KBJR TV, Inc. May 28, 2009. http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/local/46404042.html. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ^ "Grandma's runs short of entrants". Star Tribune. June 2, 2009. http://www.startribune.com/sports/46768892.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUo8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ^ Keenan, Scott (2006). Grandma's Marathon and Beyond. Champagne, IL: 42K(+) Press, Inc.. pp. 176. ISSN 1088-6672. http://www.marathonandbeyond.com.
- ^ "About Us". http://grandmasmarathon.com/site/index.php?page=about-us-contact-us. Grandmasmarathon. http://grandmasmarathon.com/site/index.php?page=about-us-contact-us. Retrieved 10/12/2011.
- List of winners
- Jack Moran & Malcolm Heyworth (2010-06-20). Grandma's Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2011-06-19.
External links
- Official site
- Marathon Info profile
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