One of the most storied races on the American calendar reaches a milestone next weekend as Grandma's Marathon celebrates its 50th edition in Duluth, Minnesota, on Saturday 20 June. The point-to-point course runs from Two Harbors down Scenic Route 61 and traces the shoreline of Lake Superior before finishing in Canal Park, close to the Grandma's Restaurant that gave the race its name back in 1977. Race weekend, which runs from 18 to 20 June, is expected to draw more than 19,000 participants across its events.
The marathon has long held a reputation as one of the fastest and most scenic courses in the United States, and the profile explains why. A gentle net descent of roughly 130 feet from start to finish, combined with the cool air coming off Lake Superior, makes it a magnet for runners chasing a Boston qualifier or a lifetime best. The elite men and sub-elite set off at 7:40am, with the women's elite, sub-elite and the rest of the field following at 7:45am.
There is serious money on the line to match the fast conditions. The weekend carries a total prize purse of $216,000, with $190,000 allocated to the marathon and a further $26,100 to the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon. The open marathon pays ten deep, with $12,000 going to the men's and women's champions, an inducement that reliably attracts a deep field of Americans and international athletes hunting a quick time on a course built for it.
Half a century on from its humble beginnings, Grandma's has grown into a fixture of the early-summer racing season and a rite of passage for distance runners across the Upper Midwest. The race has produced a long list of fast times over the decades, and the 50th-anniversary staging carries an extra weight of occasion for the thousands of runners and volunteers who return to Duluth year after year.
The marathon anchors a packed weekend that also features the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, which sold out in just 75 minutes when registration opened, alongside the William A. Irvin 5K and a programme of junior and community events. With entries long since closed and the city braced for one of its busiest weekends of the year, the 50th Grandma's Marathon is shaping up as a fitting celebration of an American classic.