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Jun 19, 2027
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Grandma's Marathon is a point-to-point road marathon along the shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota, run on the third Saturday in June from near Two Harbors to Canal Park in Duluth. It is the main race of a weekend that also includes the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon. The course starts on Scenic Highway 61 north of Duluth, follows the lake shore south into the city and runs through downtown Duluth to a finish in Canal Park, near the Aerial Lift Bridge. The organisers describe rolling hills and a net downhill elevation. The time limit is seven hours, a pace of about 16 minutes per mile. The first race was held in 1977, when 116 runners finished, and the race is named after its first sponsor, the Duluth restaurant Grandma's Saloon & Deli, which put up $600. The 2026 race was the 50th. The event records are 2:09:06 for men (Dominic Ondoro, 2014) and 2:23:52 for women (Volha Mazuronak, 2024).
Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record
June in Duluth is mild: average highs are around 22°C and lows around 10°C, with some rain on about 12 days of the month.
The Race
Duluth
Scott Keenan of the North Shore Striders running club wanted a marathon from Two Harbors to Duluth, but had no sponsor until the group approached a new Duluth restaurant, Grandma's Saloon & Deli. Keenan recalled telling them: "Anybody that gives us $600, I'll name the race after them." About 160 people signed up for the first race in 1977, and 116 finished.
Dick Beardsley set the men's event record of 2:09:37 in 1981, and it stood until 2014. That year Dominic Ondoro of Kenya ran 2:09:06 in what was only his second US marathon, finishing almost three minutes ahead of the runner-up. The women's record, 2:23:52, was set by Volha Mazuronak of Belarus in 2024.
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02:09:06
Dominic Ondoro (2014)
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