Grandma's Marathon

Course & Elevation

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).