Like most runners, I often visualize my ideal race before a marathon. How I will feel out on the course, how I will look in my race pictures (although, let’s be honest, this never works out the way I imagine), and how/when I will cross the finish line. This year, at Grandma’s 2025, I am visualizing more than ever. And let me tell you, I have never been as excited nor motivated as I am this year.
I would like to reintroduce myself. My name is Rachel, I am a seven time full marathoner, seven time half marathoner, and Grandma’s 2025 will be my 14th Grandma’s weekend. Everyone who knows me knows that Grandma’s is my favorite weekend of the year, every year. Out of my 13 previous Grandma’s Marathon races, eight of them were completed while I was either getting my bachelors or doctorate in nursing. Needless to say, this has not made training for any of these races easy. Therefore, as I started planning for Grandma’s 2025, I realized that I had an amazing opportunity before me. An opportunity to train properly for a race now that I am working “regular person hours”. An opportunity to PR by a large margin. An opportunity, most importantly, to run with the man that inspired me to become a marathoner in the first place.
Allow me to introduce another important person in my 2025 Grandma’s journey. My dad, Joe, has run 35 full marathons. His first Grandma’s Marathon was in 1983, and he has now run Grandma’s 24 times. For years, he ran alongside his brothers, cousins, and other family members and friends along the 26.2 mile course from Two Harbors to Duluth. To this day, he still holds the family PR with a 3:03:58 at Grandma’s in 1989. As a kid, I was constantly inspired by him. Now, as an adult, this hasn’t changed. If anything, I am more inspired than ever. My dad may be in his 60s now, but he continues to cross the finish line before me every single year. I often say my dad is a “freight train” on the racecourse. His steady pace, solid mindset, and unwavering determination is evident in every single one of his races.
As I started setting my goals for Grandma’s 2025 I thought, “wouldn’t it be cool if I ran with dad?”. I knew this would not only allow me to set a PR, but also allow me to run with the man that “started it all” for me as a runner. I casually pitched this to my dad one night. My dad has always been one of my biggest supporters, so I shouldn’t have been surprised by his response. But I couldn’t have anticipated the excitement I was met with. “That would be so cool. We should run a couple races beforehand to test our fitness and learn to run together. And we can do our long runs together to make sure we are on track to run together. And I’ll pace you to a PR. This is going to be so cool”. My dad went on and on as he fully embraced my goal and dove in headfirst.
We set a goal time together, 5:30:00. Which, to most marathoners, would be an easy goal. But for me, it is nearly a one hour PR. So now, I am envisioning my 2025 race… most importantly, crossing the finish line with a huge PR alongside my dad, as he finishes his 25th Grandma’s Marathon. The road to this goal won’t be easy, but I can honestly say that I haven’t had this level of motivation or excitement since my first marathon in 2014.
Our first “test” of this goal is coming up on Thanksgiving, where my dad and I will be attempting to run together for the entire 8K we do in Hastings, MN. Another course where dad continuously crosses the finish line before me. I look forward to putting my early training to the test and spending time with dad on Thanksgiving morning. I am excited to share this journey and I look forward to the entire process, with Grandma’s 2025 being the celebration of our hard work and dedication. I hope you’ll follow along with my dad and I as we prepare for June 21, 2025.
Rachel Barger
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Favorite Grandma’s Marathon Memory: Grandma’s Marathon has been a tradition in my family since the 80s. After thirteen of my own Grandma’s Marathon weekends, it is so hard to choose just one favorite memory! So just to name a few: Finishing my first ever race in Duluth (the William A Irvin 5K) in 2011, crossing the finish line of my first full marathon in 2014, sharing the full marathon course with seven of my family members in 2016 when we revived our family running club from the 80s, crossing the finish line of the half marathon with my now husband during his first ever race in 2018, and experiencing the joy in Duluth in 2021 during the first race after the pandemic hit. Every year brings new favorite memories and I always look forward to adding to my “favorite Grandma’s memories” list.
Song that must be on your running playlist: “Big Dreams” -The Score
Favorite pre-race meal: The night before, ALWAYS the Michelina’s Spaghetti Dinner! The morning of, a banana, half a peanut butter sandwich, and a powerade.
Running superstition: I always say the same prayer as I cross the starting line and I always run on the far left of any race course (a superstition that stemmed from Grandma’s Marathon so I could be closer to Lake Superior throughout the race).
2025 running goal: I am SO excited to announce my 2025 Grandma’s Marathon goal- I am training to run the full marathon with my dad! This will be his 25th Grandma’s Marathon. I have run seven full marathons, six of which were when I was either in nursing school or nurse practitioner school. Due to this, I have not had the time to properly train and I have always crossed the finish line after my dad. This year, now that I am done with school and in a better place to train, I look forward to pushing myself harder than I ever have in the past in order to achieve this goal. Along with running the race with my dad, the goal that we made together would give me almost an hour PR in the marathon. I haven’t been this excited about a goal since my first marathon over 10 years ago! I can’t wait to share this journey!