Great Grandma’s Challenge
Registration is currently open for the 2022 Great Grandma's Challenge.
Full Challenge
Date: June 17-18, 2022
Capacity: 500
Entry Fee: $185 (October 1-15); $200 (October 16-December 31); $215 (January 1-March 31); $225 (April 1-June 1)
Half Challenge (SOLD OUT)
Date(s): June 17-18, 2022
Capacity: 700
Entry Fee: $185 (October 1-15); $200 (October 16-December 31); $215 (January 1-March 31); $225 (April 1-June 1)
Are you looking for the ultimate running experience on Grandma’s Marathon weekend?!
Take the Great Grandma’s Challenge!
Take your experience to a whole new level by participating in not just one, but two of our weekend races. All Challenge participants start with the William A. Irvin 5K on Friday evening, and they follow that up with either Grandma’s Marathon or the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon on Saturday morning.
It’s time to challenge yourself!
Every participant will receive a commemorative Great Grandma’s Challenge jacket as well as a finisher medal (2022 Grandma’s Marathon medal pictured, right) and finisher shirt from each of the races they participate in.
Race packets are distributed on on race weekend at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC). Participants are also given the option at time of registration to have their race packet sent via mail.
Great Grandma's Challenge participants are eligible for overall and age division awards in each of the races they are participating in. There is no separate award category for Challenge runners.
The Races
A perfect kickoff to race weekend, the William A. Irvin 5K is a race for runners of all ages and abilities. A new course now takes participants on a scenic tour of Duluth’s Canal Park alongside the shores of Lake Superior before finishing near Bayfront Festival Park.
In what’s become one of the most popular pieces of race weekend, the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon always starts Saturday morning off on the right foot. With an early morning start, runners are treated to a sunrise and spectacular views of Lake Superior as they make their 13.1-mile journey.
The “granddaddy of them all,” maybe a bit ironically, is Grandma’s Marathon. For anyone brave enough to toe the start line, this 26.2-mile race offers rolling hills and breathtaking views. You and thousands of others may start the day as strangers, but you’ll surely finish as friends.
