Every year my wife and I host two families for Grandma’s Marathon weekend, one from Florida and one from Colorado, all of us packed into our small house in Duluth. This year the three of us slated to run the full marathon were each banged up in one way or another. My friend from Florida didn’t even bring his running gear, then decided the day before that he was running anyway. I hurt my calf exactly one week out. We were a hopeful crew at best.
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Friday morning we hit the shake-out run at the Back Alley, a local coffee and surf shop, hosted by Mill City Running. That was my first real test on the calf since I hurt it the previous Saturday, and it held up better than I feared. Good coffee, good people, and a little bit of confidence I badly needed heading into Saturday.
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Later that day, we explored the MASSIVE Essentia Health Fitness Expo. Among the sea of amazing exhibitors are I was able to find a vendor carrying a compression sleeve for my banged-up calf. *Pro Tip* Buy your official Grandma’s Marathon apparel online before the weekend. During the expo, there is a limited supply of apparel, and it can go FAST. Plus the lines for official gear can become impressively long.
After picking up our bibs for the weekend, we watched my wife, family, and a bunch of friends race the 5K. It was such a good time spectation, I’ve now decided I’m doing the 5K next year (maybe the half too? I don’t know. The energy of running in Duluth seems like something I should experience, but no spoilers). That evening was the Michelina’s all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner at the DECC. Somehow they feed thousands of people and the food is still delicious, and exactly the right fuel for race day. It’s a highlight every year, and none of us skip it.
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Race morning was smooth. We parked at UMD, the buses had us at the start line staging area quickly, and the energy was already up when we stepped off. Volunteers were dancing, music was blasting, and our Wind Chill Run Club had a spot in the Run Club Experience with coffee and reserved porta-poties. Very bougie, and very appreciated.
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The weather was perfect, and fans lined the course all the way up from Two Harbors. My calf blew up again at mile 10. I told myself it might loosen up, hobbled to the 13.1 marker (start of the half), and finally bowed out at the medical tent. Dealing with a race DNF can be emotionally challenging on top of the physiological toll. It was more important to me to leave the race early than push through the discomfort and risk further injury. The volunteers at the medical tent were gracious and incredibly kind. Honestly, the volunteers, in general, are the reason this race and this weekend work year in and year out. Both friends who started the marathon with zero expectations finished and earned their shirts. That’s the part I’ll keep coming back to.
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Alex Rogers
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Favorite Grandma’s Marathon Memory: My favorite Grandma’s Marathon memory isn’t tied to one race or finish line. It has been all about the people I get to share the weekend with. As a proud Duluthian, I’m lucky to have travel and lodging already figured out for 2026, which means I can focus on hosting. For the past several years, we’ve crammed our little home with friends and family from near and far, most of whom are running at least one of the events. Beyond the electric race day atmosphere, what I cherish most is our tradition of gathering at the Spaghetti Dinner to swap stories from past years, sharing laughs, and building the excitement for the big day ahead.
Song that must be on your running playlist:Â Trampled by Turtles- Wild Animals. All TBT
Reason you absolutely won’t run outside: Unfortunately, the only thing that kept me from running outside in the last year was the air quality. Otherwise, there is very little that can keep me from running outside.
2026 running goal: As a person who has just started running a year ago, my 2026 running goals are big ones! I’ll be running Grandma’s 50th Marathon as my first marathon ever! On top of that, I’ve got a 100k trail race on the calendar. More than the races themselves, I’m looking forward to continuing to run as my space to recharge, socialize, focus on my mental health, and deepen my connection with the outdoors.
Advice to other runners:I run for my own reasons, and I hope others find and honor theirs, too. In today’s screen-filled world, it’s not always easy to block out outside influences, but running feels most meaningful when it’s done for yourself and no one else.