With 100+ vendors, the Essentia Health Fitness Expo is one of the largest in the nation and the perfect place for any last-minute tips, tricks, and apparel you may need before your big race!
Our annual pre-race feast brings together not just our race participants, but also their family and friends along with the entire Duluth community in celebration of yet another Grandma’s Marathon.
You may come for the run, but you’ll stay for the fun! Don’t miss our great weekend entertainment, highlighted by live music both Friday and Saturday nights at Bayfront Festival Park!
The mission of Grandma’s Marathon is to organize, promote, and deliver annual events and programs that cultivate running, educational, social, and charitable opportunities in our communities. Our organization believes that running should be accessible to everyone and works with several area partners to ensure our race weekend can be enjoyed by and beneficial to all.
Featuring a relatively flat and fast course along the shores of Lake Superior, Grandma’s Marathon also famously offers enthusiastic and empowering support given by tens of thousands of spectators throughout race day. Each year, runners from all over the world flock to northeastern Minnesota for this world class event with small town charm.
The opening salvo to race day, the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon is now arguably the most popular event on Grandma’s Marathon weekend. The 13.1-mile course winds along the shores of Lake Superior before reaching the city limits, where thousands of cheering fans will usher runners to the always exciting and emotional finish line in Canal Park.
The kickoff event to Grandma’s Marathon weekend, this 3.1-mile race starts and finishes near the historic William A. Irvin ore boat in Duluth’s Canal Park. A new racecourse offers a scenic tour of the city, making this the perfect race for beginning and experienced runners alike.
The KP Challenge is a series of three great, local races — Saint Fennessy 4K, Fitger’s 5K, and Park Point 5-Miler — that are strategically placed throughout the year to help participants build their endurance and stick to a regular training schedule.
Get your green on for the Saint Fennessy 4K, a festive fun run perfect for runners of all ages and abilities. Whether you’re a first-timer or looking to jump start your spring training, this is the race for you!
A perfect challenge for new runners or a good training race for veterans, the Fitger’s 5K has grown into one of the area’s premier spring races and now welcomes more than 2,000 participants each year.
Come enjoy the height of a northern Minnesota summer at the Park Point 5-Miler, which holds the crown as northern Minnesota’s oldest road race and features a racecourse sandwiched between the open waters of Lake Superior and the Duluth Harbor.
The Minnesota Mile takes you on a scenic, 5,280-foot journey around Duluth’s Enger Park, treating participants to some of the best views in the entire city during the peak of fall’s color season.
A spooky end to our local racing calendar, the North End Nightmare 5K brings with it plenty of scary surprises and haunted attractions to the North End of Superior.
A central pillar of the Young Athletes Foundation (YAF) is providing free and accessible programming for our area’s kids throughout the year. These programs are focused on our mission of building and providing pathways to the community’s children in their pursuit of active and healthy lifestyles.
By participating in any of the events listed below, you are helping further the mission of our Young Athletes Foundation, with all proceeds benefitting our effort to support youth athletics in our community by providing pathways for area kids to live active and healthy lifestyles.
A central pillar of the Young Athletes Foundation is providing free and accessible programming for our area’s kids throughout the year. These programs are focused on our mission of building and providing pathways to the community’s children in their pursuit of active and healthy lifestyles.
Since its inception in 1990, the Young Athletes Foundation has worked to support the organizations and individuals of its five-county region through a series of kids’ events, grants, scholarships, and other programs that are focused on promoting and providing pathways for kids to live healthy and active lifestyles.
Our tremendous community of volunteers plays a significant role in helping the Young Athletes Foundation to create memorable and successful events for our runners. More than 1,000 volunteers are needed throughout the year to support our fundraising race events for the YAF.
The Young Athletes Foundation was created to serve the community, and for more than three decades we have done that with the help of our local and regional business partners. With events throughout the year, our sponsors assist greatly in our mission of providing pathways of opportunity to youth in athletic programs and encouraging healthy lifestyles.
Don’t miss out on the authentic Duluth experience! Grandma’s Marathon falls during one of the most beautiful times of the year in northern Minnesota, and there’s no shortage of outdoor adventures or fun activities for you to enjoy with your family and friends on race weekend!
There’s nothing more important before the race or more welcome after the race than the perfect place to rest, relax, and recharge. With the help of our many lodging and hospitality partners in the area, Grandma’s Marathon is committed to making sure each of our 20,000+ runners, not to mention our volunteers and spectators, have a place to stay on race weekend!
Every year since 1977, our community has thrown open its doors to runners and spectators in town for Grandma’s Marathon. As the race has grown, the service industry has always been there with a smile to welcome tens of thousands of runners along with their families and friends as they descend on Duluth for race weekend.
There is so much to see and do in Duluth and along the North Shore of Minnesota! Getting there couldn’t be easier with our transportation partners. Whether you need to know where to find parking nearby on race day or you are looking for a way to get around town, we are here to help.
At Grandma’s Marathon, we specialize in bringing people together for an unparalleled running experience. Over four decades of careful attention to detail has earned us the reputation as one of the most highly organized races in the country. More than 20,000 participants travel from more than 50 countries and all 50 states to join us each June on the scenic shores of Lake Superior, and your message can be waiting for all of them when they get here.
We agree with our runners — we have the most compassionate and energizing community of volunteers. Every year, we host close to 20,000 participants and we couldn’t take care of them without your help. Grandma’s Marathon is a world-class event with small-town charm because of our volunteers!
If you have ever wanted to perform for a crowd of 20,000+ this opportunity is for you. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or brand-new to the enertainment game, our runners will be thrilled to have you there to cheer them on. Course entertainment groups can range from bands and musicians, to cheer and dance teams, to anybody dressed up in costume!
We couldn’t do it without you, and we wouldn’t want to! The passion our community has for Grandma’s Marathon is what gives our race its small town charm, and the contributions you’ve made over the years are what allow us to keep improving the world class experience for our participants, volunteers, and spectators.
The Young Athletes Foundation works to support the organizations and individuals of its five-county region through a series of kids’ events, grants, scholarships, and other programs that are focused on promoting and providing pathways for kids to live healthy and active lifestyles.
Grandma’s Marathon falls during one of the most exciting and beautiful times of the year in northern Minnesota. Let us be your guide in getting the entire authentic Duluth experience on race weekend!
We couldn’t do it without you, and we wouldn’t want to! The passion our community has for Grandma’s Marathon is what gives our race its small town charm, and the contributions you’ve made over the years are what allow us to keep improving the world class experience for our participants, volunteers, and spectators.
2022 TOP 10 MEN’S FINISHERS
2022 TOP 10 WOMEN’S FINISHERS
The William A. Irvin 5K partners with Mtec Results for its race weekend timing and historical record-keeping.
Founded in 1998, Mtec Results offers innovative timing and scoring solutions for more than 100 national and international competitive athletic events each year.
Marathon Foto is the official photography partner of the William A. Irvin 5K and can provide each of our participants with priceless keepsakes following their race in Duluth.
Whether it’s a sprint at the start line or a smile at the finish line, Marathon Foto is there to capture the important moments of your journey and to help you remember your race day experience.
Jon Sinclair won the inaugural William A. Irvin 5K in 1994, and his time is still yet to be beaten.
Sinclair crossed the line in a time of 14:43, just three seconds ahead of runner-up Jorczak. As it turns out, that’d be as close as anyone’s ever come to breaking the mark set by Sinclair.
The 15:00 mark has been broken four more times, once by Jorczak in 1995, but Sinclair’s mark has withstood the test of time in what’s now become the kickoff race to Grandma’s Marathon weekend.
NOTE: Jesse Chettle again broke the 15:00 mark in 2022 with a winning time of 14;52, but a course management error resulted in that year’s racecourse being short and thus invalidated the results in terms of official records.
Before running in Duluth, Sinclair was a two-time All-American runner at Colorado State University and in 1989 was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
COURSE BESTS
Railroad Street – John Sinclair (1994), 14:43
Lakewalk – Dustin Franta (2017), 15:34
MEN’S AGE DIVISION RECORDS
Open – Jon Sinclair (1994), 14:43
12 & Under – Andy Magnuson (2008), 18:38
13-18 – Jeremy Polson (1996), 15:03
19-34 – Jason Jorczak (1994), 14:46
35-39 – Jon Sinclair (1994), 14:43
40-44 – William Markwardt (2000), 16:00
45-49 – Bob Garcia (2000), 16:21
50-54 – Paul Giannobile (2011), 17:03
55-59 – Alan Evans (2019), 17:43
60-64 – Thom Weddle (1999), 17:56
65-69 – Paul Heitzman (2000), 19:08
70+ – Paul Heitzman (2001), 20:23
Duluth native Katie McGee won the first three titles at the William A. Irvin 5K from 1994-96, and she set a still-standing event record in the process.
McGee’s time of 17:11 in 1996 was challenged by the following year’s champion Sara Rhode, who also finished in 17:11 but just hundreths of a second slower than McGee.
Since then, the closest anyone’s come to challenging McGee’s mark was in 2016 when Sarah Crouch ran 17:21.
NOTE: Nikki Long’s time of 16:15 in 2022 would have broken McGee’s event record, but a course management error resulted in that year’s racecourse being short and thus invalidated the results in terms of official records.
In 2022, McGee was presented with the Ron Daws Ambassador Award in recognition of her connection to Grandma’s Marathon weekend and her lifetime of work to help the event be successful. After using the racecourse as a training ground while growing up, McGee now has finished 13 Grandma’s Marathons and also, for a short time, taught an online marathon training class at Lake Superior College to help more beginning runners prepare for the big race.
COURSE BESTS
Railroad Street – Katie McGee (1996), 17:11
Lakewalk – Sarah Crouch (2016), 17:21
WOMEN’S AGE DIVISION RECORDS
Open – Katie McGee (1996), 17:11
12 & Under – Rachel Sackett (1995), 19:52
13-18 – Laura Hughes (2007), 17:50
19-34 – Katie McGee (1996), 17:11
35-39 – Michelle Oman (2009), 17:53
40-44 – Carrie Tollefson (2017), 17:55
45-49 – Marcy Gilles (1996), 18:18
50-54 – Janet Rosen (2004), 19:39
55-59 – Janet Rosen (2009), 20:40
60-64 – Barb Leininger (2017), 23:42
65-69 – Gabby Lubich (2018), 23:05
70+ – Janet Ward (2013), 29:30
2022 was the first year Grandma’s Marathon offered a specific non-binary category, an important step in ensuring all our participants feel safe as well as welcomed and included on race weekend.
NOTE: There were no non-binary participants registered for the 2022 event.
COURSE BESTS
Railroad Street – n/a
Lakewalk – n/a
NON-BINARY AGE DIVISION RECORDS
Open – n/a
12 & Under – n/a
13-18 – n/a
19-34 – n/a
35-39 – n/a
40-44 – n/a
45-49 – n/a
50-54 – n/a
55-59 – n/a
60-64 – n/a
65-69 – n/a
70+ – n/a
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Grandmas Marathon Duluth-Inc.
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The Fitger’s 5K began in 1990 and over more than three decades has now become Duluth’s premier spring running event.
The 3.1-mile race traditionally starts and finishes in front of the historic Fitger’s building. The scenic race course takes participants through downtown Duluth and Canal Park.
Below are the all-time Fitger’s 5K race records and winners from each year. NOTE: Some early records are incomplete and our staff is working to retrieve those dating back to 1990.
The Fitger’s 5K course starts and finishes just outside the historic Fitger’s Lakefront Hotel in downtown Duluth. They travel eastward toward 23rd Avenue East on Superior Street, London Road, and South Street.
The Fitger’s 5K course starts and finishes just outside the historic Fitger’s Lakefront Hotel in downtown Duluth. They travel eastward toward 23rd Avenue East on Superior Street, London Road, and South Street.
Free parking for the event is available in the parking ramp located next to Fitger’s.
Fitger’s Complex
600 E. Superior Street
Duluth, MN 55802
The Fitger’s 5K course starts and finishes just outside the historic Fitger’s Lakefront Hotel in downtown Duluth. They travel eastward toward 23rd Avenue East on Superior Street, London Road, and South Street.
The Fitger’s 5K course starts and finishes just outside the historic Fitger’s Lakefront Hotel in downtown Duluth. They travel eastward toward 23rd Avenue East on Superior Street, London Road, and South Street.