Shuttle Buses
Grandma’s Marathon is unique in many ways, one of which is the shuttle bus transportation to the start line.
Riding the shuttle bus not only guarantees you will arrive on time for the official start, but it also increases our safety and efficiency by not increasing traffic near the starting line.
IMPORTANT: Busing is the ONLY allowable transportation to the start line. For the safety of our participants and volunteers, dropoffs at the start line are prohibited.
Throughout the day and following the race(s), the shuttle buses will return to their pickup locations to allow participants the chance to return for their vehicle or to be picked up away from Canal Park.
Shuttle bus transportation is available to participants only for Grandma’s Marathon and the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon. You must have your official race number visible to board the bus.
IMPORTANT: The shuttle bus schedule will be different than in years past because of our COVID-modified race planning, which is ongoing at this point. As soon as details are finalized with pickup locations and times, we will communicate
that to our race participants.
For 2021 and to comply with current public transit safety guidelines, there will be a maximum of 25 participants allowed on a single bus. Masks will be required at all times while on the shuttle buses, both before and after the race(s).
North Shore Scenic Railroad
For a truly unique and authentic Duluth experience, you can also take the North Shore Scenic Railroad to the starting line of Grandma’s Marathon!
The train loads in front of the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center (DECC) parking ramp on Railroad Street and will take you on a beautiful journey to the start of your race.
The North Shore Scenic Railroad travels to the Grandma’s Marathon start line only. It has limited space and is operated on a first-come, first-served basis.
IMPORTANT: The North Shore Scenic Railroad schedule may be different than in years past because of our COVID-modified race planning, which is ongoing at this point. As soon as details are finalized on the schedule and/or the train’s capacity, we will communicate that to our race participants.
The status of the 2021 Grandma’s Marathon weekend is subject to change at any time.
We realize that the COVID-19 pandemic is a dynamic situation, and we will continue to monitor all updates from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). If the status of the event changes, we will notify participants via email as soon as possible.