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My Path to Winning Grandma’s Marathon

Many people know that my first “professional marathon” that I ran was the 2019 Grandma’s Marathon. Few people know, though, that my true marathoning career did not start at Grandma’s Marathon, but it did start in Duluth.

As a sophomore in college, I was asked by my coach to run some summer races to test my fitness and keep me motivated.  After some searching I stumbled upon an obscure but beautiful race called The Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon.

Now, my coach did NOT mean for me to run a marathon, but after finding that race I couldn’t get it off of my mind. After some persuasion and begging I signed up for a race that would change the trajectory of my life.

I toed the line that June morning next to the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth, overwhelmingly underprepared for what lay ahead. I looked around at all the people carrying water bottles, and backpacks full of snacks. Meanwhile, I had no idea that was a common practice in trail marathons.

The race went off and I was awestruck by the beauty of Duluth. At the halfway point I was in second place. I had promised my college coach I wouldn’t race the marathon, that I would simply complete it, but once I heard the first place women wasn’t far ahead my competitive instincts sunk in and dedicated every step of the second half of that marathon to winning.

By the end of the race, every step hurt, I was mentally exhausted, and physically was unsure I could finish. I did finish, and I won, and I did it with the same smile on my face as you see during any race I run. I fell in love with the marathon that day, and I fell in love with finding my absolute limits, so much so that I went back the following two years to run and win again.

So in 2021, as I toed the line for Grandma’s Marathon, I thought of that fateful morning 7 years earlier. I thought of the journey I had taken to go from an unlikely Division 2 college athlete to a professional runner.

When the gun went off, and I found myself in the lead I wasn’t surprised. I went into race day with a plan to win.  I was not going to run a timid race. I was going to push the pace and find my limit on that day.

As I followed the North Shore scenic highway to Duluth I was captivated again by the beauty the city holds. I had no fears I was going to lose, because I wasn’t running for myself. I was running for Minnesota; I was running for Duluth.

While Duluth isn’t my “hometown”, I felt like it that morning. As I passed each crowd I could feel the excitement about the fact that a Minnesotan was leading the race. I kept my smile on my face and I was having the time of my life. As I made my way through Canal Park to the finish line I had to choke back tears as my dream of winning was finally coming to fruition.

In 2019, I had finished in in 4th place with a time that qualified me for the Olympic Trials, and I was able to run straight into my mom’s arms. In 2021, I broke the tape with a time 5 minutes faster and ran straight into my dad’s arms while my mom cheered from heaven.

In a lot of ways, winning the 2021 Grandma’s Marathon made me realize how my running career had come full circle. Winning the Eugene Curnow Marathon in Duluth seems now like such a strong foreshadowing of my future. By bringing the Grandma’s Marathon title home to a Minnesotan, I felt like it was a way to thank this amazing Minnesotan running community that believed in me and supported me.

As I look forward to 2022, I am hopeful that my three-peat I pulled off in the Eugene Curnow Marathon is another foreshadowing of what is to come on June 18, 2022. One thing I know for sure is that I will be on that starting line with a smile and a deep desire to make Minnesota and Duluth proud again.


Dakotah Lindwurm is a resident of Eagan, Minn. and won the 2021 Grandma’s Marathon with a time of 2:29:04.

Lindwurm runs professionally for Minnesota Distance Elite and is also a substitute teacher with degrees in both biology education and chemistry.

She also offers coaching services, working with racers from 5K through ultramarathons, through Team Run Run.