Fitness Expo

  • 100+ Vendors Each Year

    The Essentia Health Fitness Expo is one of the largest in the nation, bringing more than 100 vendors and exhibitors to Duluth to showcase the latest products, services, technology, and innovation in the running and athletic industries.

  • Sponsor Support

    Thanks to the support of our sponsor, Essentia Health, our expo is free and open to the public. That means family and friends as well as the community can join our 20,000+ participants at this annual pre-race gathering full of great products, services, nutrition, and more!

  • Location, Location, Location

    The Essentia Health Fitness Expo is located inside the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC), which is just a short walk from Canal Park and the finish lines of Grandma’s Marathon and the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon.

fitness expo vendor

Featured Booths

We’re excited to welcome dozens of our dedicated sponsors and committed community sponsors to the 2023 Essentia Health Fitness Expo!

Check back after June 1 for a complete list of participating vendors at this year’s expo, plus an updated floor plan so you can plan ahead for your race weekend activities!

LOCATION AND HOURS

LOCATION
Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC)
350 Harbor Drive
Duluth, MN 55802

 

DATES & TIMES
Thursday, June 15, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Friday, June 16, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

DECC ACTIVITIES MAP
VENDOR LIST & EXPO LAYOUT

Check back after June 1 for an updated floor layout of 2023 vendors at the Essentia Health Fitness Expo.

 

A list of participating vendors, as of May 15, is below:

 

Active Sol Eyewear
Advantage Emblem
American Cancer Society - Team DetermiNation
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
American Red Cross
Anderson Race Management/Mankato Marathon
ASICS
Bayfield Foods Cooperative
Benders
Big Beach Marathon
Brooks 
Cirrus Aircraft
DLH Clothing
Duluth Running Co
Duluth Coffee Company
Eau Claire Marathon
Ely Marathon
Essentia Health
FLIPBELT
Garmin
Goodr Sunglasses and beecause Sneaker charms
Goodwill 
Grand Casino Hinckley
Grandma's Marathon Race Pace Team
Grandma's Marathon Sustainability
Great Clips
Holiday Stationstores
Humana
Junk Headbands/Sweet Endurance
Kara Goucher
KT Health, LLC
Lagoon
LeafFilter Gutter ProtectIon
Loppet Cup 2024
Marathon Tours & Travel
Marine Corps Marathon
MedSense Massagers
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
Members Cooperative Credit Union
Minnesota Department of Corrections
Minnesota Pork Board
MN Muscle
Mudroom
Namirsa Inc
National Running Center
One More Mile Running
Pinnacle Performance Eyewear
Podium Sports Marketing
Pure Fuel
Racessentials
REAL TIME Pain Relief
Ripple
Ruck Life
Run Minnesota
Running While Black
SAVE
Secrect Collagen
SEEQ
St. George Marathon
Storm Creek
Sparkly Soul Inc
Tortoise and Hare Footwear
Trailblazer Food Co
U.S Army Reserves
Viking/Coca-Cola Beverages of Duluth
WonderPax
Young Athletes Foundation
Your Home Improvement Company

RACE PACKET PICKUP

Participants may pick up their race packets during the Essentia Health Fitness Expo. Extended hours for packet pickup are available on Friday night for those arriving late to Duluth.

 

PACKET PICKUP HOURS
Thursday, June 15, 2022 | 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Friday, June 16, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

 

Click HERE for more information on the specifics of your race packet pickup.

PARKING

DECC PARKING RAMP
350 Harbor Drive
Duluth, MN 55802

 

Paid parking on race weekend is available for $10 at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) parking ramp the Bayfront Festival Park open lot.

 

Metered and other paid parking is available in Canal Park or downtown Duluth, which is approximately one-half mile away from the DECC. NOTE: To crossover I-35, or to help protect pedestrians from cold or inclement weather, there is an indoor skywalk system that connects downtown Duluth to the DECC facilities.

HOW TO BECOME A VENDOR

We would love to have you at our next Essentia Health Fitness Expo! If your organization is interested in becoming an exhibitor, please contact Expo Coordinator Cia Draper via email at [email protected] or call our office at (218) 727-0947.

Featured Live Stage Appearances

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Alison Mariella Désir, Harlem Run & Author (Running While Black)
Friday, June 16 | 12:00 p.m. | DECC, Paulucci Hall

Alison Mariella Désir is an endurance athlete, activist, and mental health advocate. She currently serves as the co-chair of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition and is the founder of Harlem Run, a New York City–based running movement. A graduate of Columbia University with her bachelor’s and two master’s degrees, including a master of education in counseling psychology, Désir has been published in Outside magazine and contributed the foreword for Running Is My Therapy by Scott Douglas.

BOOK SIGNING: Désir will also be selling copies of her new book, Running While Black, at this year’s expo. She will be available to sign copies from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 16.

 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
Friday, June 16 | 1:00 p.m. | DECC, Paulucci Hall

Running should be for everyone, but is it? It’s important to Grandma’s Marathon that we continue taking steps forward to make our event and the sport of running more inclusive and accessible to everyone. We’ve invited several community leaders representing various minority groups for a roundtable discussion to address some of the obstacles still present in both competitive and recreational running across the country.

 
DICK & CARRIE PRE-RACE TALK SHOW
Friday, June 16 | 4:00 p.m. | DECC, Paulucci Hall

Dick Beardsley is a two-time Grandma’s Marathon champion and owned the men’s event record for more than three decades before it was beaten in 2014 by Dominic Ondoro. Carrie Tollefson is a Minnesota running legend in her own right, having competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics and now working as a television analyst for some of the nation’s biggest events.

Together, they make a dynamic duo on our Grandma’s Marathon media team and will again be covering this year’s men’s and women’s full marathons on radio and television. They will be joined during this 60-minute pre-race talk show by some of the other big names we have covering this year’s race, including Kara Goucher, Chad Salmela, Doug Kurtis, and Charlie Mahler.

BOOK SIGNING: Goucher will also be selling copies of her new book, The Longest Race, at this year’s expo. She will be available to sign copies from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 16.

 

VIRTUAL RACECOURSE TOURS
Friday, June 16 | 10:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. | DECC, Paulucci Hall

Doug Kurtis is a two-time Grandma’s Marathon champion and will be available to take you through a virtual racecourse tour before you get to the start line. Whether it’s your first time to Duluth or you just can’t get enough of our beautiful racecourse, make sure you don’t miss out on your chance to learn any last-minute tips and tricks that may help in your approach to race day.

Fitger's 5K History

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.

2022 Fitger's 5K Parking Info

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.

2022 Fitger's 5K Parking Info

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.

2022 Fitger's 5K Parking Info

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

2022 Fitger's 5K Race Packet Pickup Info

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.

2022 Fitger's 5K Swag Items

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.