Grandma’s Marathon weekend kicks off with shakeout run, museum exhibit
Runners prepare for 50th anniversary race with help from Olympic champion Dakotah Popehn
DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) - Runners got an early start to Grandma’s Marathon weekend Friday morning.
The Duluth Running Company organized a shakeout run to help runners get rid of their nerves. Well-known athletes and members of the Minnesota Distance Elite team helped lead the event.
That included 2024 U.S. Olympian and two-time winner of Grandma’s Marathon, Dakotah Popehn. She is running the full marathon this year and advises runners to save their energy so they can give it their all later in the race.
Race strategy tips
“Once you get to Lester River you’re gonna get your loudest crowd in a long time and I think sometimes people go through Lester River a little bit too quickly and then it gets a little quieter right after that. So people maybe tend to hit a wall there, so just save it for Lester River. Give a good push after that and then Lemon Drop is nothing more than an overpass. It’s hardly a hill,” Popehn said.
Duluth Running Company is also hosting a watch party at their location on Superior Street Saturday morning.
Museum celebrates 50th marathon
Grandma’s Marathon opened a museum in the Depot last month to highlight the 50th marathon.
Read: www.northernnewsnow.com/2026/05/12/grandmas-marathon-opens-temporary-museum-depot/
Visitors can get a look at how the marathon started, the obstacles it’s overcome and some of the elite racers who have competed.
The exhibit is free to visit and is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sustainability efforts
Last year’s Grandma’s Marathon earned a special certification for how sustainable the event is.
Grandma’s Marathon was awarded an Evergreen certification for sustainability, becoming the third marathon in the country to reach this level.
In 2025, almost 1,000 pounds of extra finisher medals were recycled.
More than 7,500 pounds of clothes were donated to True North Goodwill.
The marathon used reusable cups, keeping 55,000 cups out of the landfill.
Annually, nearly 150,000 plastic bottles are avoided by using water trucks and fire hydrants for water on the race course.
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