New Drone Show Caps Grandma’s Marathon’s 50th Anniversary Weekend Events
For one weekend every June, Duluth, Minnesota, belongs to Grandma's Marathon. Hotels fill up throughout the Northland, and tens of thousands of spectators and volunteers stake out spots along the North Shore to cheer on strangers and loved ones alike.
I've always enjoyed the weekend, first as a spectator, then as a broadcaster covering the event from the back of a truck in the early 90's, and now as a runner, primarily of the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon.
This year, the Northland tradition hits a major milestone. Grandma's Marathon is turning 50, and organizers are marking the occasion with everything you have come to expect from race weekend, plus a few additions worthy of a golden anniversary.
The 50th annual celebration runs Thursday, June 18, through Saturday, June 20, with more than 19,000 participants expected across the weekend's races.
Organizers say the milestone belongs to the community as much as anyone. Marketing and PR Director Zach Schneider called reaching 50 years a monumental achievement, while framing the celebration as an invitation for the whole region to take pride in what the race has become.
While a lot of the events people have come to know and love will be back this year, there is also something new to close out the weekend celebration.
A Show Featuring 300 Drones Will Cap The Big Weekend
New this year, a drone show sponsored by Visit Duluth will take to the night sky after the race wraps on Saturday, with 300 drones forming images central to the marathon and the community that fuels it.
The show is set to highlight the weekend-long music festival and celebration at Bayfront Festival Park.
The drones won't be the only thing glowing. Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert has announced that both the Aerial Lift Bridge and Enger Tower will be lit green for race weekend, turning two of the city's most recognizable landmarks into part of the party.
The Essentia Health Fitness Expo Kicks Things Off
Before anyone laces up, the weekend begins at the DECC. Now in its 30th year, the Essentia Health Fitness Expo will fill Pioneer Hall and the Arena with close to 100 vendors showing off the latest in running apparel, gear, and technology.
The expo is free and open to the public, running from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 19.
Carb Up At The Michelina's Spaghetti Dinner
A race weekend tradition since the very beginning, the Michelina's All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti Dinner returns to the DECC's Lake Superior Ballroom. More than 8,000 plates are typically served at this all-day feast, a perfect pre-race fuel-up for runners, volunteers, and spectators alike.
The dinner runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 19. Tickets are available at the door for $20 for adults, $10 for kids ages 5 to 12, and free for children 4 and under.
When To Watch The Weekend Races
Of course, the running is still the main event. Here's a quick rundown of when and where to catch each race if you're planning to line up and cheer.
The William A. Irvin 5K kicks things off on Friday, June 19, with a 1 p.m. start. The 3.1-mile route winds through Canal Park and even takes runners beneath the same finish line structure marathoners will cross the next day, before wrapping up at Bayfront Festival Park.
The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon
The action then shifts to Saturday morning, June 20. The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon goes first, with adaptive athletes starting at 5:50 a.m. and the elite fields and citizen corrals rolling out from 6 a.m. through 6:20 a.m. Its 13.1-mile route hugs the Lake Superior shoreline before finishing in Canal Park.
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Grandma's Marathon follows, with its start sequence beginning at 7:35 a.m. for wheelchair and adaptive athletes, the elite and semi-elite fields going off around 7:40 to 7:45 a.m., and the citizen corrals heading out through 8:10 a.m. The full marathon runs its iconic point-to-point path from Two Harbors all the way into Duluth.
The Whipper Snapper Races Help Give Kids Their Moment
The littlest runners get their own spotlight, too. The Festival for Kids takes over Bayfront Festival Park from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19, with a bounce house and inflatables, a climbing wall, face painting, balance bikes, and Playfront Park, all free and open to the public.
The festival builds toward the beloved Whipper Snapper Races, running on a rolling basis from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., starting with the youngest age group. Kicking it all off is the famous mascot race, one of the most popular sights of the whole weekend. The races are free for kids ages 14 and under, with online registration open now and on-site sign-up starting at 2 p.m. that day.
Fifty Years And Still Pulling In The Same Direction
It would be easy to treat a marathon as just a race, a clock, and a finish line. However, anyone who has stood near the Lake Superior shoreline on that third Saturday in June knows it's something bigger. As Schneider put it, for three days, the entire community focuses on one thing and pulls on the rope in the same direction.
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That's the real story of Grandma's Marathon at 50. It grew from a small idea in 1977 into one of the most celebrated road races in the country, and it did so on the backs of thousands of runners, volunteers, and neighbors who showed up.
This weekend, when those 300 drones light up the sky over Bayfront and the Lift Bridge glows green, that's worth a cheer, Duluth. This is something we helped build as a community.
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