Registration Set to Open on October 1 for 2025 Grandma’s Marathon Weekend

September 23, 2024

Significant Changes Coming for Race Weekend Kickoff 5K Event

(DULUTH, MINN.) /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Registration for the 2025 Grandma’s Marathon weekend will open on Tuesday, October 1 at 7:00 p.m. CT, and the organization announced today several changes to the weekend’s kickoff race event, the William A. Irvin 5K.

The 5K will have a new course in June 2025, due primarily to planned construction outside the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center. The new route will take participants on Canal Park Drive and underneath the finish structure that will be set up for the following day’s events, Grandma’s Marathon and the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon.

“To run on the iconic finish stretch of our marathon and half marathon, to be able to cross under that finish line structure, we believe that’s a unique and exciting opportunity for our 5K participants,” Marketing & Public Relations Director Zach Schneider said.

The race will still start on Harbor Drive next to the William A. Irvin ore boat and finish in Bayfront Festival Park, and the Lakewalk will still be a long stretch in the middle part of the racecourse.

The 2025 race will also feature an earlier start time, with the 5K going off at 1:00 p.m. as opposed to the traditional 6:00 p.m. start to help ease what’s become a very congested time in the late afternoon and early evening.

“This construction project really gave us an opportunity to rethink the entirety of how Friday fits within our race weekend,” Schneider said. “Not only can we create new experiences for our 5Kers, but moving the race earlier in the day should make significant improvements during a time that thousands of our marathoners and half marathoners are arriving to town and moving their way through that area of town for the expo and race packet pickup.”

The William A. Irvin 5K is the first of three weekend races, followed on Saturday by Grandma’s Marathon and the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, all of which reached a sellout for the fourth consecutive year in 2024.

The 2025 Grandma’s Marathon weekend is scheduled for June 19-21, and registration for the weekend’s races will open on a first-come, first-served basis at 7:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, October 1. To register or to find more information, please visit grandmasmarathon.com.

“If race day is the biggest day of our year, the day registration opens is a close second in terms of excitement for our participants,” Schneider said, “We’re always humbled by and grateful for the national and worldwide interest in our event, and we’re excited to have another chance to celebrate and showcase our wonderful community in June 2025.”

All Grandma’s Marathon weekend races are subject to a tiered pricing system, as outlined below, so early registration is strongly encouraged. There will be virtual options for each of the weekend’s races, as well.

Grandma’s Marathon (9,000 capacity)
October 1-October 15 — $130
October 16-December 31 — $140
January 1-March 31 — $150
April 1-June 1— $160
Virtual — $120

Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon (8,000 capacity)
October 1-October 15 — $120
October 16-December 31 — $130
January 1-March 31 — $140
April 1-June 1— $150
Virtual — $110

William A. Irvin 5K (2,700 capacity)
October 1-October 15 — $45
October 16-December 31 — $50
January 1-June 1— $55
Virtual — $40

Full Great Grandma’s Challenge (500 capacity)
October 1-October 15 — $205
October 16-December 31 — $220
January 1-March 31 — $235
April 1-June 1— $245

Half Great Grandma’s Challenge (700 capacity)
October 1-October 15 — $195
October 16-December 31 — $210
January 1-March 31 — $225
April 1-June 1— $235

All registered participants, in any of the weekend’s events, will receive both a shirt and finisher medal, as well as a free drink coupon that can be redeemed during race weekend. NOTE: Great Grandma’s Challenge participants will receive a specialized Challenge medal, as well as the two individual event medals, after finishing their marathon or half marathon on Saturday.

Race weekend will again feature several community events and activities that are open to the public, including free live music and entertainment at Bayfront Festival Park on Friday and Saturday as well as the Essentia Health Fitness Expo, Michelina’s All-You-Can-Eat Spaghetti Dinner, and Whipper Snapper Races for Kids.

For any questions or interview requests, please contact Marketing & Public Relations Director Zach Schneider via phone at (218) 343-9874 or via email at zach@grandmasmarathon.com.

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ABOUT GRANDMA’S MARATHON

Grandma’s Marathon began in 1977 when a group of local runners planned a scenic road race from Two Harbors to Duluth, Minnesota. After seeing just 150 participants that year, the race weekend has now grown into one of the largest in the United States and welcomes more than 20,000 participants for its three-race event each June.

The race got its name from the Duluth-based group of famous Grandma’s Restaurants, the first major sponsor of the marathon. In addition to the 26.2-mile race, the organization has now added the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and William A. Irvin 5K to its weekend offerings.

As the popularity of Grandma’s Marathon has grown, our mission has stayed the same – to organize, promote, and deliver annual events and programs that cultivate running, educational, social, and charitable opportunities to our communities.

Grandma’s Marathon-Duluth, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization with an eight-person, full-time staff and a 17-member Board of Directors.

Contact: Zach Schneider

Marketing & Public Relations Director

zach@grandmasmarathon.com

(218) 727-0947