Duluth, United States · 42.195 km road marathon
Grandma's Marathon 2027
Saturday 19 June 2027
A point-to-point run along the North Shore of Lake Superior from near Two Harbors into Canal Park, Duluth, rolling but 40 m lower at the finish, with a 7-hour limit.
Grandma's Marathon at a glance
- Start
- 07:45 to 08:10 in three corrals, 893 Scenic Drive near Two Harbors (2026 times)
- Finish
- Canal Park, Duluth, on Canal Park Drive by Buchanan Street
- Course
- Point to point on Scenic Highway 61 beside Lake Superior into Duluth, rolling, net downhill
- Elevation
- Between 185 and 222 m above sea level
- Time limit
- 7 hours, basis not stated; a race vehicle drives the course at 7-hour pace
- Cut-offs
- None published
- Entry
- Not yet open: opens 1 October 2026 at 19:00 Central, $155 until 5 October
- Bib pickup
- DECC expo, Thursday 17 and Friday 18 June, with photo ID; no race-day pickup
- Getting to the start
- Official buses from seven sites or the North Shore Scenic Railroad; no drop-offs
- Aid stations
- Water and Powerade every two miles to mile 17, then every mile from 19 to 25 (2026)
Entry details were checked on 25 September 2026 and may have changed since: a date in the entry rules has passed. Check the organizer's entry page before relying on them.
Checked against the organizer's pages on 25 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.
Grandma's Marathon course map and elevation
Point to point on Scenic Highway 61 beside Lake Superior into Duluth, rolling, net downhill. Map, elevation profile and 3D flyover.
› running direction two lines: out and back on the same road race kilometresCourse: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Route drawn by TrailSplits from published race information; approximate. For illustration, not navigation.
What to expect on the course
- Lake Superior on your left from Two Harbors past Larsmont (km 5) and Knife River (km 8)
- Greenwood Road at mile 13 (km 21), where the half marathon starts
- Into Duluth at the Lester River near mile 19 (km 31)
- Lemon Drop Hill at mile 22 (about km 35), the last climb
- Through downtown to 5th Avenue West at mile 25, then back along Harbor Drive into Canal Park
The map shows the 2025 course from near Two Harbors along Lake Superior to Canal Park in Duluth; the organizer still shows the same route and has not announced changes for 2027.
Read the full course description
A USATF-certified point-to-point course that runs south-west from the start near Two Harbors along Scenic Highway 61 with Lake Superior on the left to a finish in Canal Park, Duluth. The organizer's map marks Larsmont near mile 3 (km 5), Knife River near mile 5 (km 8), the Sucker River near mile 10 (km 16), Greenwood Road at mile 13 (km 21), where the half marathon starts, and the Lester River near mile 19 (km 31), where the course enters Duluth. The organizer calls it rolling with a net downhill: 740 ft (226 m) at the start and 610 ft (186 m) at the finish, 130 ft (40 m) lower. Short rises come at miles 8 to 9 and 19 to 21, and Lemon Drop Hill, marked at mile 22 (about km 35), is the last climb, a gentle 14 m over a kilometre on the map's heights. The final miles pass 21st Avenue East at mile 23 and 6th Avenue East at mile 24, cross downtown to 5th Avenue West at mile 25, and turn back along Harbor Drive past the DECC into Canal Park. In 2026 water and Powerade came at miles 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 and every mile from 19 to 25, and pacers ran from 2:55 to 6:30.
Source, licence and file
TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.3 km in the file). Approximate ground heights from USGS 3D Elevation Program lidar, added by TrailSplits at roughly 100 m intervals. Bridges and small road gradients are not surveyed road elevations.Heights from the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program (public domain).
Three decisions to make before race day
Be ready at 19:00 Central on 1 October, or take an early place
Registration opens at 19:00 Central on 1 October with no waiting list; the 2026 race sold out in 12 hours. Before then, 50 charity places cost a $500 donation that includes the entry.
More detail
Entry is first come, first served with no waiting list, and the 2026 marathon sold out in 12 hours; the first price of $155 lasts only until 5 October. Two ways in before 1 October: one of 50 Young Athletes Foundation charity places, on sale since 15 September for a $500 donation that includes the entry, or the official training group, which guarantees a place but not the entry fee.
Choose your start bus or the train in May, because nobody may be dropped at the start
Official buses from seven sites or the North Shore Scenic Railroad are the only way to the start; nobody may be dropped off. Choose your loading point from the early-May email.
More detail
Official buses or the North Shore Scenic Railroad are the only way to the start near Two Harbors, and private drop-offs are forbidden. Buses leave from seven sites, among them the DECC, Miller Hill Mall, UMD and Two Harbors High School, and the train has limited space. Pick your loading point in Race Roster from the early-May email and board with your bib showing.
Collect your packet by Friday night, or have it posted by 20 May
No race-morning pickup: collect at the DECC on Thursday 17 June (16:00 to 20:00) or Friday 18 June (10:00 to 23:00), or have the packet posted for $30 if requested by 20 May.
More detail
There is no race-morning pickup. The pickup page lists the DECC expo on Thursday 17 June, 16:00 to 20:00, and Friday 18 June, 10:00 to 23:00, the same hours as 2026, with photo ID and the bib-number email. A friend may collect with the signed authorisation form, or the packet is posted within the US for $30 if requested by 20 May.
Your race-day sheet
Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Duluth.
ESTIMATED FINISH
11:45:00
MOVING PACE BUDGET
5:34/ km
ELAPSED PACE
5:41/ km
180 min below the modelled finish limit
| Distance | Elapsed | Local clock |
|---|---|---|
| 5 km | 00:28:26 | 08:13:26 |
| 10 km | 00:56:53 | 08:41:53 |
| 15 km | 01:25:19 | 09:10:19 |
| 20 km | 01:53:45 | 09:38:45 |
| Halfway | 02:00:00 | 09:45:00 |
| 25 km | 02:22:12 | 10:07:12 |
| 30 km | 02:50:38 | 10:35:38 |
| 35 km | 03:19:05 | 11:04:05 |
| 40 km | 03:47:31 | 11:32:31 |
| Finish | 04:00:00 | 11:45:00 |
Training plan for Grandma's Marathon 2027
A free week-by-week plan dated to this race. It starts from a stated default (weekly distance, longest recent run, days a week) that you can change; nothing is read from your watch or training history. It does not use the finish-time target above.
View my training planNo account required. Keep a fixed copy, download the calendar or get a subscription URL for Google or Apple Calendar.
Entry, bib pickup and rules
- Entry:
- Not yet open: opens 1 October 2026 at 19:00 Central, $155 until 5 October
- Bib pickup:
- DECC expo, Thursday 17 and Friday 18 June, with photo ID; no race-day pickup
Read the full entry and pickup rules
Not yet open: registration for 2027 opens at 19:00 Central on 1 October 2026 on Race Roster, first come, first served, and the 2026 marathon sold out in 12 hours. The race page lists $155 from 1 to 5 October, $170 to 31 October, $185 from 1 November to 31 March and $200 from 1 April to 1 May, fees included. Runners must be 12 on race day. Entries can be transferred through Race Roster until 1 May for a $26.95 fee paid by the new runner; there are no refunds, deferrals or waiting list. Packets are collected at the DECC expo on the Thursday and Friday before the race with photo ID; there is no race-morning pickup.
Sources
Checked 25 September 2026; next review due 2026-11-21. Event facts come from the organizer; the pacing sheet, decisions and plan are TrailSplits' own. Independently prepared by TrailSplits, not endorsed by the organizer.
- 2027 marathon page
- Frequently asked questions
- Packet pickup
- Start and finish lines
- Racecourse map (2024 edition, still linked)
- 2026 racecourse and elevation
- 2026 finish area map
What each source confirms
- 2027 marathon page: Saturday 19 June 2027 as the 51st edition, registration opening at 19:00 CT on 1 October, the four entry fee bands, the point-to-point course along Scenic Highway 61 to Canal Park, USATF certificate MN25002DT, the 7-hour limit and 16:00 per mile, the race vehicle at 7-hour pace, the mile-by-mile elevation table (740 ft start, 610 ft finish, 130 ft net drop), the YAF charity places and training group, and the 2026 start times, corrals, pace groups, aid stations, fuel, timing mats and bus sites.
- Frequently asked questions: The 2027 key dates (price rises on 6 October, 1 November and 1 April, entry and transfer deadlines on 1 May, packet mailing by 20 May), future race dates from 19 June 2027, the 2026 sell-out in 12 hours, the minimum age of 12, the $26.95 transfer fee, no waiting list, no refunds or deferrals, no race-morning pickup with photo ID required, proxy pickup, the $30 mailing, and compulsory bus or train transport to the start.
- Packet pickup: Packet pickup at the DECC arena, Entrance A, on Thursday 17 June 16:00 to 20:00 and Friday 18 June 10:00 to 23:00, no race-morning pickup, photo ID and the bib-number email, proxy authorisation and posting by 20 May for $30.
- Start and finish lines: The start at 893 Scenic Drive, Two Harbors, the three corrals and the rule that runners may move back but never forward, gear bags, the seven bus sites and the North Shore Scenic Railroad option, and the ban on private drop-offs.
- Racecourse map (2024 edition, still linked): The route along Lake Superior with mile markers and landmarks: Larsmont, Knife River, Homestead Road, Sucker River, Greenwood Road (half marathon start), McQuade Road, Lakewood Road, Lester River, Lemon Drop Hill at mile 22, 21st Avenue East, 6th Avenue East, 5th Avenue West and the finish.
- 2026 racecourse and elevation: The 2026 map with water and Powerade at miles 3 to 17 every two miles and every mile from 19 to 25, fruit near miles 19 and 23.5 and maple fuel at mile 17.
- 2026 finish area map: The approach along Harbor Drive past the DECC and the finish on Canal Park Drive by Buchanan Street.