Behind the Scenes Preps of Grandma's Marathon

DULUTH - Thousands of runners from across the world are getting ready to visit Duluth for Grandma's Marathon. It's notably the biggest race in the Midwest, and takes the entire city to pull it off without any major hiccups. There's a full-time staff working year round to organize the race, but they can't do it alone. It's a collaboration of businesses, the city of Duluth, and running experts themselves that make Grandma's Marathon an extraordinary event. Runners don't need any fancy gear to do what they do best; just a good pair of shoes, and a whole lot of stamina. “It seems like more people are running Grandma's full and half from this area than have ever before,” said the co-owner of Duluth Running Company, Clint Agar. By this time, the running shoes are typically broken in and now the worry is figuring out what to wear on the big day. “With Duluth you never know if it's going to be really hot or if it's going to be rainy,” Agar laughed. Even with rain in the forecast, the folks at Duluth Running Company are promising tourists the view on the route will be top notch. “It's a destination race. They get to see the community, embrace this event, and get behind it and that's what makes it special,” Agar said. As locals know, things don't always look picture perfect. Thank the record-breaking winter and non-existent spring for the late start on beautifying the city. “This is the second season in a row where we're behind by a month,” said Duluth’s building and grounds supervisor, Dale Sellner. The city is working fast and furious to fit three months of work into six weeks. “We've got a nice summer day today, we had a nice summer weekend over Memorial [Weekend] but now the weather the last couple weeks has been kind of cold and rainy,” Sellner laughed. He says it's simple jobs like getting the grass mowed and making sure each flower is perfectly bloomed to set the mood of our port city. Grandma's Restaurant in Canal Park is the poster child of the entire race, and on marathon day they have their game faces on. “It's a lot of people's first marathon or experience like that so helping to guide people it's a really neat thing,” said vice-president of the Canal Park Business Association, Tony Boen. From the shoes on the runner’s feet to the picture perfect 26.2 mile route, crossing the finish line is the cherry on top of a victorious day. “At the end of the night after the marathon's done then all these folks that have run 26.2 miles, they're coming in here and they're celebrating,” Boen explained. “We're just so happy to be a part of it.” Marathon events kick off Friday with the all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner. This year, competitors from all 50 states and 44 countries will lace up their shoes in hopes of crossing the finish line.