Her biggest claim to fame, according to Grandma’s Marathon, is organizing the annual cleanup of a section of the racecourse along Scenic Highway 61 between Two Harbors and Duluth. Korte has worked the finish line on race day and coordinated the spaghetti dinner on Friday nights. Korte has served on the Grandma’s Marathon Board of Directors since 1994 and has chaired the board twice. Before the race started using chips to time runners, he was part of the crew that helped manually time finishers. The Grandma’s Marathon Hall of Fame honors those who make longstanding and meaningful contributions to the race and community.ĭock has been volunteering at the Grandma’s Marathon finish line in various capacities for 37 years. Followed by four Americans who are also making their debut in Duluth, Mathathi would be the first Kenyan to win this race since Monicah Ngige in 2018. Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon rookie Lydia Mathathi leads things on the women’s side, and the Kenyan’s personal best is a time that, if repeated, would break the storied mark of Duluth native Kara Goucher. He will lead a strong group of returners on the men’s side, with each of the top five runners having been here before. Neither the men’s or the women’s defending champion is back in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, but 2016 winner Macdonard Ondara is back this year for his fourth run in Duluth.

Lindwurm’s personal record of 2:25:01, which she ran in last year’s winning effort at Grandma’s Marathon, is more than four minutes better than any other woman in the field, though Gabriella Rooker is back this year after finishing 10th place last summer in her Duluth debut. New Zealand’s Lorraine Moller won three straight women’s races from 1979-81, and American Mary Akor then did it from 2007-09.

Minnesotan and fan favorite Dakotah Lindwurm returns on the women’s side as a favorite to win her third-straight Grandma’s Marathon, which would make her the third woman to accomplish that feat. Olympic Trials, but is also hoping to become the first American men’s winner of Grandma’s Marathon since Chris Raabe did it in 2009. Kevin Lynch not only leads a pack of American men aiming to qualify for the U.S.

NOTE: Elisha Barno will be officially inducted on Friday, June 16 into the Grandma’s Marathon Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023, making him the first athlete inducted since 2017.

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