Grandma's Marathon

I am from the Duluth area. It is not a very difficult area to get around in but you should probably book your hotel now because I know they fill up fast. Traffic in this area isn't to bad either. You should be able to find your way around Duluth very nicely. Get that hotel booked though fast. It will be a great time and the course is awesome I run on it all the time.

Don't stay near the finish line. It is blocked off most of the weekend and you will pay minimum $150 per night (two or three night minimum required). I know, it's a rip off, but that is the type of interest Grandma's creates.

Better option. Stay at the University of Minnesota Duluth. It is much cheaper (still 2 night min. though). It is halfway between the airport and downtown (finish). The whole weekend there are free shuttles running between the housing facilities and downtown. On raceday it is the largest pick up for starting line shuttles for both the 1/2 and full. It is convienent. Drawbacks: no air conditioning, which isn't usually a problem in Duluth, but there is always the chance of a freak warm snap like '98. Also shared bathrooms. Can be a hassle race morning.

Duluth is very easy to get around.

Hey thanks for the info, very helpful. I see they don't start reservations for the dorms until March. Seems like just about every hotel in the area is already sold out though. What's up with that? I'm thinking about doing the 1/2 this summer in anticipation of doing the full next summer (2005). Looks like a fast course and good competition, I'm excited. Thanks for the help.

If you have any other questions feel free

It's a great marathon and it's the best thing that ever happens in Duluth. It's not a big town and the Hotels know they have you by the short hairs so they gouge and make you prepay.

The people in Duluth are wonderful and they love the race too.

thoroughly enjoyed it.

Find a host family. Great way to visit a town. They'll treat you like a king.

Any contact info. for host families?

Yeah I'm interested in the host family idea too. Let us have some info about it.

It used to be that only "second-tier elite" athletes were matched with host families. A friend of mine ran it a couple of years ago and he didn't get any travel or hotel expenses but they did comp his entry and set him up with a host family (he has a sub-2:23 PR). I'm not sure what the policy is now but at that time the race coordinated host families only for invited athletes.

Also, I agree completely that it is one of the better races out there. Good course, great organization, great atmosphere. However, it's also true that the Duluth-area hotels take advantage of the weekend and the price-gouging is terrible. Last year I had planned to run it and reserved a king suite room at the Super 8 in Cloquet (about 30 miles west) at a rate of $185/night with a minimum two night stay (I ended getting injured and had to cancel). Anyone who has stayed at a Super 8 knows that $185 is about $130 overpriced.

Also, about the dorms - from what I've heard, they can be very noisy. I've had friends who had no problem and others who got no sleep for two nights because of late arrivals, parties in neighboring rooms, people constantly going to/from the restrooms, etc. So if you are someone who needs a good night sleep and doesn't handle noisy or busy environments well, the dorms are probably not a good choice.

And I thought it was just me who had a noisy dorm. I stayed at the College of St. Scholastica and people were yakking in the hallway late into the night like it was the first day of freshman year. The hallway was all tile and cinderblocks so there was an annoying echo. Next time I'm going to bring earplugs.

I actually do a lot of the assigning for the UMD dorms. My advice is to ask for a quiet section on the reservation form. I try to put those people in the same sections some of the upper floors with elevators. Specifically ask for Griggs E/F or LSH upper floors. Also ask to be on the same floor as your gender's bathroom. They alternate floors in those sections.