I ran Grandma's Marathon for the first time this year and really enjoyed the race. I ended up running my slowest marathon, but that was not the fault of the race.

The race was extremely well-organized. I received numerous emails leading up to the race with helpful information. The water stops were frequent and had awesome, enthusiastic volunteers. The water did taste different to me than what I am used to in Maryland, but I figure that is just a regional thing. There was also sports drink offered.

I enjoyed the course, which takes runners along Route 61, North Shore Scenic Drive, along Lake Superior, before heading into Downtown Duluth. There are not lake views the entire way, but it's a scenic road with plenty of trees and lake views. As you get into the later miles and closer to town, there are more spectators. I got a selfie with a guy dressed up as a llama, and there are also a section where there are Troll dolls set up.

The course had rolling hills. These were more noticeable to me in the second half of the race, likely because I was getting more tired. It wasn't flat, but the hills were not miserable.

The expo was nice, but I was not looking to buy anything, so I was somewhat in and out. It was easy to pick up my packet (which was a race bib, information booklet and coupons, as the shirt was given out post-race) and get some fun photos at photo opportunities. I also bought the $16 ticket for the spaghetti dinner, offered in the same building, the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

I didn't rate parking because I did not bring a car, but I stayed at the University of Wisconsin - Superior and there was a bus that picked runners up on campus, which was very convenient. One option for runners is taking a train to the start (limited space), and there are other bus pickup locations as well. Although I had a good experience staying at the University of Wisconsin - Superior, I wouldn't recommend staying there if you don't have a car as it is kind of out of the way. However, it was a great savings over what I would have paid for a hotel ($285 for four nights).

Read more about my race and travel tips on my blog, She Runs by the Seashore dot com.