I have run both the full and half marathons at Grandma's many times. This year, I did the half and was especially pleased with the 6:15am start time as my normal running time is 5:00am. The race begins at the halfway point of the marathon and continues on to the finish near the Arial Lift Bridge in Duluth. It begins an hour and fifteen minutes ahead so that the slower runners do not get pushed aside by the elite marathoners.
Since it is a point to point course, runners are bussed to the start. I'd highly recommend trying to catch one of the first busses as the start corrals are very crowded. My son was aiming for an Elite time and did manage to get to the front of the corral by taking the ditch. The race offers a good level of competition and fun for those like my son who ran 1:11, me at 1:56 and people barely making the 3:03 cut-off. The finish area is well organized and the volunteers are always friendly and knowledgeable. If you decide to try this race, be sure to get lodging early as much of it is probably already full for next year except the dorms at the local colleges that won't be taking reservations for a while yet. We have a lot of family in the area, so we are really lucky not to arrange lodging.