I love Grandma's Marathon. This was my 4th Grandma's and my 20th Marathon overall. After the last two years of hot and humid weather it was awesome to have some good weather (foggy and cool for most of the race) - unfortunately I was really struggling with plantar fasciitis and had not been able to train appropriately for seeking a PR.

Course: Rolling hills. Beautiful views of Lake Superior (at least when the fog clears up enough that you can see the lake. Last 6 miles are run through Duluth. One change for this year's race was the path downtown - Superior Street was ripped up so they had us run down one block over which had spectators a little more restricted.

Lodging: First time staying in the dorms. It was actually a really nice set up - we had a 4 person apartment and far far cheaper than staying in a hotel in Duluth.

Food / Drink: Hoops Brewing and Fitgers Brewery for dinner.

Gear: The shirt was a little disappointing this year - weird texture. Medal is good though - heavy.

Overall: One other thing I'd feel terrible about if I didn't mention - the city of Duluth goes all out for this race and it is an awesome community. Good food, better beer, and really wonderful people.