This race is fantastic. Super-well organized, fun crowd-support, a beautifully scenic course, and enough people on the course (around 6,000 marathoners) to make the atmosphere fun without feeling overwhelming. 

Probably the most challenging aspect of Grandma's for most runners is the logistics of getting there and staying nearby. I wound up making the 15-hour journey via car which meant that I had to build an extra day into my travel time. Also, lodging in and around Duluth is not cheap. Most hotels charge upwards of $300/night and require a two-night stay over race weekend. 

A friend and I wound up staying in a dorm about 3 miles from the course which was easier on the wallet but made for some extra juggling to figure out parking on race morning. Fortunately, we are both early risers and so we arrived at the transportation area for the shuttles around 4:30am and had our pick of parking spaces. I easily boarded the scenic train to the marathon start and my friend got on a 4:45am shuttle to the half start.

The train was lovely. However, I will say that the bathrooms were disgusting within about 30 minutes of the trip. Train lavs don't flush very well and with that much use, they were blocked and overflowing pretty quickly. I talked with a woman who has ridden the train in year's past and she said the same thing happens every year. So if you're riding the train to enjoy the scenery then go for it; if you're riding the train to take advantage of the bathrooms, skip this "perk" and take your chances with a porta-potty instead. They are plentiful at the start line as well as along the course.

Grandma's is a point-to-point race course starting in Two Harbors, Minnesota and finishing in Duluth (hence the shuttles.) The course is pretty much flatish -I live in a hilly area so this felt flat to me but there are a few gentle rollers and short but steep "hill" dubbed the Lemon Drop which is more feared than it needs to be simply because you hit it around mile 21 of the race. 

There is lots of crowd support and music along the course so if you feed off of the energy of the crowd, you can get your fill here. The crowds aren't huge but you are rarely alone on the course. If you prefer, you can just look to the left and soak up the view of the tall pines bordering Lake Superior. Even though it was foggy and overcast on the day of this race, I could still and smell enough of this scenery to really make me fell like I was at a destination race. 

After the race, you can grab your medal, t-shirt (only finishers get shirts!), and food which this year consisted of fresh fruit, bagels, chicken broth (because it was a pretty chilly day), and snack bars. The finish line also has showers where you can get cleaned up and a rockin' party that certainly outlasted me although that wasn't really saying much!

Bottom line: Grandma's is a fantastic race that is so fun and well-organized that you'll be glad you added it to your list.

This past weekend, I ran the Ridgway Marathon. This is a pic of the start line (and 2 of the guys in this pic were running a marathon relay!) As you can see, it's an extremely small race. I had never heard of it until a friend put it on my radar last year. But it was an amazing race, and here's why you might want to add this one to your calendar.

The logistics for this race were a breeze. I live close by but even if I didn't, I know I could get a hotel for a minimal fee (no exuberant fees for race weekend!) I was also able to park AT the start line. I've run 24 marathons and I've never been able to drive to the start line before!

The racecourse is flat and fast. It's a certified Boston Qualifier, which is cool. And it's perfectly scenic, running along the local rails-to-trails path. I managed to pull off an 11 minute PR so I can attest to the fact that this course (a 13.1 mile out and back) is fast.

And the race organizer and sponsor are wonderful. It's a small race, so they treat runners like elites. Both before and after the race, they made sure we had everything we needed (like ziploc bags for our gadgets since it was raining.) After the race, the main race sponsor, Dr. Cole, lended me an arm to walk my over the the food area where he got me a banana and opened my Gatorade. He also let me know that his office (the race "expo") had a shower that I was free to use. And he had also brought in folks to do free massages (with tips going to hurricane relief). I took advantage of both and went home much less cold, stinky, and sore than I would have been otherwise.

The only negative about this race is that because it is so small, it can get a little lonely out there. If you thrive on spectators, this isn't the race for you. While I do usually like a few spectators to help keep me motivated, I have to say that I was fine just listening to my music and taking in the beautiful race course.

Also, because there were so few of us, I got a high five from each of the marathoners as we passed each other at the turnaround. And I knew the names of each of the four other women who were running. It really made me feel like I was running with friends even though I had only met these people minutes before.

Bottom line: The Ridgway Marathon is the perfect little marathon that you have probably never heard of. Check it out...I hope to see you there next year!