"Disclaimer: I received free entry into Grandma's Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"
Grandma's Marathon was my 2nd Marathon of 2019, 3rd overall. The training for this race was a bit out of the ordinary as it was fit into my ultra training schedule. But it was still a race to remember! Last year I ran the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, and I jumped at the chance to run the full.
I think the biggest factor that a MN runner takes into account for race day is weather. It can change at the drop of the hat, and assuming you are in a certain season and it will be a certain temp is honestly just silly! Last year we really lucked out and avoided the rain last minute. This year, the entire week leading up to race day, it seemed as though we wouldn't be so lucky. MN then said "hold your beer"...and we ended up with the best weather we could have for a race day in June in Northern MN. Temp was around 50 at race start, a nice little breeze coming off the lake and clear blue skies and sunshine the entire morning and afternoon. (the only downfall was that I was prepared for grey skies and rain, and did not put on sunscreen. My poor shoulders and cheeks burnt to a crisp).
Everything I remember from last year in terms of the expo and the swag is the same as I experienced this year. This year running the Great Grandma's Challenge I did get to walk away with an extra piece of swag. A nice navy/bright yellow jacket. The one thing I do appreciate is handing out the finishers shirts after you cross the finish line. Its one shirt you know you fully had to earn to receive.
Running the 5K the night before the Marathon worried me a bit at first. But I am so glad that I signed up for the Great Grandma's Challenge. The course for the 5K wasn't too difficult and gave my legs a bit of a shakeout before the Marathon in the morning. It really lets you experience the entire weekend and gives more of a fun vibe to loosen up a bit and just enjoy it. Great start to a fun weekend!
While this is technically my 2nd race I have ran for BibRave. I was not able to actually run the Hot Chocolate 15K in Minneapolis. So it was nice to be able to take part in every aspect of the race weekend and meet up with so many BibRave Pro's who traveled in from other states. Grandma's is a big race weekend and a pretty large race. The best part about it though is it really gives you all of that but with the beauty of the North Shore and a small town charm you can only find here in MN.
This really has turned into one of my favorite race weekends. And while the race did not turn out as I had hoped. I take away from that weekend in June... new friends, amazing medals and memories I won't soon forget running alongside some pretty badass peeps.
You can check out my full race review here: https://www.bibrave.com/races/grandma-s-marathon-reviews/12522#.XRgbp7zYrnE
So would I recommend this race? You betcha! And will I be back in 2020? Oh for sure!
Hope to see you there!
Happy Running!
-Tia