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Howie

Grandma's Marathon now 10th largest in the U.S.

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For the first time in the event’s history, Grandma’s Marathon has cracked the top 10 list of largest 26.2-mile road races in the United States. With 6,690 finishers in its 2023 race, Grandma’s Marathon moved up two spots from a year ago and now sits 10th among the nation’s largest marathons.

“It’s not only cause for celebration but also serves as a way to quantify, in a way, just how remarkable and important our community has been to help this event grow to be one of the biggest in the nation,” Marketing & Public Relations Director Zach Schneider said. “To see Duluth on this list alongside big metropolitan areas such as New York City, Chicago, and Boston should bring a smile to anyone who has ever had a hand, big or small, in Grandma’s Marathon.”

The 2023 Grandma’s Marathon was the 10th largest in the event’s 47-year history – there were eight straight years with 6,700+ finishers from 2001-08, and the largest-ever event came in 2016 with 7,518 finishers for the 40th annual race.

In total, more than 235,000 participants have crossed the finish in Duluth’s Canal Park since the start of Grandma’s Marathon in 1977. If the current pace continues, event organizers expect that total to reach the quarter million mark during the 50th annual event scheduled for June 2026.

LARGEST MARATHONS IN THE UNITED STATES (2023)

  1. New York City Marathon – 51,297
  2. Chicago Marathon – 48,574
  3. Boston Marathon – 26,600
  4. Los Angeles Marathon – 16,973
  5. Honolulu Marathon – 15,140
  6. Marine Corps Marathon – 13,662
  7. Walt Disney Marathon – 12,690
  8. Philadelphia Marathon – 11,412
  9. California International Marathon – 9,223
  10. Grandma’s Marathon – 6,690

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