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Grandma’s Marathon will celebrate its golden anniversary in 2026, but the race’s popularity is already breaking records. Registration for the 50th annual weekend opened tonight and within 90 minutes, nearly every event was sold out.
The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon reached its 7,000-runner limit in just 75 minutes. The William A. Irvin 5K sold out its 1,500 spots in 106 minutes. Both the Half and Full Great Grandma’s Challenge — capped at 500 entries each — were gone in 48 minutes and 92 minutes, respectively.
That left the marathon itself, the weekend’s 26.2-mile signature race, with fewer than 1,250 of its 9,500 entries available an hour and a half after registration began. Last year the marathon sold out in early November, and organizers say this year is on pace to top that mark.
“To see the shift in conversation of these sellouts from days and hours to mere minutes is incredibly humbling,” said Zach Schneider, the event’s marketing and public relations director. “There’s always some nervous anticipation around registration day, so it’s good to take a breath and now go forward into the real work of delivering on what these tens of thousands of people signed up for.”
Organizers reported nearly 9,000 people waiting online when registration opened at 7 p.m. Central time. Ninety minutes later, more than 17,500 participants had secured entries across the weekend’s events.
“To think of all these people in their areas of the world, logging on tonight to be part of Grandma’s Marathon … it’s why we do what we do,” Schneider said. “We can’t wait to give them a weekend they’ll remember forever.”
For those who missed out, organizers pointed to the race’s charity program. About 1,000 entries are reserved through 50 nonprofit partners, each with its own fundraising goals. Participants who meet those thresholds earn a free race entry.
“Run for charity, and everybody wins,” Schneider said. “Our Charity Partners program is a prime example of how the impact of Grandma’s Marathon can extend even past race weekend.”
The 50th annual Grandma’s Marathon weekend is scheduled for June 18-20, 2026.
