DULUTH, Minn. — History repeated itself Friday at the William A. Irvin 5K as defending champions Mason Shea and Mackenzie Myran successfully defended their titles during the opening day of Grandma's Marathon weekend festivities.
Shea crossed the finish line in 14 minutes, 58 seconds to capture his fourth William A. Irvin 5K championship, breaking a tie with Scott Behling for the most men's titles in race history. The victory also marked the first time Shea has won the event in consecutive years, adding another milestone to an already impressive resume at one of the region's signature road races.
"Something's hard about the repeat, I guess," Shea said. "I wanted to try for the record [of 14:43], but I fell a little short. I was pretty happy to get the win."
The sub-15-minute performance was Shea's fastest at the event and ranks as the eighth-fastest time in race history. He became the first men's runner to win back-to-back William A. Irvin 5K titles since Behling accomplished the feat in 2010 and 2011.
Shea's connection to the race extends beyond competition. His father graduated from Duluth Denfeld High School, and the family has made annual trips to Duluth for Grandma's Marathon weekend. The two plan to run Saturday's marathon together with a goal of finishing in less than four hours.
Colton Goucher, the son of former U.S. Olympians Adam and Kara Goucher, finished second in 16:05. Isaac Dickenson initially crossed the finish line in second place but was later disqualified. Race officials said the circumstances remain under review and results could be updated if necessary.
On the women's side, Myran continued her remarkable rise by repeating as champion in 18:06. One year after becoming the youngest female winner in race history at age 13, the 14-year-old lowered her winning time by nearly 30 seconds while collecting her second consecutive title.
"My family has done this race since I was little," Myran said. "So it's cool to be able to now be running it myself. I just wanted to go out today and have fun, but it is pretty cool to repeat."
Myran recently completed eighth grade at St. Michael-Albertville and already owns one of the state's most impressive youth running resumes. This spring she placed third at the Minnesota state track and field championships in both the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter races.
Regan Niemi finished second in the women's division, crossing the line in 18:28, 22 seconds behind Myran. Former U.S. Olympian Kara Goucher placed fourth in 19:48, while fellow Olympian Carrie Tollefson finished seventh in 20:13. Tollefson remains the most decorated competitor in race history with five William A. Irvin 5K championships.
Lado Mueller claimed the non-binary division title with a time of 21:36, finishing more than seven minutes ahead of runner-up Mara Fink.
The race attracted 2,525 finishers, narrowly missing the event record of 2,548 participants set in 2025. The William A. Irvin 5K serves as one of the traditional kickoff events for the annual Grandma's Marathon weekend, drawing runners from across the region and beyond to Duluth's waterfront.
