More than 22,000 runners will be participating in one of the three races during the weekend of Grandma’s Marathon. When it comes to any race, it’s important for aspiring runners to take plenty of time training.

Registration for Grandma’s closed back on November 6th, 2024. Even though the races are five months away, runners were at Essentia Health to hear tips on how to get their bodies ready to run over 25 miles.

Dr. Kathryn McLellan is a sports medicine and orthopedic physician with Essentia and the medical director for Grandma’s Marathon. She says one of the common injuries runners have is blisters. Also, Dr. McLellan says overuse injuries are easily preventable while training for a marathon.

“The way to prevent that is a gradual increase in your activity level. Going from a really low level of activity to a really high level of activity, risks strains to your muscles and tendons. As well as stress fractures in your bones. You can prevent that by doing good strength training and base workouts at the start, and then building up from there,” Dr. McLellan said. “Marathon training really does take five to six months to get from nothing all the way to full. So this is the time to get started for Grandma’s.”

Earlier this week, runners could sign up for the grandma’s marathon training group. Tony Stensland, is the head coach of the Grandma’s Marathon training group. He says over 70 people are already registered to train for the next several months.

“This is my 16th year. I’ve seen people surprise themselves in what they can do every single year,” Stensland said. “It always happens where people have some doubt at the start and then they have belief at the end.”

Ideally, aspiring runners preparing for their races should have two pairs of shoes. Stensland said. He recommends between March and April is a good timeframe to get a new pair of running shoes, so they can be fresher for the marathon.

“The number one mistake people make is too fast too soon,” Stensland said. “So nice and easy for a couple, three months, and just get miles in and get that consistency established.”

There will be a total of 65 group runs in the Duluth-Superior area over 22 weeks for the training group. The last Day to Sign Up: March 1, 2025