It’s not strange to see races or marathons this time of year in Duluth. But it’s not everyday you see hundreds of runners dressed up as bananas. The North Shore Inline Marathon Inc. held the first ever ‘Going Bananas Run’, a 2 mile race, in heart of Lincoln park.

Andrew Weisz, brought in a bunch of runners, sponsors and community support for this one of a kind race. The ‘Going Bananas Run’ went from a fun, silly race into a heartwarming fundraiser to combat child hunger across the Northland.

“It’s been four years in the making, from concept idea convincing the North Shore to actually do it, but it’s been amazing. It’s so fun to see it come to life,” Weisz said. “$5 of your registration went towards Project Joy, which is a nonprofit organization working on food insecurity in the Northland and especially aimed at helping kids.”

The first person to cross the finish line at the ‘Going Bananas Run’ is Duluth native and 7th grader, Cody Carlson. He says people should run as much as you can during the summer.

“I haven’t really done a two miler. I do two miles at my house, I didn’t think I’d do that good, but I won. It’s cool how it’s the first year they’ve ever done this,” Carlson said. “I’m definitely doing it next year. It’s for a good cause. That’s number one. For two, you’re going to get a pin. Three, you get free ice cream, So it’s a win all the time.”

Over 400 runners signed up to run in this Bonafide bonanza. Between running for a good cause, and for your health, it can be a great way to meet new friends, and have fun with the whole family. Jeffery Burns says joining a local running club like the Mediocre Trail Runners is a wonderful way to exercise and meet people.

“Running has so many benefits. What I’ve really been surprised about is about a year ago, I started joining a lot of running groups. I’m surprised how many friends I make,” Burns said. “But you end up with a large friend network going to running groups.”

If free banana split ice cream, making new friends, or supporting a good cause doesn’t motivate you to run the 2 mile race… Well, maybe the ‘Going Bananas Run’ Gorilla will give you the final push across the finish line.

“Adding the gorilla was something that we had just been joking about for probably two to three years. It’s so fun to see it come to life,” Weisz said. “Honestly, I thought the gorilla was going to go a lot slower to be friendlier to the casuals. I’m lucky enough to have finished ahead of the gorilla,” Burns said. “But it looks like a lot of people are not today. That is a fast gorilla.”

Several event coordinators are already making plans to host next years ‘Going Bananas Run’. Also for other stories about running you can read more here.