As Grandma’s fills up, volunteers are needed

Almost all of the Grandma’s Marathon weekend races are full, and the race is switching focus to recruiting volunteers.

Race organizers are expecting one of the largest, if not the largest, Grandma’s weekend ever. More than 9,000 runners will compete in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and Grandma’s Marathon. Plus, there’s the William A. Irvin 5k on Friday night.

“It tells us that people are excited to get back to what we call ‘normal,'” Grandma’s Marathon Marketing & Public Relations Director Zach Schneider said.

Now Grandma’s is on the hunt for volunteers to support such a big weekend for Duluth.

“To put on a Grandma’s Marathon experience for those participants when they get here, we need help,” Schneider said. “The community itself is what has built Grandma’s Marathon into one of the biggest marathons in the United States. And it’s what’s going to keep us there.”

There are two new volunteer incentive programs in 2023.

For the first, any individual who signs up to volunteer by Saturday, April 1 will be entered to win a $100 gift card to Duluth Pack. The second incentive is for groups with 15 or more volunteers. They will be entered for a chance to win one of three $1,000 “Golden Tickets” for a donation to a non-profit organization of the group’s choosing.

People and groups can sign up to volunteer on the Grandma’s Marathon website.