There are only two people who have not only participated but completed every single Grandma’s Marathon since it began in 1977, and that would be Jim Nowak and John Naslund. Nicknamed the ‘Iron Two,’ the two have seen the Marathon grow throughout its 49 years.

“Just walking around today seeing all these people that I’ve only recognized three people. And then when we ran back in ’77, we had… we probably knew 50, 60 people. So, that’s a big change,” said Nowak.

Grandma’s Marathon is not the only race Naslund has participated in since its inception, as he has also run every Twin Cities Marathon.

Both runners say they keep coming back to Duluth for the local atmosphere.

“It’s really amazing. It’s hard to believe that all these thousands of people are here to run the marathon or the 5K, and it’s just a great event for Duluth,” said Nowak.

The ‘Iron Two’ will join the 9,000 total runners at the starting line of Grandma’s Marathon Saturday morning. Click here to learn more about Grandma’s Marathon.