Historic repeat winners open Grandma’s Marathon weekend in Two Harbors

Friday’s William A. Irvin 5K gave Two Harbors and Duluth the first real pulse of Grandma’s Marathon weekend, and the historic repeat winners at the front of the pack only sharpened the sense that the region’s biggest running celebration had arrived. The race opened the 2026 weekend on June 19, one day before the marathon and other signature events, and it set the tone for a milestone 50th annual running that is expected to draw heavy crowds, busy streets and a steady flow of business along the North Shore.

The 5K has done that job since 1994. Grandma’s Marathon says the race draws close to 3,000 participants each year, but the smaller Friday run carries a much larger economic signal: the organization says the full weekend produces almost $40 million in annual regional economic impact. Its Charity Partners Program has raised more than $3.6 million since 2015, and the Young Athletes Foundation has contributed more than $1.8 million since 1990, numbers that show how far the event reaches beyond the finish line in Canal Park.

For Lake County, the race matters because Two Harbors is not a side note, it is the start of the route. The marathon start line sits just south of town on Old Scenic Highway 61, and the point-to-point course runs from Two Harbors to Duluth before finishing in Canal Park near the Aerial Lift Bridge and Grandma’s Restaurant. Scenic Highway 61 between Duluth and Two Harbors closes for race-day logistics, a move that underscores how much of the North Shore corridor gets pulled into marathon weekend. More than 3,500 volunteers work more than 40,000 hours each year, helping manage the movement of runners, spectators and support crews through the region.

This year’s celebration carried extra weight because organizers marked the 50th annual Grandma’s Marathon and expected the all-time finisher count in Canal Park to approach 250,000. The weekend also stretched beyond the races themselves, with Rock the Bayfront at Bayfront Festival Park, 10 Minnesota bands announced for the lineup and a drone show with 300 drones. With participants coming from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and many countries, the Friday 5K was more than a short race. It was the opening signal that the anniversary weekend, and the economic and civic energy that comes with it, had taken hold across Lake County and Duluth.