Dakotah Popehn wins third Grandma’s Marathon title in Duluth

Dakotah Popehn gave Duluth a hometown winner worth remembering, reclaiming the women’s title at the 50th Grandma’s Marathon in 2:28:51. The Minnesota native’s victory was her third career Grandma’s Marathon crown, adding to wins in 2021 and 2022 and reinforcing the race’s place as one of the state’s signature endurance events.

Popehn’s run mattered beyond the clock. She returned to her home state and handled the heat with a controlled, tactical race before pulling away late enough to secure the title. In a weekend built around elite fields and milestone significance, her finish stood out as both a top-level performance and a local story, the kind that resonates in Duluth and across St. Louis County because it ties national-class competition to a Minnesota runner who knows the course and the crowd.

The victory also fit into the larger history of Grandma’s Marathon, which has grown into the 10th largest marathon in the United States. The event drew 7,582 finishers in 2025, the largest field in its 49-year history, and organizers expect the quarter-millionth finisher to come through Canal Park during the 50th annual race weekend in June 2026. Since the race began in 1977, more than 235,000 participants have crossed the finish line along the Lake Superior shoreline.

That scale has turned the marathon into more than a single race result. Grandma’s Marathon says the weekend generates almost $40 million in regional economic impact each year, supported by more than 3,500 volunteers who contribute over 40,000 hours annually and by more than 85 sponsors from local, regional and international businesses. For Duluth, the event fills hotels, restaurants and streets with visitors while putting the city’s lakefront on a national stage.

Popehn’s win also landed in a race tradition that has produced standout performances at the top of the women’s field. Volha Mazuronak holds the women’s event record at 2:23:52, set in 2024, a marker that shows how fast the standard has become in Duluth. With Popehn’s third title, the 50th Grandma’s Marathon added another memorable chapter to a race that has become part of Minnesota’s athletic identity and a lasting point of pride for the North Shore region.