Today features another guest post by Tim Killian.

At this point in early July 2020, hearing that this year is “unprecedented” has become as commonplace as hearing about how we need to get adjusted to the “new normal”.

Without trying to undermine the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, the biggest changing of the times sign to me came in late March when Grandma’s Marathon weekend was effectively canceled and replaced by a virtual event. No expo, no start line, no finish in Canal Park, no tents and no spectator atmosphere. 

This hurt extra bad because the news was announced about three days after I registered me and a friend for the Full. I always try and convince people to run Grandma’s. Typically it is the half, but last fall two of my high school friends and I started running together and I convinced them to run their first full marathon with me at Grandma’s.

This took a surprisingly small amount of convincing. They agreed, we signed up, and then the world turned upside down. The first day the cancellation was announced, we scrambled slightly with what our next step would be, and I worried any resolve they had in doing the run was washed away by the bad news. As we gathered the information being sent to those who registered, we decided to stick with the original date of June 20th, train and complete it virtually, together. 

In a glass half full way of looking at it, because of the closure of so many shops, restaurants and other recreational activities, I found training way easier this year than in the past. I touched on my negligent attitude towards training in a previous piece, but in short, I typically looked for excuses to skip my run for the day, and never fought when something else came up to do. This year, however, with a lack of anything to do I was able to stick to a decent schedule. I got into a good habit of after work immediately lacing up my shoes and going to do the prescribed miles for the day. Working from home, I was able to ensure I was getting enough water and could eat meals that were going to aid my workout and at a good time so I wouldn’t feel hungry, or too full while running.

I enjoyed the time outside as winter turned to spring and the weather improved. My friends and I also agreed to meet each Saturday to complete our long runs together. This was easy in the beginning when the longest run of the week was 7 miles, but late in training when 18 was the goal I was glad to have someone alongside me to suffer with. Either way, the time out of the house was appreciated. 

Not long after the cancellation, I had the brilliant (and unique) idea that since we are completing the run on the same day (June 20th) why not make the trip from the cities to Duluth and complete it on the actual course. They had never ran it before, but I assured them there was enough shoulder space on the Scenic Road to allow us to run without being too afraid of oncoming traffic. My main goal was to keep them excited, and try to give them as good of a first marathon experience as I could. They agreed to the idea immediately and we had our plan. 

Over the next several weeks I started running. The miles went from 2-4 at a time, up to 5-8 and the long runs hit the double digits. I was averaging five runs a week using Thursday’s and Sunday’s to rest and recover. From March 23rd to June 19th I ran 333 miles to prepare. The longest training run was 18 and the average volume per week was 25 miles. I took a week or an extra day off here and there when I felt extra sore, or a muscle didn’t feel right, but for the most part I stuck to the schedule. 

As the race day approached, more and more communications were going out through email and facebook that the event organizers were urging people to not run on the actual course path due to construction and the fact that the roads would not be closed. I took a trip up to Duluth and drove the course with my Dad. We saw the amount of shoulder space and decided it was sufficient, I cleared it with Jake and Noah, my friends who agreed to undertake this with me, they said it was good and we finalized the plan. Finding out the French River Bridge was going to be gone was a small hiccup, but I’ll get to that solution later. The day before the run we all got up to Duluth, had a last meal of Spaghetti from the Gopher in West Duluth and went to bed early. 

Knowing that the race was not going to have the normal amenities of frequent hydration stations and thousands of volunteers, we enlisted our friends and family to help. I cannot stress enough how amazing their support was, both with supplying water/food and cheering us on as we went. We decided on what mile markers they would be at, and they did the rest. The water stops would be set up and tended to by Jake’s parents Rick and Deanne, Noah’s parents and sister Paul, Charmin and Madison, and our amazing girlfriends Tessa, Grace and Alli. My mom (Mariann) biked alongside us for emergency water, pickles and bandaids while my dad (Tim) was our shuttle. Before heading to the start line, we all met at the Holiday in Two Harbors to take pictures, finalize where they needed to be and get ready to go. 

To be honest, as we left the gas station to go to the start I started to get nervous, not about running 26.2 miles (those nerves had already been there), but rather the possibility that they so did not want people running on the actual course that there would be officers at the official start line to deter people to run somewhere else. As we approached I didn’t see officers, but was surprised to find several other cars parked on the shoulder. That confirmed our suspicion that we were not the only ones to think of doing this, and the solidarity eased my nerves. An even bigger surprise came when we approached the line and saw that THE Grandma’s Marathon Grandma was standing there streaming to her Facebook page and was offering to send us off. After a quick photo to commemorate the moment, she sang the National Anthem and sent the small group of us off. It was not the typical start to Grandma’s Marathon with an emcee, dozens of porta-potties and thousands of runners; but getting to turn around and see our incredible families wave us off was such a special, unique experience. 

As we ran down the scenic highway, we passed and were passed by others who were running the same race we were. It was such an enjoyable moment to see another runner, give a quick acknowledgement or encouraging word, and then keep on going. The mutual respect was felt as we all were about to suffer the same journey. One thing I was not expecting, but looking back, I don’t know how I didn’t see it coming, was the spectator support. It goes to show how special this event and the city of Duluth are. Countless times on the course bikers and cars driving by would honk and cheer at us to keep us going, it was so random, and unlike a traditional year that it filled me with energy and helped me to keep going. I remember turning to Noah at one point early on and just saying, “People are awesome.” 

Aside from the tremendous group we had supporting us, there are a few spectators that played special roles in the experience this year. The first was a group right around the halfway mark. I can’t recall the exact mile marker, but they gathered on the scenic highway in a lot off to the side, they were standing near the shoulder and as we ran closer, one of them put on an oven mitt so he could safely high five us as we ran by. People are awesome. 

The second was a man dressed as the Flash on London Road he stood on a small trampoline so he was visible from a ways out. As I realized what he was, I chuckled to myself. He offered candy and gave an elbow bump as we ran by. Countless people on London Road also handed out water, or had coolers sitting out marked for the runners. Even those that don’t run couldn’t help but keep the tradition.

Finally I want to acknowledge the group that had the most impact on my run aside from my own friends and family. It was a group of around 5 people who appeared every two miles to cheer on a runner named Ben. As we were running past them the first time, I saw someone holding up a small balloon with the number “3” written on it in marker. In a traditional year, giant blue balloons mark each mile so you can see it as you approach. This was a hilarious way to keep the tradition going and I appreciated it. Even though there were no other runners in sight, Ben’s crew cheered us on as we passed by them. We waved back and thanked them.

They ended up following the course and were at each odd mile marker (Every two miles). Soon, as they passed in their cars they would honk and wave at us. Later on they offered us fruit to fuel us towards the finish. The motivation from this was great. I regret not asking their names, but if there is any chance they read this. Thank you again, and I hope Ben’s race went well. 

The exact course we would run became slightly complicated as the actual day approached, we started near Two Harbors at the actual start line. We ran the scenic highway all the way to the French River Bridge, where construction stopped us from going further. Thankfully, my Dad was waiting for us there in his truck, he picked us up and shuttled us past the detour and to the other side of the bridge. It took no time at all, and we lost only about 3 or 4 blocks of the actual course. We set back out on the scenic road, and caught a glimpse of the tiny Lift Bridge in the distance *sigh*. We stayed on that route, went over the Lester River Bridge and down London Road to Lemon Drop Hill. We did our best to keep to the actual course up to this point, but without London Road and Superior or Michigan street closed, we opted for safety as we approached the finish. 

Once we got over the hill, we transitioned over to the Lakewalk and took that all the way to the end. Crossing the line in Canal, there were no security gates lining the road, no music, and while there were a decent number of people there, it was nowhere near the thousands who normally fill in to watch runners finish. We had our friends and family there to cheer us in and give congratulations. We got to take pictures without much fighting for the good backdrops, and parking was way easier, so there were upsides. We celebrated the day by going to Canal Park Brewery for food and a celebratory beer.

I’m disappointed for my friends that their first time running Grandma’s had to be this way. I have written before about how special this weekend is, and how it tops any other experience I’ve had to date. This definitely wasn’t that, but it was special in its own way. There is no way we would be able to see our families as often in a normal year. Or get to experience the love and loyalty from the Duluth community who couldn’t help but cheer on runners. I can appreciate the special experience and uniqueness of this year, and will be excited to submit my time and get my finisher shirt and medal for the 2020 race, but I am already itching for 2021 when we can hopefully go back to the full event filled with watchers and runners. 

Stay Safe and Stay Strong!