GEARING UP FOR GRANDMA’S TO INCLUDE AN OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS VIEWING PARTY
Pre-race training event is set for February 29, 2020
(Duluth, Minn.) – Grandma’s Marathon weekend is close to four months away and many participants have kicked off their training programs. To help runners along in their training journey, Essentia Health and Grandma’s Marathon are hosting the annual Gearing up for Grandma’s pre-race event on Saturday, February 29. The event will offer a fun breakout session format that will allow attendees to choose sessions that interest them. This is a free event with sessions beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Grandma’s Sports Garden. The event is a fun and valuable training resource for both first-time and veteran runners.
The morning will begin with a group run offered by Tony Stensland Coaching prior to the event. The group run will offer various distance options to choose from. Each distance will have an assigned group leader that will guide runners along the route. The group run begins promptly at 8:00 a.m. and starts and finishes in the lobby of the Sports Garden. All abilities are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Following the run, a light, complimentary breakfast will be provided for attendees from Grandma’s Sports Garden, courtesy of Essentia Health. There will be a clearance sale on Grandma’s Marathon apparel with a variety of merchandise for purchase. Attendees will receive advice, analysis and discounts on running shoes from the experts at Tortoise & Hare Footwear.
The breakout sessions will include Yoga for Runners, Self Defense for Runners, Runners’ Nutrition, Strength & Resistance Training in Distance Running, and Stretching for Running. A full event schedule that includes complete descriptions of the breakouts is available at grandmasmarathon.com/get-inspired/gearing-up-for-grandmas/.
Rather than a keynote speaker, this year’s event will showcase the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials at a special viewing party. The viewing party begins at 11:00 a.m. with the women’s’ division followed by the men’s’ division. There were 64 marathoners that qualified for the trials at Grandma’s Marathon in 2019, and 32 marathoners qualified at Grandma’s Marathon in 2018, according to the USATF Qualifying Standards. More information about the trials can be found at www.usatf.org/events/2020/2020-u-s-olympic-team-trials-marathon.
Prize drawings will take place throughout the viewing party. Attendees are welcome to stay and watch the trials for as long as they would like.
Grandma’s Marathon Weekend, June 19-20, is presented by Toyota and Members Cooperative Credit Union. For more information or to register for weekend events, please visit grandmasmarathon.com or call (218) 727-0947.