How to enjoy Grandma's Marathon without running – Duluth News Tribune
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DULUTH — Running isn’t for everybody, whether it’s 26.2 miles or 5 kilometers. And that’s OK.
But even if your disgust about running meets or exceeds a Minnesota Vikings fan’s feelings toward the Green Bay Packers, you can still find ways to enjoy Grandma’s Marathon weekend in Duluth, Two Harbors and the North Shore.
Here’s three ways to take part in the festivities, possibly without even breaking a sweat.
From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 20, the DECC hosts an all-you-can eat spaghetti dinner, sponsored by Michelina’s.
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For $18 — or $9 for kids 5-12, 4 and under are free — you get spaghetti in marinara sauce, with or without Italian sausage meatballs. There’s also assorted bread, Caesar salad, coffee, milk, cookies and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream.
Note that only the spaghetti is all-you-can-eat, and while the meal doesn’t necessarily rival that of some of Duluth’s other Italian restaurants, this is all you can eat. So if you have a big appetite — maybe you’re partially responsible for the decline of Red Lobsters nationwide — then the Lake Superior Ballroom on Friday night is the place to be.
Grab a lawn chair. Bring a cooler. Find yourself a shady spot along the course (or if it’s chilly, a sunny spot … maybe an area with both depending on the weather). Park yourself and enjoy the mass of humanity pushing their bodies to their limit on Saturday.
Do you consider yourself funny, clever or witty? Try making a sign. It’s a great distraction for the runners as they question what they got themselves into.
If you’re the adventurous type, maybe move up and down the course to see the spectacle that is spectating Grandma’s Marathon. There’s always a lot of action at the water stations, which are located every two miles until you get into Duluth.
But there’s also tons to see besides tired runners, like bands (from orchestra to bagpipes), dancers, fire twirlers and more.
Read more about the most popular spots to catch the race here.
If getting up on Saturday morning sounds as unappealing to you as getting up on Saturday morning and running yourself, then check out Rock the Bayfront. It’s a free, two-day event that runs from 5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. on Saturday at Bayfront Festival Park.
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Duluth party band The Reckoning will be performing on Friday night playing rock and pop from the 1980s, 90s and today. Saturday’s headliners include Chris Kroeze, a rock and country artist who was runner-up on NBC’s The Voice in 2018, and PopRocks, the Hairball of pop music.
There will also be a DJ in between acts, as well as food and beverages for purchase.
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