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The course

Grandma's Marathon

Duluth, MN · Saturday, June 19, 2027

Grandma's Marathon official site →registration and course details
Race day
Saturday, June 19, 2027
Climb
680 fttotal ascent
Race-week weather
54°F to 69°Ften-year normals, 32% of days wet

Route statusa community trace of the current course; the official certified course is on the race's site. Dec 2025 trace, Two Harbors to Canal Park, 42.33 km

Accuracy check: drawn line is within 0.0% of the certified 26.2 miles; no part of the line passes through a building; 100% of it sits on a mapped road; closest it ever comes to a building wall is 7.4 m.

Note on bridge grades: Where a course crosses a bridge, the elevation now follows the deck rather than the ground underneath it. A terrain model contains no bridges, so it used to sample the riverbed and report a gorge the runner never descends. Decks are held level between their abutments and never allowed to sag below them; a genuine climb across a long span, like the Golden Gate approach, is left exactly as measured. The camber of a long suspension deck is not modelled, so a bridge that really does rise toward mid-span may read slightly flatter here than it feels.

The elevation profile

560 580 600 620 640 660 680 700 720 740 760 780 Mile 0.0 to 0.2: +1.0% Mile 0.2 to 0.4: +0.1% Mile 0.4 to 0.6: -0.7% Mile 0.6 to 0.8: -0.0% Mile 0.8 to 1.0: -1.0% Mile 1.0 to 1.2: +0.1% Mile 1.2 to 1.4: -0.9% Mile 1.4 to 1.6: +0.4% Mile 1.6 to 1.8: +1.2% Mile 1.8 to 2.0: -1.9% Mile 2.0 to 2.2: -0.7% Mile 2.2 to 2.4: -0.4% Mile 2.4 to 2.6: -0.5% Mile 2.6 to 2.8: -0.5% Mile 2.8 to 3.0: -0.2% Mile 3.0 to 3.2: +0.5% Mile 3.2 to 3.4: -0.4% Mile 3.4 to 3.6: -0.2% Mile 3.6 to 3.8: +0.3% Mile 3.8 to 4.0: +0.4% Mile 4.0 to 4.2: -0.8% Mile 4.2 to 4.4: -0.4% Mile 4.4 to 4.6: -0.0% Mile 4.6 to 4.8: -0.3% Mile 4.8 to 5.0: -0.0% Mile 5.0 to 5.2: -1.6% Mile 5.2 to 5.4: -0.8% Mile 5.4 to 5.6: +1.9% Mile 5.6 to 5.8: +0.3% Mile 5.8 to 6.0: -1.2% Mile 6.0 to 6.2: -0.1% Mile 6.2 to 6.4: +0.5% Mile 6.4 to 6.6: -0.3% Mile 6.6 to 6.8: +0.2% Mile 6.8 to 7.0: +0.8% Mile 7.0 to 7.2: -0.2% Mile 7.2 to 7.4: +0.4% Mile 7.4 to 7.6: +1.0% Mile 7.6 to 7.8: -0.4% Mile 7.8 to 8.0: +0.7% Mile 8.0 to 8.2: -0.4% Mile 8.2 to 8.4: -0.2% Mile 8.4 to 8.6: +0.7% Mile 8.6 to 8.8: +0.8% Mile 8.8 to 9.0: -0.3% Mile 9.0 to 9.2: -0.7% Mile 9.2 to 9.4: -2.0% Mile 9.4 to 9.6: -2.0% Mile 9.6 to 9.8: -0.0% Mile 9.8 to 10.0: -0.0% Mile 10.0 to 10.2: +0.0% Mile 10.2 to 10.4: +0.7% Mile 10.4 to 10.6: +0.1% Mile 10.6 to 10.8: +0.7% Mile 10.8 to 11.0: -0.2% Mile 11.0 to 11.2: +0.8% Mile 11.2 to 11.4: +0.3% Mile 11.4 to 11.6: -1.1% Mile 11.6 to 11.8: +0.0% Mile 11.8 to 12.0: +1.2% Mile 12.0 to 12.2: -0.8% Mile 12.2 to 12.4: +0.4% Mile 12.4 to 12.6: -0.1% Mile 12.6 to 12.8: +0.2% Mile 12.8 to 13.0: -0.1% Mile 13.0 to 13.2: -0.3% Mile 13.2 to 13.4: +0.4% Mile 13.4 to 13.6: +0.4% Mile 13.6 to 13.8: +0.2% Mile 13.8 to 14.0: +1.1% Mile 14.0 to 14.2: -0.5% Mile 14.2 to 14.4: -0.4% Mile 14.4 to 14.6: +0.3% Mile 14.6 to 14.8: +0.8% Mile 14.8 to 15.0: -0.1% Mile 15.0 to 15.2: -0.4% Mile 15.2 to 15.4: +0.1% Mile 15.4 to 15.6: +0.0% Mile 15.6 to 15.8: -0.9% Mile 15.8 to 16.0: -0.1% Mile 16.0 to 16.2: +0.7% Mile 16.2 to 16.4: -0.5% Mile 16.4 to 16.6: -0.2% Mile 16.6 to 16.8: +0.4% Mile 16.8 to 17.0: +0.9% Mile 17.0 to 17.2: +0.1% Mile 17.2 to 17.4: +0.5% Mile 17.4 to 17.6: +0.1% Mile 17.6 to 17.8: +0.7% Mile 17.8 to 18.0: -0.3% Mile 18.0 to 18.2: -0.1% Mile 18.2 to 18.4: -0.1% Mile 18.4 to 18.6: -1.6% Mile 18.6 to 18.8: -0.2% Mile 18.8 to 19.0: +0.0% Mile 19.0 to 19.2: +0.1% Mile 19.2 to 19.4: +0.6% Mile 19.4 to 19.6: +1.0% Mile 19.6 to 19.8: +0.1% Mile 19.8 to 20.0: +0.5% Mile 20.0 to 20.2: -0.9% Mile 20.2 to 20.4: -0.4% Mile 20.4 to 20.6: +0.6% Mile 20.6 to 20.8: +0.5% Mile 20.8 to 21.0: +1.5% Mile 21.0 to 21.2: -0.5% Mile 21.2 to 21.4: -0.6% Mile 21.4 to 21.6: -0.3% Mile 21.6 to 21.8: -1.1% Mile 21.8 to 22.0: +0.2% Mile 22.0 to 22.2: +1.2% Mile 22.2 to 22.4: +1.8% Mile 22.4 to 22.6: +0.2% Mile 22.6 to 22.8: -1.1% Mile 22.8 to 23.0: -1.8% Mile 23.0 to 23.2: -0.2% Mile 23.2 to 23.4: +0.1% Mile 23.4 to 23.6: +1.7% Mile 23.6 to 23.8: -0.9% Mile 23.8 to 24.0: -0.5% Mile 24.0 to 24.2: +0.2% Mile 24.2 to 24.4: -1.3% Mile 24.4 to 24.6: -1.1% Mile 24.6 to 24.8: +0.3% Mile 24.8 to 25.0: -0.0% Mile 25.0 to 25.2: -1.8% Mile 25.2 to 25.4: -0.2% Mile 25.4 to 25.6: -0.1% Mile 25.6 to 25.8: +0.0% Mile 25.8 to 26.0: +0.2% Mile 26.0 to 26.2: -0.0% 5 10 15 20 25 mile +60 ft +45 ft
steep up up flat down steep down

680 feet of total climb across the 26.2, between 603 and 733 feet of elevation. Lemon Drop Hill runs from mile 21.75 to 22.54, 60 feet up, a short, sharp rise on London Road at 26th Avenue East, roughly 30-55 vertical feet, hitting at about mile 21.8-22.

Mile by mile

Every mile of the course on the same vertical scale, so they compare at a glance. Net is what the mile does to your elevation; steepest fifth is the sharpest continuous fifth of a mile inside it, the same unit the colour strip above uses.

MileShapeNetElevation Steepest fifthStreets
1-7 ft713 ft-1.3%Scenic Drive
2-17 ft693 ft-2.1%Scenic Drive
3-36 ft656 ft-0.9%Scenic Drive
4+6 ft662 ft+0.5%Scenic Drive
5-21 ft642 ft-1.0%Scenic Drive
6-8 ft634 ft+2.6%Scenic Drive
7+8 ft643 ft+0.8%North Shore Drive, Scenic Drive
8+20 ft662 ft+1.5%North Shore Drive
9+19 ft681 ft+1.3%North Shore Drive
10-64 ft616 ft-2.7%North Shore Drive
11+22 ft639 ft+0.9%North Shore Drive
12+1 ft638 ft-1.9%North Shore Drive
13-17 ft623 ft-0.7%North Shore Drive
14+9 ft630 ft+1.1%North Shore Drive, Congdon Boulevard
15+1 ft632 ft+0.8%Congdon Boulevard
16-9 ft622 ft-0.8%Congdon Boulevard
17+17 ft642 ft+1.0%Congdon Boulevard
18+9 ft649 ft+0.8%Congdon Boulevard
19-24 ft625 ft-1.9%Congdon Boulevard
20+26 ft656 ft+1.1%London Road
21+18 ft675 ft+2.0%London Road
22-26 ft652 ft-1.1%London Road
23+9 ft663 ft+2.6%London Road
24-9 ft653 ft+1.7%London Road, East Superior Street, South 12th Avenue East
25-9 ft636 ft-1.4%East Superior Street, West Superior Street
26-26 ft610 ft-1.8%Harbor Drive, South 5th Avenue West, Canal Park Drive

The course on a map

1 5 10 13 15 20 25 26

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Grandma's Marathon planning

Open the complete race guide: course, hotels, expo, spectators and the city.

Course geometry a community trace of the current course; the official certified course is on the race's site. City geometry is OpenStreetMap, ODbL. Weather normals are ten years of Open-Meteo reanalysis around race day at the start line. Confirm dates and registration on the official site. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it fast.