Grandma's Makes a Minnesota Mile Offer That's Hard to Refuse

Grandma's Marathon organizers are making a tempting offer:

Be one of the first 250 runners to enter the Duluth edition of the Minnesota Mile, scheduled for September 9, and thereby bypass the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon lottery with a guaranteed entry into the 2008 edition of that race.

Entry into the second race of Grandma's newly revived Minnesota Mile series opened today.

"This is a unique opportunity for runners hoping to participate in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon without needing to enter the lottery system,” Scott Keenan, executive director of Grandma’s Marathon, said in a media release.

Registrants will be notified by mail if their entry was one of the first 250 received.

The Grandma’s Minnesota Mile Duluth is the second race in the new Minnesota Mile Series. The first event in the series, Grandma’s Minnesota Mile St. Paul, was held July 11 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Team USA Minnesota's Brad Lowery and Jenelle Deatherage won the men's and women's divisions of that race.

The Duluth racecourse runs down Superior Street, starting near Fitger’s and finishing in front of the Holiday Center.