Antonio Vega to Headline Grandma's Event

Antonio Vega, the reigning USA Half Marathon champion, will be the featured speaker at the Gearing Up for Grandma's pre-race seminar on Saturday, March 6 in Duluth, race organizers announced yesterday.

The 26-year-old University of Minnesota alum captured USA Half Marathon title last month in Houston in a personal best time of 1:01:54. Vega will vie for another national championship on Saturday in Spokane, Washington, at the 2010 USA Cross Country Championships.

Also appearing at Gearing Up for Grandma’s is Duluth resident and former College of St. Scholastica standout Jen Houck. Houck, who placed 15^th at the 2010 USA Half Marathon Championships in 1:15:55, has made her mark at Grandma's placing high in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, including a 5th place finish in 2007.

Vega and Houck are both gearing up for big races of their own. The Minnesotans are preparing to make their Boston Marathon debuts in April.

Find more information about the Gearing Up for Grandma's event HERE.

Grandma's Registration Update ... Registration for this year's Grandma's Marathon is still open. So far, 4800 runners have registered for the June 19 event. The race field is capped at 9500 runners.

Last year, the event failed to fill its field for the first time in 15 years.

Lottery registration for the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon opens on Wednesday.