Gearing Up for Grandma's Seminar

Gearing Up for Grandma's, a pre-race seminar is set for  Saturday, March 23. This free event from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Essentia Health’s First Street Building features Michelle Frey, who finished third in the USA Half Marathon Championships held in Duluth last year. This personal best performance (1 hour, 11 minutes, 45 seconds) earned her a spot on the US team for the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Bulgaria.

Frey, 30, has a marathon best of 2:35:51 (2006 USA Marathon Championships) and is a two-time participant in the US Olympic Women’s Marathon Trials in (Boston – 2008, Houston – 2012). A seven-time state champion in track and cross-country at Iowa City High School, Frey attended the University of Wisconsin, where she earned All-Big Ten honors.

Other Gearing Up for Grandma’s presenters include:

Ben Nelson, MD – Grandma’s Marathon Medical Director and Essentia Health Orthopaedic/Sports Medicine Physician

Heather Pitschka, RD – Essentia Health Registered Dietitian

Jim and Mary Stukel – Owners of Tortoise and Hare Footwear

Following the individual presentations, a question and answer session will be held with all of the presenters. A prize drawing will conclude the event, which also includes Duluth News Tribune sports writer Kevin Pates serving as the emcee. For more information, call (218) 727-0947 or visit GrandmasMarathon.com.