Dedicated Grandma’s Fans Cheer on Racers

Grandma's fans are some of the most dedicated in the Northland.

DULUTH, Minn.- Fans could be heard for more than 26.2 miles cheering on their friends and family running in the Grandma’s Marathon races.

For every one of the almost twenty thousand racers participating in grandma’s marathon, there are hundreds of fans lining the streets ready with applause.

“It’s part of what Duluth is. I’ve lived here my whole life and i ran it back many many many years ago, I ran the marathon twice and it’s nice to come down and give that effort as a fan like they did when I ran it,” Dano Cooper said.

Cooper cheers on runners from his favorite bar in town.

“I’ve done this for about 15 years now,” Copper said.

He says Grandma’s is an experience for everyone.

Judy rogers is a Duluth native.

“It’s fun here on London Road because they’re usually in pretty good shape,” Rogers said.

Her friend Anna is from Ukraine.

She attended her first Grandma’s last year.

She loved it so much, she wanted to come back this year, even though she didn’t know any runners in the race.

“Every year I ride my bike in the grandma’s marathon from my house out in lakeside all the way downtown and back again,” Scott Paulson said.

Paulson has been cheering for racers from two wheels for 40 years.

“Somehow, if I get them to smile as I go by, it just makes my day,” Paulson said.

The fans know what goes into running a full and half marathon.

“They work hard to do it and stuff, and it’s just a good accomplishment for them, so you want to be able to back them as long as you can. Give them the effort because they’re giving their effort,” Cooper said.