The Road To Paris Goes Through Duluth: Dakotah Lindwurm

Carolyn Mather is a long-time running journalist. For decades, she wrote for Running Journal, the wonderful magazine helmed by the late Bruce Morrison, and for RunBlogRun for over a decade. This is her homage to Dakota Lindwurm. And yes, we know Carolyn loves Grandma’s Marathon! 

Dakotah Lindwurm made all of Minnesota’s running community very happy! Somewhere in runner’s heaven and Ron Daws (1968 Olympian) and Steve Hoag (1975 Boston top five) are smiling! 

Thanks, Carolyn Mather! 

The Road To Paris Goes Through Duluth

by Carolyn Mather

As I prepared to watch the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials, I knew that one of the elites from Grandma’s Marathon would be going to Paris. After all, sixty of the qualifiers got their qualifier at Grandma’s, and 147 have competed there. As a side note, most readers know that Grandma’s Marathon is the best in the world and my favorite for many reasons.

So, going into the trials, I figured one Team USA member would come from the women’s field. Kellyn Taylor, Nell Rojas, and Lauren Hagens have won the race, while Dakotah Lindwurm has won twice. Also, Jessica Tonn McClain, Annie Frisbee, and Gabby Rooker had incredible races there. I believed one of these women would make the podium to Paris.  All of these fantastic ladies started the race, and the one I knew was ready-made for the team, finishing third.

Dakatoh Lindwurm did not three-peat at Grandma’s in 2023. She admits that may have been a blessing in disguise as it motivated her even more to train harder. She told me in June of 2022 that she was going to Paris. She had just missed the course record at Grandma’s but was amazingly confident in achieving that goal of Paris.  At Boston 2023, she fell short of her goal but was still on track for the trials.

Sharing her preparation definitely proved her dedication. Each qualifier does everything they can to be as ready as possible for the trials. But Dakotah took this to a new level. After Thanksgiving, she left her home, friends, family, and partner, Montana, in Minnesota and drove south with her dog, August, to Florida.  She stayed in the Daytona Beach area, training alone in a different environment. It was warm but very windy, and at 5 foot 1 inch tall, this bundle of energy put in 130-mile weeks and dealt with…