PLANNING FOR A WORLD CLASS MARATHON, by Carolyn Mather for RunBlogRun

For at least two decades, Carolyn Mather has provided us behind the scenes stories on the elite world of marathon, especially the world of elite women. Carolyn is at the Grandmas Marathon, which has achieved cult like status for its organization, swift course, lively community support and old school approach to the sport. In this feature, Carolyn Mather speaks about the planning behind a world class marathon! 

PLANNING FOR A WORLD CLASS MARATHON

This is Grandma’s marathon week In Duluth, Minnesota and I have been coming every year since 1994 when I ran  the national championships and my husband ran his first marathon. I have worked with many marathons and have finished 142. But I can assure you that no one does it better than Grandmas. As I come back each year for two  weeks to volunteer, I never cease to be amazed at what this small town does to produce a world class event and the best marathon in existence.

But this kind of excellence does not occur by magic. The full-time staff of nine people manage to do what others with much larger staffs cannot even begin to exceed. Planning for every detail is essential. I’d like to share some of the many aspects of what goes into producing a marathon of the highest quality.

The staff at Grandmas are the hardest working and most dedicated folks I have ever met. They manage to do everything at the highest level. I have never heard anyone on the staff say that’s not my job. They all work together as a very cohesive team and manage everything with grace and pleasantness.

I wanted to share some of the behind-the-scenes activities that lead to a stellar event. Believe it or not, it’s not a one day endeavor but entails planning all year long and race week definitely involves keeping many balls in the air. For the 23,000 participants in the four events, race day is the culmination of intensive work. Duluth welcomes everyone from family, to friends and the runners. The small town charm produces a world class event.

Community support, sponsors and over 4000 volunteers contribute their energy to the weekend. It is truly a sight to behold. Without the volunteers…