Registration for the 2027 Grandma’s Marathon opened at 7 p.m. Central time on Thursday, and before 10 p.m. every one of its 8,000 places was gone. The marathon in Duluth, Minn., filled in 174 minutes, a race record and a long way down from the just under 12 hours it took a year ago, when registration for the 50th running set the previous mark.
The Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon moved faster still. All 7,500 of its places were claimed in 58 minutes, 17 minutes faster than the record it set when entries for the 2026 race opened, and at its peak the online queue held more than 11,000 people. Across the whole weekend, 17,500-plus entries were taken in the first 90 minutes, according to the race’s announcement, published by Running USA.
“Registration has shifted these past years to a conversation around weeks and months to mere minutes and hours,” said Zach Schneider, the race’s marketing and public relations director.
When registration opened for the 2025 race, about 7,500 people were in the queue and the marathon took around a month to fill, the Star Tribune reported. A year later the queue for the 50th running had grown to 9,000, according to Northern News Now, and the marathon sold out overnight.
How Fast Each Race Sold Out
| Race | 2027 places | 2027 sellout | 2026 places | 2026 sellout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grandma’s Marathon | 8,000 | 174 minutes | 9,500 | Under 12 hours |
| Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon | 7,500 | 58 minutes | 7,000 | 75 minutes |
| William A. Irvin 5K | 1,750 | 118 minutes | 1,500 | 106 minutes |
| Full Great Grandma’s Challenge | 500 | 170 minutes | 500 | 92 minutes |
| Half Great Grandma’s Challenge | 500 | 64 minutes | 500 | 48 minutes |
A Smaller Marathon Field for 2027
For the 50th edition in June, organizers moved places from the shorter races into the marathon, which Schneider called “the crown jewel,” and opened 9,500 entries. The 2027 field is 1,500 places smaller, while the half-marathon has grown by 500 and the 5K by 250. Even at that size, the weekend is one of the 40 largest race events in the U.S. by finishers.
The 5K and both Great Grandma’s Challenge events, which pair Friday’s 5K with one of Saturday’s longer races, filled a little more slowly than a year ago, so the records belong to the marathon and the half alone. The full Challenge took 170 minutes this time, against 92 for the 2026 race.
Everyone who got in paid the opening price, which is unchanged from last year at $155 for the marathon and $145 for the half. Grandma’s still fills its field first come, first served, which rewards whoever is quickest at the keyboard. Most big-city races have moved the other way, and the Chicago Marathon now hands out most of its general entries by drawing, as does the Copenhagen Half Marathon from 2027. Runners who keep missing out still have a few ways into a big marathon without a lottery.
Other Ways to the Start Line
About 1,000 entries are still available through the race’s charity partners, though some charities will run out sooner than others, and runners who take one raise money for that charity in return. Organizers also run a transfer portal for registered runners who can no longer race, which has not opened yet.
The 51st Grandma’s Marathon runs on Saturday, June 19, 2027, point to point from near Two Harbors along the shore of Lake Superior to Canal Park in Duluth, a course with a net drop of 130 feet. The 5K is on Friday, June 18. This year’s race was won by Amanuel Mesel of Eritrea in 2:11:21, while Dakotah Popehn took her third Grandma’s title in 2:28:51.
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