With 50 years of Grandma's Marathon, only one man will have ran them all
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When thousands of runners line up in Two Harbors on Saturday for the 50th annual Grandma’s Marathon, only one will be running his 50th Grandma’s too.
John Naslund, 76, was one of about 150 runners when he ran the very first Grandma’s in 1977. Now it’s grown to more than 9,000 participants and come Saturday Naslund hopes to be the sole person who can say he’s ran all 50.
The scenic North Shore route is a familiar one for Naslund. For him, the marathon is a hometown race. He grew up in Two Harbors and went to college at the University of Minnesota, Duluth where he was a pole vaulter.
“It went from hometown to where I went to school, so a natural event to participate in,” Naslund told Minnesota Now host Nina Moini.
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For Naslund, running is a lifestyle, “I've pretty much trained nonstop since the middle of 1973 so it's just part of who I am.”
He’s also run every Twin Cities Marathon and several Boston Marathons. But as he’s grown older, he’s become less concerned with getting faster.
“Being 26 and being 76 are two completely different animals,” said Naslund, “Now it's just enjoy it, talk to people, have fun.”
Naslund said he likes to strike up conversations with other runners, ask where they’re from and share stories. And more recently, he’s gotten to run Grandma’s Marathon with his adult children.
Naslund is currently recovering from a knee injury, but he’s still training every day. His goal this year is to take his time, finish under the cap and continue his streak. He feels fortunate to have a chance to accomplish something no one else has done by running 50 of 50 Grandma’s Marathons.
“There's a certain amount of luck involved to be able to show up every year for this long a time.”
