Posted: July 9, 2007

Athletics: Top Runners to Race in Grandma’s Minnesota Mile St. Paul

Event features other races for all ages and abilities (Duluth, Minn.) Many of the region’s fastest athletes will showcase their talents Wednesday night in St. Paul. They will be among hundreds of runners gathering at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for the inaugural Grandma’s Minnesota Mile St. Paul, a Grandma’s Marathon event. Race-day registration is $20 and will be available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the fairgrounds visitors plaza. The event has four separate running divisions (see below) with the elite athletes competing in the feature race ? Grandma’s Minnesota Mile. A $5,700 prize purse is being offered to the top finishers with the male and female champions each receiving $1,250. Among the top male runners registered are Brad Lowery, of Bloomington, Ben Gregory, of Racine, Wis., and Minneapolis residents Chris Lundstrom and Ryan Kleimenhagen. Lundstrom placed fourth in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon last month in Duluth. Expected to be at the top of the women’s field are Jenelle Deatherage and Katie McGregor, both of St. Louis Park, Minn. The Grandma’s Minnesota Mile St. Paul is the first of two races comprising the newly-created Grandma’s Minnesota Mile Series. The second event in the series, Grandma’s Minnesota Mile Duluth, will be run in downtown Duluth on Sunday, September 9. Registration for this event opens Thursday, July 12. The first 250 people who pre-registered for the Grandma’s Minnesota Mile St. Paul automatically received a guaranteed entry into the 2008 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon next June in Duluth. The same opportunity will be offered during the Grandma’s Minnesota Mile Duluth pre-registration period. The Grandma’s Minnesota Mile Series is presented by Sam’s Club and Nike. For more information, visit www.TSLevents.com or www.grandmasmarathon.com or call (218) 727-0947. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest