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Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN: Michael Wardian of Arlington, VA Finishes in 2:17:49
Ethiopian Yihunlish Delelecha of Washington, DC Wins Women's Title in 2:30:38
From Grandma's Marathon with contributions by DrewPhotos courtesy of Grandma's Marathon
June 23, 2011; updated 6/24/11
Duluth, MN
The 35th annual Grandma's Marathon and Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon were held on Saturday, June 18 in Duluth, MN. The cooler temperatures often offered by northern Minnesota, and the race's ability to attract international athletic talent, provide favorable conditions for a personal best. In 2009, Chris Raabe, 30, of Washington, DC produced a breakthrough performance to win the men's title in 2:15:13.
On June 18, with temperatures well below 60 degrees, ultramarathon ace Michael Wardian, 37, of Arlington, VA finished 13th (2:17:49) among men in the 2011 Grandma's Marathon. Wardian is a 5-time SunTrust National Marathon (held each March in Washington, DC) men's winner. Last November, he earned the individual bronze medal, and lead the U.S. men's squad to a team silver medal at the IAU 100K World Championships in Gibraltar. See the end of this article for an interview with Michael Wardian. He replied to e-mailed questions on June 23 about his marathon race.
Ethiopian Yihunlish Delelecha (on right in photo), 29, who trains in Washington, DC, won the women's marathon title in
2:30:39, the sixth fastest time in race history. Kenyan Everlyne Lagat, 30, who trains in Albuquerque, NM placed second (2:31:32), and Dot McMahan, 34, of Rochester Hills, MI placed third (2:31:48, first American).Delelecha, making her Grandma’s Marathon debut, claimed the $10,000 winner’s check plus a $2,500 bonus for running sub-2:31:00. Svetlana Ponomarenko, 41, placed 11th in 2:38:03 to earn the women’s masters title.
Kenyan Chris Kipyego edged Ethiopian Teklu Deneke by two-tenths of a second to claim the mens title (2:12:16.4 to 2:12:16.6); it was the closest men's finish in race history. The previous closest finish was in 1999 when Kenya’s Andrew Musuva beat Tesfaye Bekele by four seconds. Sammy Malakwen placed third in 2:12:39. Kipyego earned $10,000 for the victory plus a $1,500 bonus for finishing in under 2:13:00.
James Derick, 45, of Big Flats, NY was the men’s masters champion (2:27:47).
Amanda McGrory broke her
own course record in the female wheelchair division with a time of 1:39:30. Saul Mendoza won his seventh Grandma’s Marathon men’s wheelchair division title in 1:28:53. The 2011 Grandma’s Marathon had 8,319 registrants and 6,333
finishers. The annual Two Harbors-to-Duluth 26.2-mile race had entrants from 42 countries, 49 states and the District of Columbia.In the 21st Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, Ethiopian Derese Deniboba, 28, set a new course record of 1:02:19, breaking Ryan Meissen’s mark by two minutes (1:04:19, 2002). Will Christian (photo at left), 28, of Annapolis, MD placed 15th (1:05:10), barely missing the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifying standard of 1:05:00.
Other local men racing well in the half marathon were Samuel Luff, 24, of Rockville, MD (1:07:08, 22nd), and Karl Dusen, 28, of North Bethesda, MD (1:07:58, 26th).
American Katie McGregor (photo at right), 33, was the women’s half marathon champion (1:13:18).
A record number of 7,223 people registered for the 2011 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon with 5,990 finishing the race.
For complete results, see GrandmasMarathon.com. All results are unofficial.
Grandma's Marathon weekend was presented by Target, Toyota and Wells Fargo Bank Duluth. The 36th running of Grandma's Marathon is Saturday, June 16, 2012.
According to www.marathonguide.com, this is Michael Wardian's seventh marathon race in 2011; his previous best time this year had been 2:23:01 (SunTrust National Marathon on March 26 in Washington, DC). His Grandma's Marathon result (2:17:49) is a huge leap forward for the veteran 37-year-old marathoner.
Michael Wardian responded in an e-mail interview on June 23 to the following questions:
To what do you credit the big improvement in your personal record (PR)?
Michael Wardian: I would credit my PR to working very hard this year, I have PR'd at 10K, and 10 Miles already this year so I knew I was doing the work. I have been also biking some and "heat training" for the Badwater Ultra Marathon (135 Miles) and working hills in preparation for Comrades (87K-54 miles), so all those things have helped. In addition, I have been hitting the track every week and getting my speed work in. My coach, Pierce (our 4 year old), makes sure I get on the treadmill every day.
Did you taper in preparation for a fast performance?
MRW: No, I didn't really taper for Grandma's Marathon, and that makes me really excited for the Olympic Trials as I know I can go faster. I am excited to see just how quickly I can run.
I ran the 2011 Comrades Marathon on May 31 in 5:52:51 (11th place), and 6 days later on Saturday, June 4, I ran The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 Miler in 6:03:14 (3rd place). The next day, June 5, I won The North Face Endurance Challenge 1/2 marathon in 1:29:00. The following weekend, on June 11, I ran 15:15 at the Lawyers Have Heart 5K.
How did the race develop for you?
MRW: I was really steady during the race between 5:08-5:11 per mile for the first 14 or so miles. I ran without any discomfort and within myself. It was great, felt really easy, and I knew I could hold it till the end if I was smart and didn't do anything wrong.
Was there a pack to run with during the early miles?
MRW: There were a few packs of men, but I was not really in any of them. There was the lead pack going close to 5:00/mile pace, then there was a pack at about 5:05/mile pace (they were right in front of me), and then I was a tad back racing 5:08-5:11/mile pace. I think there was a huge group right behind me at 5:16-5:18/mile pace. I ran comfortably, and didn't worry about being in an particular group. My race was against the clock, not against the other runners.
Did the family travel to Minnesota?
MRW: No, I went to Minnesota by myself as I had to work. I didn't leave until 5:00 pm Friday evening; I didn't arrive in Duluth until about 9:30 pm, and I was at the hotel around 10:00 pm. I flew home on Saturday (race day) at 4:00 pm; It was a quick but great trip. I would highly recommend Grandma's Marathon--they do a first class job up there.
Michael Wardian concluded his e-mail:
I would like to thank my sponsors: MarathonGuide.com, The North Face, and PowerBar. And I would like to express my appreciation to all the people who supported me: my wife, Jennifer; our sons, Pierce and Grant; my parents, Dick and Vivienne; my sister, Mariele, and brother, Matthew; my in-laws, Tony and Carol; my boss, Keith Powell; and all the other people that have believed in me, and pushed me to explore my limits and shatter those boundaries.
