The KP Challenge is a series of three great, local races — Saint Fennessy 4K, Fitger’s 5K, and Park Point 5-Miler — that are strategically placed throughout the year to help participants build their endurance and stick to a regular training schedule.
Get your green on for the Saint Fennessy 4K, a festive fun run perfect for runners of all ages and abilities. Whether you’re a first-timer or looking to jump start your spring training, this is the race for you!
A perfect challenge for new runners or a good training race for veterans, the Fitger’s 5K has grown into one of the area’s premier spring races and now welcomes more than 2,000 participants each year.
Come enjoy the height of a northern Minnesota summer at the Park Point 5-Miler & 2-Mile Walk, which holds the crown as northern Minnesota’s oldest road race and features a racecourse sandwiched between the open waters of Lake Superior and the Duluth Harbor.
The Minnesota Mile takes you on a scenic, 5,280-foot journey around Duluth’s Enger Park, treating participants to some of the best views in the entire city during the peak of fall’s color season.
A spooky end to our local racing calendar, the Superior Nightmare 5K brings with it plenty of scary surprises and haunted hijinks. Dress your best for this annual combination of Halloween and running, and be sure to enter our costume contest to decide the day’s best-dressed!
Whether it’s your child’s first-ever race or they’ve just fallen in love with running, our Wednesday Night at the Races series is the perfect place for them!
Grandma’s Marathon shouldn’t be just for the adults, so be sure to bring the kids to Bayfront Festival Park for their very own race complete with finisher medals!
Through our grant program, the Young Athletes Foundation contributes to and supports our area’s recreational and athletic organizations working to provide our community’s kids with pathways of opportunities to live healthier and more active lifestyles.
Through our running shoe program, the Young Athletes Foundation works each year to provide opportunities to high school runners across our five-county region by providing free shoe certificates to athletes in need through their cross country or track and field program.
Through the Eleanor Rynda and Steve & Carolyn Mather Scholarships, the Young Athletes Foundation works to financially support high school and collegiate student-athletes as they continue their education and competitive running careers.
This event was designed with the goal of engaging young people in fun and healthy indoor activities and encouraging and empowering kids and families to continue to participate in healthy lifestyle habits and physical activity at home and in the community.
The Essentia Health Fit-n-Fun Run is held each spring and brings together more than 2,000 of the area’s elementary school students for an end-of-year celebration of all the hard work they put into their physical education classes.
Our tremendous community of volunteers plays a significant role in helping the Young Athletes Foundation to create memorable and successful events for our runners. More than 1,000 volunteers are needed throughout the year to support our fundraising race events for the YAF.
The Young Athletes Foundation was created to serve the community, and for more than three decades we have done that with the help of our local and regional business partners. With events throughout the year, our sponsors assist greatly in our mission of providing pathways of opportunity to youth in athletic programs and encouraging healthy lifestyles.
Do you want to run for free AND add more meaning to your miles Sign up ahead of Grandma’s Marathon weekend to be a charity runner for the Young Athletes Foundation (YAF), and your success in reaching the finish line can help someone else reach theirs.
CONTACT US
OFFICE ADDRESS
Young Athletes Foundation
351 Canal Park Drive
Duluth, MN 55802
OFFICE PHONE
(218) 727-0947
MAILING ADDRESS
Grandma’s Marathon
ATTN: Young Athletes Foundation
351 Canal Park Drive
Duluth, MN 55802
OFFICE EMAIL
[email protected]
For news about our Young Athletes Foundation races, community donations, and other events throughout the year,
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YOUNG ATHLETES FOUNDATION STAFF MEMBERS
SHANE BAUER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
EMAIL SHANE
LAURA BERGEN
REGISTRATION & EXPO DIRECTOR
EMAIL LAURA
SARAH CULVER
ELITE ATHLETE & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR
EMAIL SARAH
GREG HAAPALA
RACE DIRECTOR
EMAIL GREG
DAVE LANE
OPERATIONS ASSISTANT
KELLIE LUEDLOFF
OFFICE MANAGER
EMAIL KELLIE
ALIVIA NELSON
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
EMAIL ALIVIA
ZACH SCHNEIDER
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR
EMAIL ZACH
CHRISTI WILLETTE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
EMAIL CHRISTI
YOUNG ATHLETES FOUNDATION COMMITTEE
TONY STENSLAND
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON
ERIKA DRENGLER
COMMITTEE VICE-CHAIRPERSON
TODD BOUCHIE
COMMITTEE MEMBER
ROSS FREMONT
COMMITTEE MEMBER
LAURA GUBELMANN
COMMITTEE MEMBER
SHANNON HOGAN
COMMITTEE MEMBER
NICK LUOMA
COMMITTEE MEMBER
BLAKE PETERS
COMMITTEE MEMBER
JEREMY POLSON
COMMITTEE MEMBER
HAYDEN SCHULTE
COMMITTEE MEMBER
CHRIS SEVERSON
COMMITTEE MEMBER
LOUIE ST. GEORGE
COMMITTEE MEMBER
BUD TRNKA
COMMITTEE MEMBER
MICHELE VESEL
COMMITTEE MEMBER
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Grandmas Marathon Duluth-Inc.
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