Wednesday Night at the Races
With close to 1,500 participants each year, our Wednesday Night at the Races series has become one of our most popular Young Athletes Foundation (YAF) programs!
Helping at a young age to build a love of running, these races are also central to our mission of providing pathways and opportunities for our community’s children to live healthy and active lifestyles.
The Wednesday Night at the Races series is free and open to any child ages 14 & under. Whether it’s your child’s first-ever race or they’ve just fallen in love with running, we’d love to see them at our next event!
AGE GROUPS & DISTANCES
4 Years Old & Younger --- 1/8 Mile
5 & 6 Years Old --- 1/8 Mile
7 & 8 Years Old --- 1/4 Mile
9 & 10 Years Old --- 1/4 Mile
11 & 12 Years Old --- 1/2 Mile
13 & 14 Years Old --- 1/2 Mile
Every child who participates at our Wednesday Night at the Races series is a champion and will receive a ribbon and snacks at the end of their race.
All of our Wednesday Night at the Races sites are accessible to our wheelchair and adaptive participants. Families in need of special accommodations can call our office ahead of time at (218) 727-0947 or speak with a race official upon arrival.
2023 Wednesday Night at the Races
July 19, 2023 — Superior High School
July 26, 2023 — Hermantown High School
August 2, 2023 — Two Harbors High School
August 9, 2023 — Duluth East High School
August 16, 2023 — Proctor High School
August 23, 2023 — Wade Stadium
On-site registration starts at 5:00 p.m., and the races start at 6:00 p.m.
NOTE: Online registration will shut off at 3:00 p.m. on the day of each individual event. You can still register in-person at each event starting at 5:00 p.m.
Ski Hut staff will be on-site at each of this year’s Wednesday Night at the Races, and each participant will be entered in a free drawing to win a Strider balance bike! Plus, at the last three events of this summer we will be hosting our first-ever balance bike races (see details below)!
START YOUNG
Adjustable, lightweight bikes give starting young a whole new meaning
BALANCE FIRST
Without pedals, kids learn balance and essential riding skills
SIMPLE STEPS
The riding progression is natural and easy for kids and parents
CONFIDENT KIDS
From babies to toddlers, this is the bike that can offer instanst success
Ski Hut staff was on-site at each of this year’s Wednesday Night at the Races, providing balance bike demonstrations and opportunities for kids to try them out on a specialized obstacle course.
Ski Hut also helped create the first-ever balance bike races as part of our Wednesday Night at the Races also provided several balance bikes for raffle giveaways throughout the summer series.
START YOUNG
Adjustable, lightweight bikes give starting young a whole new meaning
BALANCE FIRST
Without pedals, kids learn balance and essential riding skills
SIMPLE STEPS
The riding progression is natural and easy for kids and parents
CONFIDENT KIDS
From babies to toddlers, this is the bike that can offer instanst success
YOUNG ATHLETES FOUNDATION
The Athletes Foundation (YAF), the charity arm of Grandma’s Marathon, was created in 1990 to assist with the promotion and development of healthy and active lifestyles for youth throughout Carlton, Cook, Douglas, Lake, and St. Louis Counties. Since its inception, the YAF has donated more than $1.1 million to the community’s youth athletic, recreational, and nonprofit organizations.
If you are interested in volunteering for any of our Young Athletes Foundation (YAF) events or have any other questions, please contact our Program Director Alivia Nelson via email at [email protected] or call our office at (218) 727-0947.