Iverson, Parker Fend Off Past Champions to Win in Duluth
(DULUTH, MINN.) –Almost none of the pre-race chatter about the elite competitors at the 36th annual Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon centered on Acer Iverson and Kasandra Parker, but all the post-race discussion will.
Those two fought off fields full of past champions, former Olympians, and other top contenders, each winning for the first time at this year’s Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon.
Iverson, who ran this race as a 14-year-old, outbattled pre-race favorite and 2020 US Olympian Joe Klecker and some of the race analyst’s favorite “dark horse,” Aidan Reed, to capture the title with a time of 1:01:15.
A native of Roseville, Minn., Iverson says he has family in the area and considers the Duluth area somewhat of a second home.
“I’m on top of the world,” said Iverson, who spent most of the race in a three-way battle for the lead with Klecker and Reed before pulling away in the final mile.
Reed was the runner-up with a time of 1:01:26, while Klecker was third with a time of 1:01:56. Finishing sixth was past Grandma’s Marathon and Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon champion Joel Reichow.
Parker, meanwhile, continued an amazing run this calendar year with a victory in her debut at the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon. She won with a time of 1:10:16; that’s after a win at this year’s Naples Half Marathon and a fourth-place finish at this year’s Atlanta Half Marathon.
“I knew I wanted to run a [personal record],” Parker said. “I was comfortable with what I needed to do, what times I need to run.”
Parker led most of the way during the race, including in the early miles when two-time defending champion Annie Frisbie was forced to drop from the race and end her bid at a three-peat.
Madey Dickson was the runner-up with a time of 1:11:35, while Rebecca Schmitt finished in third place with a time of 1:12:11.
In the non-binary division, Joe Morris was this year’s champion with a time of 1:50:21.
A total of 7,832 people crossed the finish line in the 2026 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon – 2,988 men, 4,820 women, and 18 non-binary – making it the third-largest year in the event’s history.
Full results of the 2026 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon can be found HERE.