Kara Goucher & Des Linden to Record Live Podcast at 50th Grandma’s Marathon
(DULUTH, MINN.) — An already star-studded weekend will get an extra dose of celebrity as Kara Goucher and Des Linden plan to record a live episode of their “Nobody Asked Us” podcast during the 50th annual Grandma’s Marathon weekend, race organizers announced today.
Both former United States Olympians, Goucher and Linden now partner to host their extremely popular and beloved podcast that showcases the duo’s hot takes and unfiltered opinions on the sport and industry of running as well as life itself.
“Somehow, these two may be more popular now than even when they were competing,” Marketing & Public Relations Director Zach Schneider said. “They’re larger than life. If there was only one thing people could choose to bring here for the 50th, Kara and Des were near the top of that list so we’re ecstatic it’s happening and excited to share their show with our participants and community.”
The show will be hosted at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 18 at Norshor Theatre in downtown Duluth. 450 general admission tickets will be $20 and will go on presale to registered participants beginning at 10:00 a.m. CT on Wednesday, March 25. On Friday, March 27, the remaining tickets will become available to the public.
50 VIP tickets will also be sold for $100 – these tickets include a preshow meet-and-greet and priority reserved seating at the front center of the theatre.
Registered participants will receive an email on March 25 with a link to buy tickets, and the link will be shared publicly on March 27 (if tickets are remaining).
Kara Goucher is one of the most decorated American distance runners of all-time – she’s a two-time Olympian, world championship silver medalist, and podium finisher in both the New York City and Boston Marathons. Since retiring, she’s developed into a talented storyteller and television analyst, including for the Summer Olympic Games, and she also has written and published a NY Times-bestselling book The Longest Race.
“I am so excited to be joining Grandma’s Marathon for the 50th anniversary in such a big way,” Goucher said. “Des and I look forward to spending an evening with the community I love so much. For me personally, it is very special to come home where my running career started and share my love of running with my people.”
Having grown up in Duluth, Goucher won the USA Half Marathon Championships here in 2012 and set a course record of 1:09:46 that stood for over a decade until it was broken in 2023. She also ran the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon here in 2018 and has competed more recently in the William A. Irvin 5K with her son, Colt.
Des Linden is a modern-day renaissance woman – she’s also a two-time Olympian, she won the 2018 Boston Marathon, and to this day holds the world record of 2:59:54 in the 50K distance. For over a decade, Linden was one of the most consistent elite runners in the history of the sport, and she’s also made a splash in her transition to punditry with a NY Times-bestselling book of her own, Choosing to Run.
“I can’t wait to be in Duluth for the 50th edition of Grandma’s Marathon,” Linden said. “Kara and I are so excited to share the Nobody Asked Us pod with such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic running crowd. It’s a real honor to be included in such a special weekend for the Duluth running community.”
Linden has competed once in Duluth, finishing as the runner-up in the 2013 USA Half Marathon Championships.
For any questions or interview requests, please contact Marketing & Public Relations Director Zach Schneider via phone at (218) 343-9874 or via email at zach@grandmasmarathon.com.
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ABOUT GRANDMA’S MARATHON
Grandma’s Marathon began in 1977 when a group of local runners planned a scenic road race from Two Harbors to Duluth, Minnesota. After seeing just 150 registered participants that year, the marathon has now grown into the 10th largest in the United States.
The race got its name from the Duluth-based group of famous Grandma’s Restaurants, the first major sponsor of the marathon. Having now added the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and William A. Irvin 5K, the race weekend now welcomes more than 20,000 participants to Duluth and the surrounding region each year.
As the popularity of Grandma’s Marathon weekend has grown, our mission has stayed the same – to organize, promote, and deliver annual events and programs that cultivate running, educational, social, and charitable opportunities to our communities.
Grandma’s Marathon-Duluth, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization with a 10-person, full-time staff and a 17-member Board of Directors.