Major Media Partners Will Simulcast 2023 Race Coverage
(DULUTH, MINN.) — Duluth native and former two-time Olympian Kara Goucher (pictured, center, holding award) will join a star-studded broadcast team for this year’s Grandma’s Marathon, serving in the same role she has recently with NBC Sports.
Goucher will work as a finish line analyst for this year’s broadcast, which for the first time ever will be a simulcast effort between WDIO-TV and The Northland Fan 106.5FM (Townsquare Media).
Still the women’s event record holder in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, Goucher will also be making appearances at this year’s Essentia Health Fitness Expo selling copies of her newly released book, The Longest Race. Goucher will be available to sign copies of the book from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 16.
Two-time Grandma’s Marathon champion and Dick Beardsley and former US Olympian Carrie Tollefson will continue to anchor the live coverage from the lead vehicles, working alongside fellow longtime race announcers Charlie Mahler and Chad Salmela.
Another two-time Grandma’s Marathon champion, Doug Kurtis, will continue in his usual role as analyst of the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon.
All members of this year’s broadcast team will be guests on the popular Dick & Carrie Pre-Race Talk Show, which is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on June 16 during the fitness expo.
WDIO-TV will carry this year’s race on its primary broadcast channel – Channels 10/13 locally – as well as online at wdio.com. The Northland Fan 106.5FM, working in coordination with the television coverage, will air an audio-only version both on its radio station and online at northlandfan.com.
The live coverage will begin at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 17 and is expected to wrap up at approximately 10:30 a.m. WDIO-TV’s Alicia Tipcke and Dillon Morello will host the coverage from the finish line in Canal Park, with more reporters providing updates from the start lines and throughout the racecourse.
Another major media partner, the Duluth News Tribune, will have team coverage throughout the weekend and on race day available online at duluthnewstribune.com, and a special Grandma’s Marathon print edition is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 21.
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 participants that year, the race weekend has now grown into one of the largest in the United States and welcomes more than 20,000 participants for its three-race event each June.
The race got its name from the Duluth-based group of famous Grandma’s Restaurants, the first major sponsor of the marathon. In addition to the 26.2-mile race, the organization has now added the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and William A. Irvin 5K to its weekend offerings.
As the popularity of Grandma’s Marathon 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 nine-person, full-time staff and a 17-member Board of Directors.
