Sanclemente Repeats, de Souza Wins Debut in Duluth
(DULUTH, MINN.) — Luis Francisco Sanclemente and Vanessa Cristina de Souza are used to performing on the big stage – both are past Paralympians for their home countries – and they did so again at Grandma’s Marathon on Saturday morning.
Sanclemente, 37, raced to a second-straight men’s wheelchair title, outlasting five-time champion Aaron Pike to finish in 1:26:02 and become the eighth men’s wheeler to have won multiple titles in Duluth.
The Colombian national raced his way onto the Paralympic team at last year’s Grandma’s Marathon, posting a 1:22:07 that was good enough to make the team – he finished 10th in the marathon this past summer in Paris.
Pike, 39 and racing in Duluth for the first time since 2023, finished as the runner-up with a time of 1:26:50.
De Souza, 35, posted a new personal record of 1:39:55 to win her first Grandma’s Marathon – she was scheduled to race here in 2021 but was denied entry that year to the United States. The victory continues to what’s already been a strong calendar year for the Brazilian, having finished in the top 10 this year at both Boston and London Marathons.
Linden Williamson, 23, also set a new personal record of 1:49:29 while finishing as the runner-up.
Full results of the 2025 Grandma’s Marathon wheelchair division can be found HERE.