2018 Grandma's Marathon By The Numbers

The weekend so many wait for is almost here. Grandma's Marathon is just a few days away and the closer we get, the more I learn about the big event.

I am super excited to experience my first Grandma's Marathon this weekend and even more so after reading upon a few incredible facts!

Runners from all over the world - yes, world - travel to Duluth to take part in the marathon. In fact, 49 different countries will be represented in this year's race. Of that, there will be 50 states present, plus the District of Columbia and Armed Forces. That is pretty neat.

Here are a few other fast facts that will blow your mind:

There are 8,231 runners taking part in this year's Marathon.
9,284 runners will race in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon.
2,370 runners are registered for the William A. Irvin 5K.
Half a million Coca Cola cups will be used at the 15 different water stations along the race course.
30,000 sponges are used on the course along with approximately 5,000 gallons of water.
The races top finishers receive a prize money purse of $100,000.
The top finishers in the Half Marathon receive a pretty penny as well - $26,100.
Over the past 41 years, 207,524 people have completed Grandma's Marathon.
Ted Bunne of Minneapolis is the oldest runner at age 81.
The youngest runner this year is Fernando Milbridge-Scott of Duluth. He's 13 years old. Way to represent!