(Duluth, MN/St. Paul, MN) Grandma’s Marathon-Duluth, Inc. and Twin Cities In Motion announced today that the organizations will again partner to provide an incentive bonus for any runner winning both of Minnesota’s largest marathons in 2012.
A $10,000 bonus will be awarded to anyone capturing the open division titles at this year’s Grandma’s Marathon and Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon – an opportunity that was first made available a year ago.
Grandma’s Marathon’s 2011 champion, Chris Kipyego, was in the running for the incentive last year but wound up dropping out of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.
Historically, one male and one female have earned Grandma’s Marathon and Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon victories in the same calendar year.
Kenya’s Andrew Musuva claimed both titles in 1999, when he won June’s Grandma’s Marathon in 2:12:21 and completed the sweep at October’s Twin Cities Marathon in 2:14:41. In 2010, Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba became the only female to accomplish the feat with winning times of 2:31:35 and 2:27:23, respectively.
Both Grandma’s Marathon and Twin Cities In Motion are hosting national championship events this year – June 16 the USA Half Marathon Championships will be decided in Duluth, while on October 7 Twin Cities In Motion hosts the USA 10 Mile Championships and the USA Masters Marathon Championships.
Grandma’s Marathon-Duluth, Inc. is a Duluth, Minn.-based non-profit organization responsible for coordinating the annual running of Grandma’s Marathon and its supporting events, including the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, William A. Irvin 5K, Whipper Snapper Races for Kids and Essentia Health Fitness and Health Expo. The organization also administers the Young Athletes Foundation (YAF), which assists with the promotion and development of youth athletics in a five-county region in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.
About Twin Cities In Motion (TCM): Twin Cities In Motion (formerly Twin Cities Marathon, Inc.) is the non-profit organization that provides nationally recognized, high quality running events throughout the year, including the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. With a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through running, TCM and its charity partners contribute over $500,000 to related causes each year. Visit www.tcmevents.org for more information.