Breaking the Record of a Hometown Hero w/ Maggie Montoya

09/22/23 • 21 min

Maggie Montoya had no idea, as she rounded the final turn to the finish line, that she was about to break one of the more storied records in Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon history.
Just as Duluth native Kara Goucher predicted earlier in the week, Montoya was about to break Goucher’s own event record that she had set during the USA Half Marathon Championships in 2012.

Montoya’s time of 1:09:26 was 20 seconds faster than Goucher, ending the hometown hero’s run at the top of the event’s all-time leaderboard. Making her debut in Duluth, Montoya navigated the racecourse brilliantly in route to breaking her own PR by 40 seconds with a time of 1:09:26.
Montoya kicks off Season 4 of our Gearing Up for Grandma's podcast to talk more about that record-breaking run and also what lies ahead in her running career.

Previous Episode

Season 3, Episode 13 --- Alison Mariella Désir

Alison Mariella Désir has developed into one of the nation's leading voices when it comes to inclusivity and diversity, especially within the endurance sports industry.
10 years ago, she founded a group called Harlem Run that has grown into one of the nation's most well-known running clubs. More recently, she published a book titled Running While Black, widely seen as a searing expose of a supposedly egalitarian sport and a call to reimagine the entire running industry.
She will be a featured guest at this year's Grandma's Marathon with several opportunities for the public to meet and hear from her.
FRIDAY, JUNE 16
8:00 a.m. - Morning Shakeout Run - Duluth Running Company
12:00 p.m. - DEI Keynote Speech - Essentia Health Fitness Expo (DECC)
1:00 p.m. - DEI Roundtable - Essentia Health Fitness Expo (DECC)
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. - Book Signing - Essentia Health Fitness Expo (DECC)

Next Episode

Surviving Cancer & Life Inside the Marathon w/ Laura Bergen

Laura Bergen began working with Grandma's Marathon in 1999 and, over the past two plus decades, has held a variety of roles within the organization.
She is currently the Registration and Expo Director, meaning she's primarily responsible for overseeing the event's registration processes and organizing the Essentia Health Fitness Expo that's held on race weekend.
In 2021, Bergen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After having gone through surgery and several rounds of chemotherapy, that cancer is now in remission. However, she's now developed a form of bile duct cancer, of which her treatment is ongoing.
The medical concerns have changed Bergen's availability to the marathon but not her love of the organization and the community that helps make Grandma's Marathon a success each June.