Meet Our Grandma's Marathon Runners

Jun 12, 2024
Amy Yoelin
marathon finish
Grandma's Marathon Logo. green text. runners silhouettes

This year marked our first year as a charity partner with Grandma’s Marathon! We had 60 runners on our team, and we raised an incredible $39,000! Despite a cold and rainy day in Duluth, it was a great day, filled with cheering, smiles, and high-fives. Thank you to our runners who helped make this possible!

runners in their singlets in shirts during marathon

For July 10-31, you can buy a *limited edition* tank and t-shirt our runners wore! A portion of the proceeds will go back towards us. Click below to claim yours!

BUY SHIRTS HERE

 

Meet the Runners: 

Lucy Trotter running in Downtown Duluth

Lucy Trotter

Lucy grew up taking frequent trips to both the North Shore and the Ely area, and spent the last five summers working at YMCA Family Camps on Burntside and Bear Island Lakes, which has given her the opportunity to explore the Boundary Waters with family and friends.  Protecting the Boundary Waters means more to Lucy than simply preserving the space, but also ensuring barriers are removed so that it is a place for all. Lucy was also Save the Boundary Waters' Administrative Coordinator for the past few years.

Amelia Barr and Jonah Hale

Amelia Barr and Jonah Hale

Jonah and Amelia currently live in New York City and are outdoor enthusiasts who have spent their lives immersed in nature. Jonah grew up in Minnesota and spent much of his childhood camping, hiking, and fishing.  Amelia grew up barefoot in the Wisconsin wilderness where she spent much of her childhood playing and exploring everything the woods had to offer.

Coming from such outdoorsy families, both Jonah and Amelia have a deep-rooted love and respect for the wilderness which has become a cornerstone in their relationship. Because of this passion, combined with their mutual love of running and shared goal of running a marathon, it made perfect sense to partner with the Save The Boundary Waters team for Grandma’s Marathon.

Their dedication to preserving these pristine landscapes is not just about personal enjoyment, but about ensuring that future generations can experience the same natural wonders that have and continue to shape their lives.

Emily McNicholas

Emily McNicholas

Grandma's marked Emily's fifth marathon and third participating on behalf of a charity partner. While she's not a Minnesotan, she grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan. As the years progressed, the more she felt a pull to the Lakes and the water. Her brother and his partner are now Duluth locals and have taken several trips to the BWCAW, and provide nothing but positive reviews of their experiences, even with the mosquitoes. The threat of mining and toxic industry to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), one of the remaining true wildernesses, and its connecting waterways is distressing, and Emily was excited to play a small role in helping Save the Boundary Waters do important protection and advocacy work on behalf of BWCAW.

Seth Taft

Seth Taft

Seth is from Baraboo, Wisconsin. Since his first visit to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, I felt a strong connection to it. A space full of endless natural beauty unspoiled and a delight to escape from daily life. He joined the running team to advocate keeping the BWCAW from being impacted by potential copper mining threats, share his story and experiences with friends about how significant this space is, and encourage to support the Save the Boundary Waters in our mission to permanently protect this pristine watershed.

Angela Wunderlich

Angela Wunderlich

Angela is a Boundary Waters Champion. She spoke at our rally last year at the Minnesota State Capitol in support of permanent protection for the Boundary Waters. She currently works at the YMCA of the North, a partner organization of ours.

For Angela, Northern Minnesota has been a home away from home for so many years, and its wilderness preservation means a lot to her both personally and professionally. In running for us, she hopes to raise awareness for this wilderness space and the movement for its permanent protection against copper-ore sulfide mining.

Erik Lundquist

Erik Lundquist

This was Erik's second time running in Grandma's, participating in the Half Marathon. Erik says, "Most all of you have had the privilege of paddling this most magical place. There's no other place like it. But there are forces out there that would compromise its beauty, water and wildlife." Erik wants to bring his grandkids to the Boundary Waters so they can see it as we've seen it all these years- a true wilderness and a place for renewal.

The Lawder Family

The Lawder Family

As a family, Joe, Tim, Ted, Allie, and Connor, ran Grandma’s Marathon, in memory of brother and son, Joey Lawder. The Lawder Family memorialized the first anniversary of Joey's passing by embracing the sport he introduced to the family, distance running, and supporting his passion for fishing in the Boundary Waters. As the gateway to his paradise, Duluth, Minnesota (birthplace of Bob Dylan) and its "Grandma's Marathon" is the perfect place to pay tribute to Joey. This was Joe’s first marathon, Tim’s third marathon, Ted’s second half-marathon, Allie’s first half-marathon, and Connor’s first half-marathon. 

joey lawder
Joey Lawder
  

Join the Movement!

  • For July 10-31, 2024 you can buy a *limited edition* tank and t-shirt our runners wore! A portion of the proceeds will go back towards us. Click here to claim yours!
  • We're also participating in the TC Marathon and 10 Mile this October in St. Paul! Email amy@savetheboundarywaters.org to receive more information.

 

twin cities marathon logo