Smiling, Kelly Senty waves to the crowd as she runs. Kelly was a big hit with the crowd because she wore her wedding veil throughout the race. She was married later that day in Grand Marais. For the day Kelly set a PR and a PB-MV. (Personal record in the marathon and personal best marriage vows.)
For Callie Vannet, the 2011 Grandma’s Marathon didn’t work out. An ankle injury forced her out of the race days before it began. “Better to run another day than to get hurt worse and maybe never run again,” said Callie.
But for 14 other Cook County runners, the cool temps and slight tailwind played a nice part in their finishing the 35th annual Grandma’s Marathon.
And for one special runner— Kelly Senty—she will never forget the race because it was also the day she got married. Kelly, 27, Grand Marais, was also the only runner to wear a wedding veil during the race. She and Kyler Hawkins were married later in the day in Grand Marais.
Kelly ran with her mother, Laurie, 51, and younger sister, Tess, age 25. Tess finished in just under 3 hours and 29 minutes and 52 seconds. At one point she was nearing a 3:20 marathon, but, as her mother said, “She bonked. I was surprised to see her at the finish line just a little bit ahead of Kelly and me.”
When they could, these ladies trained together for Grandma’s Marathon and because of their dedication, all had fine races in the 35th running of the 26 mile 385 yard event. (L-R) Laurie Senty, Kelly Senty, Tess Senty, Kayla O’Bryan and Hannah (Palma) Laky. Following the race the Sentys traveled back to Grand Marais where Kelly finished her day by getting married to longtime beau, Kyler Hawkins. Congratulations Kelly and Kyler!
Laurie put the pedal to the metal and crossed the line in 3:31:27. Kelly was one minute behind in 3:32.28. Laurie finished 8th overall in the women’s 50-55 age group. All qualified for next spring’s Boston Marathon and will next race in the Chicago Marathon in the fall. And yes, each scored a big PR in the race, so despite Tess “bonking,” she ran her fastest marathon ever.
There were a handful of first time marathoners in the field. For Kayla O’Bryan, 23, Grand Marais, Grandma’s was not only her first marathon; it was her first race of any kind. A basketball and volleyball standout in college, O’Bryan has caught on quickly to distance running. She finished in 4:16.23.
After recently moving to Chicago, Hannah (Laky) Palma drove eight hours to Duluth and completed her first marathon in 4:49.46, beating her goal of five hours.
Bob Spry, age 70, was entered but couldn’t participate because he pulled a muscle in his leg trying to run a marathon in Nashville at the end of April. He wasn’t able to finish that race and continued to have problems and stopped training for Grandma’s, which is too bad because Bob is always a threat to win his age group or at the least, place very, very high.
Molly Hicken, 32, came through the 10k in 1:06.29 but had to drop out at 11 miles due to a silver dollarsized blister on her right foot caused by wet shoes and socks.
“I have to say I was also a little bit under trained. If I had trained more my feet might have been toughened up. Even though I dropped out I still had fun. I was there running with two cousins and my aunt. My uncle met us at mile 9 and gave us a special energy drink. He’s a doctor and he makes this disgusting energy drink that’s got potassium and salt and carbohydrates.
It tastes awful. I’m looking at this as a first training run for the Twin Cities Marathon in the fall. I’ve already signed up for that race.”
A trail runner by nature, Mark Abrahamson of Grand Marais, 56, took to the roads like a duck out of water and strolled across the line in 4:06.48, averaging 9:26 per mile.
Legendary Jan Horak, 63, Tofte, finished in 6:10.06. A crowd favorite, Jan walks and jogs the course with a big smile on his face. He has completed Grandma’s Marathon too many times to count.
Looking strong, Lynne Wiitala, 50, Tofte, came across the line in 4:15.09.
Shelly Norman, 52, Grand Marais, managed to find time to squeeze in some 20-mile training runs this spring despite her busy schedule. The hard work paid off, as Norman completed the race in 5:03.08.
Although she has run 5 half-marathons, the leap up to the 26-mile, 385-yard marathon distance was intimidating to Cook County News- Herald reporter Jane Howard. As she stated for weeks before the race, her goal was to finish—hopefully in 6 ½ hours. She easily bested her goal by coming across the line in 5:53.35, and acknowledged the help and inspiration given to her by the helpers and spectators along the way.
All told 6,336 runners completed the 26-mile 385-yard marathon, with 3,658 men finishers and 2,678 women finishers. The average finishing time was 4 hours 16 minutes and 34 seconds.
Locals do well in Grandma’s half marathon
With the resurgence of long distance running on the North Shore, it was no surprise to see nine runners entered in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and six more runners entered in the William K. Irvin 5K.
David Gilmore, 49, and Charlie Helbling, 49, were the oldest county residents to run the half marathon. Gilmore finished the 13.1-mile race in 2:22:50, averaging 10:55 per mile. Helbling ran a great race, crossing the line in 1:48:57. Charlie’s wife, Becky, ran 2:29.09, averaging 11:24 per mile.
Fresh off of a fine track season, Nathan Carlson, 14, was the youngest Cook County runner in the field. Despite his youth, Nathan finished with a fine time of 1:54:18, averaging 8:44 per mile.
Another track runner who continues to improve is Shelby Ahrendt, 16. Ahrendt had a good run and completed the course in 1:59:39, averaging 9:09 per mile.
Paul Spry, 36, Grand Portage, completed the race in 2:22:50.
Paul Hansen, 45, Tofte, ran through the line in 2:39:20.
Virginia Palmer, 44, Grand Marais, showed her mettle by completing the race in 2:06:59.
Teresa Hanson, 44, Grand Marais, who trains sporadically, finished in a fine 2:24:15.
William A. Irvin 5K
Six county runners age 9 to 41 raced in the 3.1-mile William A. Irvin 5K race. And if the distance isn’t great, holding a high heart rate for 3-plus miles is hard to do.
Shaunna Beckwith of Grand Portage ran in her first 5K race, finishing in just 31:32. She ran with Marathon alum Jennifer Spry. Jennifer, 31, and her son, Trent, 9, finished together with a great time of 31:33, averaging 10 minutes and 10 seconds per mile.
Jennifer Fagerman, 41, finished in 46:45.
Kris Buttweiler, 32, and Jenny Kartes, 29, of Lutsen, finished together in 40:02.
Leave a Reply