# Marquette Marathon

The Marquette Marathon is an annual marathon in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. The course runs point-to-point, starting at Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum in Ishpeming, follows the Iron Ore Heritage Trail and ends at the Superior Dome in Marquette. It is held annually on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. The race is one of the fastest Boston Marathon qualifiers in the USA, with a descent of almost 800 feet (240 m) in the first 5 miles (8.0 km). The section along the Iron Ore Heritage Trail is on a gravel-covered path through the forest, but the later part of the course features views of Lake Superior.
As of 1990, the Marquette Marathon was the only marathon in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. As such, it may have been the first marathon in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
The Marquette Marathon brings nearly $500,000 to the Marquette community according to the Marquette Marathon committee, which is consistent with studies of the economic impact of smaller marathon events.

## Race history

The Marquette Marathon was first run in 1977 with 49 finishers. Since then, it has gone by several names and used different course routes. The first iteration of the Marquette Marathon was run from 1977 until 1982; the renamed Northern Shufflers Marathon was between 1984 and 1996. The race director in 1979 may have been Pat Nardini. The 1983 version of the race was known as the Marquette National Bank and Trust Marathon and featured a course from Negaunee, Michigan to Marquette that was described as "hilly from start to finish." The 1988 Northern Shufflers Marathon ran from the Wawonowin Golf Club in Ishpeming, Michigan and ended at Northern Michigan University.
In 1992, an organizer of the Northern Shufflers Marathon in Michigan organized the "Northern Shufflers Delaware Marathon" so that interested runners could complete a marathon in every US state as Delaware did not then have a marathon. The race started and finished at the University of Delaware fieldhouse. A total of 62 runners from 37 states took part in the one-time event.
The Marquette Marathon was restarted in 2010, and the current course, finishing at the Superior Dome, has been run since 2021. Before this change, the race finished on North Third Street near Blackrocks Brewery.
In 2020, the race was canceled due to COVID-19. However, nine runners ran the course in an unofficial virtual race.
The Marquette Marathon was part of the Great Lakes Marathon Series, a circuit of 25 marathon races near the Great Lakes, from 2013 until 2019.

## Race weekend

The race expo is held on Friday of Labor Day weekend at the Superior Dome. There is a one-mile kids' race called the Pebble Run on the same day.
On Saturday, the Marquette Marathon starts at 7:30 am; the Marquette Half Marathon starts in Negaunee, Michigan at 9:00 am; and the Wildcat 5 km race starts (at 9:00 am) and finishes at the Superior Dome.

## Winners

| Date | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
| August 31, 2024 | Adam Martin Caldwell | 2:19:27.9 | Courtney Rouse | 2:59:54.8 |
| September 2, 2023 | Noah Jacobs | 2:34:26.8 | Violet Butts | 2:59:45.8 |
| September 3, 2022 | Chris Scott | 2:33:51.6 | Elizabeth Dollas | 2:54:48.1 |
| September 4, 2021 | Alex Dennis | 2:39:05.9 | Liza Breznau | 2:59:15.8 |
| August 31, 2019 | Samuel Parlette | 2:35:47.2 | Tiffany Kari | 3:05:11.8 |
| September 1, 2018 | Joe Ketarkus | 2:59:58.3 | Mandy Dye | 3:10:17.7 |
| September 2, 2017 | Alex Prasad | 2:43:03.6 | Sarah Kasabian-Larson | 2:57:17.8 |
| September 3, 2016 | Brad Vincent | 2:49:51.2 | Janet Becker | 3:06:01.5 |
| September 5, 2015 | Nate Hoffman | 2:36:41.1 | Elizabeth Whiting | 3:00:49.4 |
| August 30, 2014 | Vince Bechard | 2:35:51.7 | Christina Carradine | 3:15:03.3 |
| August 31, 2013 | Jon Rock | 2:29:04.6 | Elizabeth Jones | 3:06:56.5 |
| September 1, 2012 | Matthew Paullin | 2:44:17.2 | Christina Mishica | 3:13:28.9 |
| September 3, 2011 | Luis Cruz | 2:45:05.4 | Elizabeth Jones | 3:13:38.5 |
| September 4, 2010 | Ricky Alvarez | 2:37:57.8 | Elizabeth Jones | 3:01:52.7 |
| September 14, 1996 | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| 1995 | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| 1994 | unknown | unknown | Gay Keskey | unknown |
| September 18, 1993 | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| September 19, 1992 | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| September 15, 1990 | Judd Johnson | 2:43:59 | Wanda Cousineau | 3:08:10 |
| 1989 | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknkown |
| September 24, 1988 | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| September 20, 1986 | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| September 22, 1984 | Chris Danielson | 2:42:11 | Rhonda Henderson | 3:58:31 |
| September 10, 1983 | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| September 18, 1982 | Chris Danielson | 2:38:10 | Laurie Hallifax | 3:23:18 |
| September 12, 1981 | Doug Kurtis | 2:15:31 | Sally Sakalos | 3:15:16 |
| September 6, 1980 | Doug Riske | 2:32:16 | Sheila Joosten | 3:12:24 |
| September 8, 1979 | Chris Danielson | 2:32:46 | Eunice Carlson | 2:50:53 |
| September 9, 1978 | Chris Glowacki | 2:39:17 | Eunice Carlson | 3:00:31 |
| September 10, 1977 | Scott Lachniet | 2:35:14 | Denise Green | 3:39:45 |

## Past half marathon winners

| Date | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's Winner | Time (h:m:s) |
| August 31, 2024 | Ian Torchia | 1:09:57.8 | Maggie Priebe | 1:19:50.7 |
| September 2, 2023 | Alex Dennis | 1:09:22.7 | Kathy Vandehy | 1:14:11.8 |
| September 3, 2022 | Charles Smogoleski | 1:06:05.8 | Natalie Anderson | 1:21:44.9 |
| September 4, 2021 | Richard Swor | 1:06:20.1 | Katie Lakin | 1:22:11.3 |
| August 31, 2019 | Alexander Dennis | 1:17:23.7 | Callie Bartel | 1:27:11.4 |
| September 1, 2018 | Samuel Parlette | 1:11:45.2 | Kameron Burmeister | 1:19:04.8 |
| September 2, 2017 | Jeffrey Quednow | 1:14:41.4 | Callie Bartel | 1:25:16.0 |
| September 3, 2016 | Nathaniel Langlie | 1:15:32.2 | Victoria Phillippi | 1:28:10.1 |
| September 5, 2015 | Daniel Dehlin | 1:13:46.5 | Melissa Burkart | 1:19:17.8 |
| August 30, 2014 | Tracy Lokken | 1:14:45.1 | Melanie Bicigo | 1:28:51.1 |
| August 31, 2013 | Tracy Lokken | 1:10:07.3 | Alison Goss | 1:28:43.8 |
| September 1, 2012 | Tracy Lokken | 1:12:36.0 | Alison Goss | 1:33:17.7 |
| September 3, 2011 | Tracy Lokken | 1:09:12.4 | Alison Goss | 1:32:20.8 |
| September 4, 2010 | Tracy Lokken | 1:12:53.4 | Valerie Kelso | 1:34:49.2 |

## Past Wildcat 5 km winners

| Date | Men's winner | Time (m:s) | Women's winner | Time (m:s) |
| August 31, 2024 | Qwynn Darnell | 17:16.5 | Emma Ziegler | 23:06.1 |
| September 2, 2023 | Qwynn Darnell | 17:27.2 | Chessie Sergey | 21:20.2 |
| September 3, 2022 | Anthony Plana | 18:25.7 | Chessie Sergey | 22:00.5 |
| September 4, 2021 | Scott Carhoun | 18:16.1 | Roman Menhart | 21:59.2 |
| August 31, 2019 | Jeffrey Quednow | 17:53.1 | Amber Huebner | 22:06.8 |
| September 1, 2018 | Lucas Cavalieri | 18:46.2 | Laurie Tardiff | 21:05.3 |
| September 2, 2017 | Brent Skaw | 18:01.1 | Deedra Irwin | 19:05.8 |
| September 3, 2016 | Richard Sandlin | 17:16.5 | Rebecca Kraemer | 23:09.1 |