FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
American Record Holder, Former US Olympian Alan Webb
To Run Grandma's Marathon
Will Be First-Ever Competitive Marathon for 2004 Olympian
(DULUTH, MINN.) --- Once, and perhaps still, a household name in
short-distance running, former United States Olympian Alan Webb will make
his 26.2-mile debut later this month at the 2021 Grandma's Marathon.
Webb, who still owns the American record in the mile with a time of
3:46.91, competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics in the 1500-meters and also
won three gold medals at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Now an assistant cross country and track and field coach at the University
of Arkansas Little Rock, he says the timing is right to try the longer
distance.
"I've always heard good things about Duluth and about Grandma's Marathon,"
Webb said. "I'm not so much running now to be competitive, I'm running
because I love to do it and because of what the sport has meant to me my
whole life. The timing of Grandma's works well for my coaching schedule,
and I'm excited to come to Minnesota and to run on this beautiful course."
Webb made his half marathon debut on May 29 at the Great American River Run
in Memphis, Tenn., finishing in fourth place with a time of 1:13:14.
Webb and his wife, Julia, are currently living in Little Rock, Ark. and
have three children.
The 45th annual Grandma's Marathon weekend will be held June 17-19, 2021.
ABOUT GRANDMA'S MARATHON
Grandma's Marathon began in 1977 when a group of local runners planned a
scenic road race from Two Harbors to Duluth, Minnesota. There were just 150
participants that year, but organizers knew they had discovered something
special. Grandma's Marathon weekend draws approximately 20,000 participants
for its three-race event each June.
The race got its name from the Duluth-based group of famous Grandma's
Restaurants, the first major sponsor of the Marathon. Over time, the level
of sponsorship with the restaurants changed, but the name stayed the same.
Grandma's Marathon-Duluth, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit
organization with a 17-member Board of Directors and a nine-person,
full-time staff.
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