Kevin Cooper, Nevada High School agriculture education instructor and FFA Advisor and Toledo native, with a finisher medal after completing Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Tim Couser, Nevada area farmer, and Kevin Cooper, Nevada High School agriculture education instructor and FFA advisor who grew up in Toledo, joined 9,000 other runners for the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn. on Saturday, June 17.

The race is a major event on the North Shore, filling hotels in many cities around Duluth. The 26.2 mile course started in Two Harbors at 7:45 am and followed Highway 61 which parallels much of the Lake Superior coast line until downtown Duluth.

The race finish line was in Canal Park near Grandma’s Restaurant, and the famous Aerial Bridge. Couser ran as part of a charity fundraising group for LUNGevity Foundation, a non-profit group that financially supports lung cancer research. Over $21,075 was raised at the marathon for Lungevity with Bayer Crop Sciences being a significant contributor.

“The race is a great experience, but I also enjoyed meeting other runners from Peru, Ireland, and Brooklyn, New York,” Cooper said.

Grandma’s Marathon was first run in 1977 with only 150 participants.