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Elisha Barno, from Eldoret, Kenya, broke the tape to win his second straight Grandma’s Marathon in his second try. Photo credit: John Gilbert

Elisha Barno said he was thinking of using the prize money from last year’s Grandma’s Marathon to build a house back in his hometown of Eldoret, Kenya, but he held off. By waiting, Barno can now build a bigger house, after claiming another $12,000 for duplicating his victory in the 40th running of Grandma’s Marathon.
Barno broke free of what looked like an East African town meeting early in the race, when a cluster of 10 elite racers breezed into Knife River, having opened a gap from the rest of the 9,572 runners who started out on Hwy. 61 just south of Two Harbors. As the miles went by, Barno watched top competitors drop back one by one in the heavy humidity, and he finally shook free of the pursuing Weldon Kirui in the closing miles to finish alone after a 2-hour, 11-minute, 26-second time. Kiriu, who is from Bomet, Kenya, about three hours away from Eldoret – “by car, not running,” said Kiriu, who finished exactly one minute back.
Barno joins Dick Beardsley, who won in 1981 and ‘82, and Patrick Muturi, who won in 1996 and ‘97 as the only runners to ever have won back to back Grandma’s.
Sarah Kiptoo, who failed to win back-to-back titles last year, came back to win her second Grandma’s this year. She is also from Endoret, a common location for elite runners in Kenya. Kiptoo broke the course record two years ago, but won Saturday’s women’s segment with a 2:33:28. That was far from her record 2:26:32 of 2014, but enough to outdistance Serkalen Abrha of Ethiopia by nearly a minute.
“I knew when I took one step out of my motel that there would be no record today,” said Kiptoo, noting the weight of humidity that reached 88 percent along the Shore and drained the runners all day.

Elisha Barno, far left, watched his top challengers as the lead group sped down the hill and into Knife River shortly after the start of Grandma's. Photo credit: John Gilbert

Barno made himself at home a year ago on his first trip to Duluth, when he won the 26.1-mile run down the North Shore with a time of 2:10:36, and said he’d been looking forward to returning ever since, because everyone in the area made him feel so welcome. After becoming the first back-to-back winner in a decade reinforced how much he enjoys coming to Grandma’s, and next year he intends to be wearing the No. 1 tag when he tries to make it three in a row.
“I am very happy. I like Duluth, it’s a very good place, and it’s a good course with some hills,” said Barno. “The people in Duluth were cheering me on. I planned on coming to this race all year, and I expect to come back to Minnesota to run in the Twin Cities Marathon later this year.”
Barno won the California Marathon in Sacramento last December with a 2:12:11, but then came a letdown at Los Angeles. Grandma’s put things back in order for Barno, who, like many of his countrymen, had come to Santa Fe, NM, to train in high altitude. He anticipated doing that again this year, after the Los Angeles Marathon in February. “But I had some visa problems, so I didn’t race in Los Angeles,” he said. “I stayed in Kenya to train, and I’m going right back home to Eldoret.”
Barno and Kiriu have raced each other before, and intended to renew their friendly rivalry in Los Angeles as well as at Grandma’s. But since Barno couldn’t get visa clearance for L.A., Kiriu won that February race and had high hopes coming to Grandma’s.

Sarah Kiptoo, also from Eldoret, Kenya, won her second women's segment of Grandma's in three years. Photo credit: John Gilbert

“I stayed with Barno till about 30 kilometers,” Barno said. “At about 20 kilometers, the group we were in started to break up, and after 30 kilometers (18 miles), Barno kept up his pace, but I couldn’t stay with him.”
Barno said he kept watching his top rivals, and was hoping somebody would run up front with him. “I had to ask them to,” he said. “I had a little pain in my side, and I was surprised when I got away from Weldon.”
Last year, after returning to Eldoret, Barno said he set aside some of his prize money. “I spent some money on some cows for my farm,” Barno said. “But now I can start building my house.”
Kiptoo, 26, said she was looking for more competition. “I need someone to push the pace with me,” Kiptoo said. “There were just the two of us for most of the race, so we caught up to three men and ran in a group of five. We had two girls and three men for about 10 or 15 miles.
“The three men pulled away from us then...but then I passed them,” Kiptoo added, with a sly grin.

Elisha Barno relaxed after defending his Grandma's marathon title Saturday, becoming only the third man to win back-to-back Grandma's. Photo credit: John Gilbert

With 9,572 in the full marathon, the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon drew another 9,577, a record for the 13.1-mile distance, Macdonard Ondara, also from Kenya, won in 1:03:33, while Simegn Abnet Yeshanbel of Ethiopia won the women’s half at 1:13:21.
Brazilians were 1-2 in the women’s wheelchair segment, with Aline dos Santo beating Maria de Fatima. James Senbetta from Illinois won the men’s wheelchair bracket.

High humidity slowed times and sent a record number of runners for medical assistance at Grandma's, but nothing could slow the missile-like wheelchair competitors as they sailed along Hwy. 61 shortly after the start. Photo credit: John Gilbert

Weldon Kiriu, also from Kenya, couldn't keep pace over the final miles and finished one minute behind Elisha Barno. Photo credit: John Gilbert

Elisha Barno, far left, kept a wary eye on his top competitors after the first four miles of Grandma's. Photo credit: John Gilbert

Women's winner Sarah Kiptoo blew kisses to Grandma's Marathon fans who cheered her to the finish. Photo credit: John Gilbert

Serkalem Abrha of Ethiopia took second among women with a 2:34:20 time. Photo credit: John Gilbert

A smiling Benjie Wolfe completed his 18th Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon, looking more fit than when he was a crowd favorite defenseman for UMD's hockey teams of the mid 1960s. Photo credit: John Gilbert