Those Bob Dylan manhole covers are about to get some serious exposure.
Grandma's Marathon on Thursday confirmed what had long been expected - a modest course reroute resulting from the Superior Street reconstruction project.
The modification, affecting less than a mile of the traditional routes for Minnesota's oldest marathon and accompanying Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, begins just after Fourth Avenue East. There, rather than continue along Superior Street, runners instead will turn left and knock out the next nine blocks on Michigan Street until reaching Fifth Avenue West, near mile marker 25 (or 12 for Bjorklund participants).
That stretch comprises much of Bob Dylan Way, replete with Dylan-inspired manhole covers that were installed earlier this decade for the Duluth native.
Upon reaching Fifth Avenue West, the traditional course resumes. The reroute will be in place for each of the next three race weekends, through 2020.
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The 42nd annual Grandma's Marathon is June 16.
"We collaborated with city officials and local organizations to facilitate the course change, and this slightly modified route will provide this year's participants the distinction of being the first to race on the new section in June, which now includes almost the entire path of Bob Dylan Way," Grandma's executive director Shane Bauer said in a news release.
Rest assured, runners - the course has been measured and certified by USA Track and Field, and Grandma's says the start- and finish-line locations hardly will be impacted.
Given the narrow confines of Michigan Street, however, spectator viewing will be limited. In other words, plan ahead.
