Race with Grace

Running as a Chum Charity Partner in Grandma’s Half Marathon, Holly Grace needs your donations! The donations raised support Chum’s mission to provide basic necessities, foster stable lives, and organize for a just and compassionate community in Duluth. To donate, click here.

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A lifelong Duluthian, Chum’s Child & Youth Development Coordinator Holly Grace is no stranger to Duluth’s famed Grandma’s Marathon. While June 21st, 2025 will mark her thirteenth Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon (and fifteenth half overall), this year’s Grandma’s race will have a special meaning: Grace will be running as a charity partner in Chum’s first year of partnership with Grandma’s.

Holly Grace, Chum’s Child & Youth Development Coordinator

The Grandma’s Marathon Charity Partner Program has been partnering with local nonprofit organizations since 2014 to “make a difference in someone else’s life while transforming your own”. Runners have the opportunity to participate in otherwise-filled races in exchange for running and raising funds on behalf of a Twin Ports nonprofit. In 2024, over $400,000 was raised for 23 local nonprofits, and this year, Chum will be joining as one of those organizations. With Holly Grace’s interest in running for a greater cause, it was a perfect match.

“I was not a runner until my mid-20’s - I’m very slow,” Grace laughed. “I started running for myself and my mental illness, to deal with my depression and anxiety – running really helped me with my mental health, so I continued those long distances.”

As she continued to run, and COVID-19 bringing in-person races to a halt, Grace was inspired to initiate her own running fundraiser in 2020, raising funds for Second Harvest Heartland in Duluth. “I really had fun with it– when we were all separated during the pandemic, it was nice to not only have people cheer me on virtually, but also have this thing I was working towards.” This year, she looks to support Chum in the same way.

“It’s a very crucial year for Chum as we go through expansion and operating costs being fairly high right now,” says Bud Trnka, Chum’s Volunteer & Event Coordinator. Trnka, a proud supporter of both Chum and the Grandma’s Marathon organization, was the initial driving force for bringing Chum into the fold as a Grandma’s Marathon Charity Partner. Chum not only benefits from the proceeds raised for race weekend, but also benefits in other ways, such as donated post-event bottled water and food. “It’s always nice to have bottled water and food for Chum’s guests, especially in the hot summer months.”

As Chum’s Child & Youth Development Coordinator, Holly Grace is running to raise both a general awareness of Chum and its services, and a more specific cause near and dear to her heart: the importance of play in children’s lives.

Grace, with friend Katelyn, at the 2023 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon

“There are so many things that a family who has been in chronic poverty don’t think about because you’re dealing with the survival. You’re working for your next meal or whatever it happens to be, and one thing that sometimes gets pushed to the side is the kids and playing. Play is so important for kids’ development. As I’ve been here working at Chum, we have this giant backyard back behind Steve O’Neil Apartments, and it’s not useable for play. It’s hard for the kids to throw a ball around or play tag.”

Grace continues, “We need to think about the whole child – basic needs and academics are very important, but if we’re going to take care of an entire human being, that play is so important. I want to celebrate what this building is and put focus on the whole child, which means a play space for them that is usable. We have a natural instinct to play, and focusing on how small humans play to build brain development, physical development, and community within this space just seems like a natural fit. I think that we’re going to get a lot more out of that than we realize. Plus, who doesn’t love a playground?”

Plans of building a playground on the Steve O’Neil property are in their infancy stages. More information will be released in the coming months with opportunities for further community support.

In the meantime, Grace looks forward to Duluth’s renowned race weekend just shy of one month away: “My friends and I know everyone on the course, it’s super fun. Being that Duluth is my hometown, I almost always see people I know. Grandma’s has a lot of hometown traditions that I always look forward to.”

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To support Chum through Holly Grace’s race, visit this link. To join Chum’s journey to creating a more compassionate and just Duluth, follow @chumduluth on socials.