Grandma’s Marathon Runner Featured On ESPN

Back in June of this year, I had the privilege of chatting with a few different runners. It was one of Duluth's biggest weekends of the year - Grandma's Marathon weekend - and there were some incredible people taking part.

One of those people is Rik Zortman. The athlete has a goal of running a half marathon in each state, which led him to the Northland earlier this summer.

The runner takes part in events like these in honor of his late son Armstrong, who passed away from brain cancer in 2009. He told me his son loved running and this is his way of healing and carrying on that memory.

He also does something else: runs people's names. That's right - he actually sets out on the open road and jogs the path of a name or motivational word with meaning. He mostly runs names of other kids that have cancer or have passed from the disease. This has also helped him heal.

His incredible story has caught the attention of the national news now. He was featured on ESPN with an in-depth story about his journey.

He was incredibly kind when I asked to talk to him and I am glad his story is out there to inspire others.

Watch his ESPN feature here.