Organizers Cancel 2026 Duluth Park Point 5-Miler Race And 2-Mile Walk – What To Know

Persistent thick smoke at dangerous levels in the Twin Ports area and elsewhere across the Northland has led to a lot of event cancellations and outdoor-oriented businesses closing or modifying service.

Just announced, the Park Point 5-Miler race and 2-Mile Walk on Duluth's Park Point have been cancelled due to the smoke from wildfires raging on in the Boundary Waters and into Canada.

Organizers shared yesterday that they were monitoring the situation, planning to make a decision on whether to proceed with the event or not by noon today (Thursday). That decision came sooner than the deadline they set, with the decision made to cancel the event.

That isn't really shocking when considering the extremely unhealthy levels of smoke continuing to impact the region.

READ MORE: See Northland Smoke-Related Cancellations, Closings, Announcements

The Young Athletes Foundation and Grandma's Marathon, who are behind the race, say they are devastated to have to make this decision, but state that "the health and safety of our participants, volunteers, and community will always be first and foremost in our thought process."

So, if you were registered to be part of the 5-mile race or 2-mile walk, here's what you need to know.

What to know if you were registered for the 2026 Park Point 5-Miler or 2-Mile Walk

First and foremost, organizers say they will not be rescheduling the event.

All registered participants have two options. They can either request a refund or donate their race entry fee to the Young Athletes Foundation.

If you would like to request a refund, each adult participant must fill out a separate form. Those request forms can be found here.

Refund requests must be completed before Friday, July 24. Refunds will not include the processing fees paid to the event's registration platform, which organizers say they are unable to refund.

Opting not to fill out the refund request form automatically treats your registration fee as a donation.

Anyone registered for the KP Challenge who requests a refund will be refunded for just this event's portion of the registration, and not the other events of the challenge.

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Registered participants can still pick up race shirts during normal business hours at the Grandma's Marathon offices located at 351 Canal Park Drive in Duluth, starting Thursday, July 16, until Friday, July 24, during normal business hours, 8 am until 5 pm each weekday.