EAGAN, Minn. – Dakotah Lindwurm chose her favorite event to do something unprecedented.

The former Northern State standout and All-American became the first Minnesota native to claim back-to-back victories at the annual Grandma’s Marathon event in Duluth last month.

“It’s super awesome,” Lindwurm said. “Grandma’s is my favorite marathon ever.”

And if that weren’t enough, Lindwurm checked off a few more boxes on her professional running resume.

Her winning time of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 1 second was a personal best. It also met the Olympic qualifying standard and vaulted her into the top 12 on the list of fastest American women marathon runners.

All of which is to say, Lindwurm’s name is in the hat when it comes to Paris 2024.

“I’m running the same times as people who have made the Olympics before,” Lindwurm said.

To some, like former Northern State track and field coach Kevin Bjerke, who first pushed Lindwurm towards a professional running career, last month’s performance may not be a surprise.

But for Lindwurm, there is still a sense of wonder about it all.

“When I first started running professionally, I wanted to do well,” she said. “But making the Olympics would have been a one in a million shot.”

Lindwurm’s performance in Duluth didn’t necessarily go according to plan, she said. She had a goal of 2:26 written down, but, as marathon goals often do, it came with some asterisks. Weather, wind and course conditions play heavily into those things.

But the morning of June 18 was a cool 50 degrees and perfect for a last minute change of plans.

“I told my coach, ‘I think this is a great weather day. I think I can run a little faster than we planned,’ ” she said. “I just wanted to give myself the best possible day and if I end up blowing up because I went out too hard, I’m always going to be happier with that than playing it safe. I’m not afraid of blowing up.”

Lindwurm had previously become the first Minnesota native in two decades to win Grandma’s Marathon with her victory in 2021.

Now with the Olympic qualifying standard checked off the list, Lindwurm can be eligible to represent the U.S. with a top three showing at the Olympic Trials.

For now, though, she has her sights set on some races a bit closer to home. She will race a 7-mile course in Massachusetts and a 20-kilometer course in New Haven, Conn. in the coming weeks.

To see a complete list of top female marathon times, click on the following link:

https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/road-running/marathon/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=countries&region=usa&drop=regular&fiftyPercentRule=regular&page=1&bestResultsOnly=true&firstDay=1899-12-31&lastDay=2022-06-29