Last of Six Inductees Planned for Class of 2022
(DULUTH, MINN.) — Deb Pawlowicz has been inducted into the Grandma’s Marathon Hall of Fame, the last of six individuals set to be enshrined as the Class of 2022 after making longstanding and meaningful contributions to the race and community.
Pawlowicz was a longtime employee of Voyageur Bus Company and served more than three decades as the race day transportation dispatcher, playing a large role in moving close to 20,000 runners each year to the start line of both Grandma’s Marathon and the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon. In her tenure, Pawlowicz was part of driving or loading more than 5,000 buses on race weekend.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time working for Grandma’s Marathon,” Pawlowicz said. “My favorite part of it all has been the chance to work with my kids. They’ve been with me through all of it. We’ve gone home a lot of times freezing cold or very warm, but we’ve enjoyed it all.”
Early in her Grandma’s Marathon tenure, Pawlowicz assembled what she now lovingly calls her “loading team,” which over the years has included her daughters Jamie Monette and Erin Maly.
“When I started working with my mom, the kids were on rollerblades and that’s how we got around the DECC parking lot,” Monette said. “My favorite part has always been the people and just hearing their stories as they wait in line for the buses.”
“There’s something about the excitement getting that 3:30 a.m. text asking if you’re awake,” Maly added. “It’s super fun to see all the people every year. The energy and organization of a Grandma’s Marathon weekend is insane.”
Pawlowicz was officially inducted into the Grandma’s Marathon Hall of Fame during a virtual ceremony, and she joins Rick Recker, Jim Greenfield, Glenn Evavold, and Monica Halligan as members of the six-person Class of 2022.
This year’s class is the largest since the Hall of Fame’s inaugural year in 1996, and the Hall of Fame is now made up of 85 individuals, organizations, and municipalities.
A video of Pawlowicz’s official induction ceremony can be viewed at the link below.
Deb Pawlowicz HOF Ceremony — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8A-wlnRs4s
