The Ely Marathon is a race in Ely, Minnesota, first run in 2015. After successfully adding a sanctioned "canoe portager" category in the half marathon, the category was added to the marathon in 2018. In the "canoe portage," runners can compete with the others who carry a canoe over their heads, deeming the race "the 8,390 rod portage." It is the only marathon portage in the world, so the first finisher in 2018 set a world record. The record was broken in 2019 by more than 23 minutes. In 2016, Daniel Drehmel ran the marathon with his partner, Abby Dare, and the two of them took turns carrying the canoe in order to raise awareness about the potential threats to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.