Overall I had a good experience in Fargo. I ran the half this time around. The course is not majorly exciting, but it is pretty and I loved the tree lined streets and running through downtown. The course is mostly flat with a few small hills. What really makes is spectacular though are the fans, I was really impressed! There was never a quiet moment the entire race, and considering this is a 'smaller' marathon event, that speaks volumes. I have run many other races where the runners are really alone for long stretches. Luckily the rain held off, but it was HUMID, making the last few miles really hot... but that is out of the race directors control. I felt like there were plenty of water stops though, so it was manageable. In fact I think they maybe added additional stops? It seemed like there were more than the race guide said there would be. I also liked that there were porta potties along the course the entire time, I didn't have to use them but I thought it was a nice gesture that they were not only at aid stations... helped to prevent long lines (and the fact that you may not always be able to time when you have to go with a water stop!) The expo was smaller but well organized and easy to get through quickly. All and all, a good race and a nice weekend trip for us.

I posted some harsh comments about this event in 2011. The marathon has adjusted the start time of the Half Marathon to be 45 minutes before the start of the marathon. In 2011 the Half Marathon started 30 minutes after the Full Marathon and when the two courses merged for the last six miles full marathoners were now is a sea of people that were running about 2 minutes per mile slower (just given the time offset). That was a real disaster from my perspective. Anyway nice adjustments.

This race gets excellent reviews and they are correct. The organization and volunteers are great. Fargo is a college town and it seems like a football weekend. The town is very supportive. The logistics are great. The Expo start and finish are less than 3 miles from the airport. If necessary you could walk or run. The course is a little bland and repetitious as it meanders though the university, city business section, parks, and well maintain neighborhoods. It is a very flat course It is very neat coming into the Fargo Dome, at the finish, and seeing your image on the huge screen. I give my highest recommendation. I suggest staying at the dormitory at NDSU. It is cheap, very covenant, clean, and friendly. I will say it is a Spartan situation. You make your own beds, share the bathroom, and the TV is in the lobby. I had a great time sharing race stories until almost midnight with other runners in the TV lobby.

From the large variety of music on the course to the morning long coverage by KFAN radio, the city does it's best to promote the race. Start & finish at the Fargodome was fun, many groups of kids and supporters along the course- even square dancers downtown. Finding lodging is difficult, so book your room early unless you want to stay 40 miles away in Wahpeton. There wasn't any traffic control at the dome for the expo, which caused a real jam and some hard feelings among attendants. And they ran out of shirts for participants- first time I'd ever experienced that.

What Fargo lacks in scenery was made up for by friendly people. Race organization was superb. A few notes for 50-staters:

-For those wanting to fly in/out with minimal fuss and without renting a car, I strongly recommend staying at the hotels right next to the Fargodome (Days Inn, Homewood Suites) or waiting until the following year if they are booked up.
-Airport is small and taxis were not readily available; I shared a taxi with others to get from the aiport to packet pick-up at Fargodome where I was essentially stranded until I persuaded the nice man at the Holiday Inn where I was staying to come and collect me in the hotel shuttle, which was brave of him to do given the traffic mentioned below.
-Do not go to packet pick-up any time between 4-7pm the evening before the race as 9,500 runners (each seemingly in their own car) ran a 5K on the Friday evening as part of the weekend's activities. Great for the city to have such signficant participation but a logistical hassle for anyone trying to get to or near the Fargodome on Friday evening - again, if you stay right by the Fargodome, this would be a non-issue as you could walk over any time before the expo closes at 9pm (great to have late pick-up option, thank you).
-Shuttles ran from West Acres shopping area (where all of the other, non-Fargodome hotels are located, several miles away from the Fargodome) which was easy enough on the way to the race but the hotels only offered a 12pm check-out which wasn't terribly generous given the 8:15am start for the full-marathoners. I checked out before the race and then went directly from the Fargodome to the airport after the race (walkable distance if completely necessary - about 2 miles - but I asked at the Homewood Suites next to the Fargodome if the hotel shuttle could drop me at the airport and they were kind enough to do so.
-Flat course, not much to see.
-Friendly people.
-Well-stocked aid stations.
-Terrific shirt (long-sleeve, zip-up collar) and great bag (Adidas, sturdy) and fun medal.
-Best bag check I've ever experienced - I approached the bag check area, the man spotted my bib number and handed me my bag immediately. They had some great system for laying out the bags which deserves extra gold stars.
-Fargdome finish was fun, although it had emptied out by the time I arrived as all of the half marathoners had been and gone.
-Only remember taking chocolate miilk at the finish but I think there was plenty to eat and drink

It may seem like overkill to dwell extensively on the logistics but if you run 15+ marathons a year, the ease of getting to/from the marathon makes a big difference.

This was a fun, well-organized race and a big thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make sure everything ran smoothly.

Overall it was a great race. The spectators are incredible, race is well organized. It is very flat, but way too many turns. I felt like I was always turning. You need to be prepared for that.

The only negative things were that the expo was not up to par for the size when you include all the races (there were only a handful of booths), the
shirt was cool ( but the did not have any extra small, so mine is way too big).

I would definitely run this one again.

Fargo is a fast and fabulous course. Some might find the constant turns cumberson but I loved running through the neighborhoods. Finishing at the Fargodome (on the jumbotron no less!) made me feel like a real athlete. My only negative comment would be that they needed to space their pace runners further apart at the start. They were too close together and it made the start too congested.

The Fargo Marathon is a well-organized event with FANTASTIC community support. Everyone was friendly, one of the few races I've done where it seemed like the locals actually wanted the runners to be there!

Packet pickup at the FargoDome couldn't have been any easier. Great swag, nice expo, too.

I opted to stay in the NDSU dorms and they were exactly what I expected; minimal, but clean and comfortable. They don't have air conditioning, but even though it was 95 degrees on Friday, it wasn't humid so things were still pretty comfortable. It was a short two block walk to the FargoDome - very easy to navigate. And w/ the Fargo airport only ~two miles away, a rental car isn't necessarily required.

Didn't much care for the 8:15 start - that's just too late for me. The course was wonderful, winding through neighborhoods where folks were out in tremendous numbers supporting the participants. It was block party after block party! Lots of bands, lots of DJs, there weren't a lot of steps where you couldn't hear music. Many of the streets were lined with large trees so there was plenty of shade. A considerable amount of the streets were concrete, and that was sort of tough on the legs, but the roads were in EXCELLENT shape - no potholes anywhere!! And the biggest 'hills' were when we walked under/over (maybe three) bridges.

Good web site, and good communication.

Fargo: the town and the marathon, were both fabulous.

I think I've got a new favorite marathon!

Great event from expo to finish line! The expo is not huge but nice and well organized. The volunteers were super friendly and helpful! If you register for both the 5k and marathon, you can be a part of the Go Far Challenge and add some extra bling to your collection (which is what I did). The only negative about this race is the late marathon start! It made it near impossible to catch a flight out that same day as there aren't just a ton of flights out of Fargo anyway.

So that added extra expense for my family of five with hotel, rental car and food. But the race is top notch. A must do if you are a 50 stater and need ND! It was like one big block party the entire race! Plenty of water, BLUE powerade, fruit, GU, popsicles, kids with candy and juice boxes and everyone was so friendly! Loved it and the post race food was unbelievable! They even had plenty of food for back of the pack runners like myself! Thank you Fargo!

Pros:
1) very nice expo
2) tree-lined course with lots of shade
3) great crowd support..yes in Fargo.
4) nice finishing line inside the Fargo dome with several jumbo screens showing runners outside and inside the dome
5) best tech shirt with zipper I have ever seen
6) nice pasta dinner with guest speaker
CONS:
1) worst post race food I have ever experienced..and you couldn't go back a second time...( horrible)
**** that's it..
Highly rate this marathon..