Good times! My family and I traveled 400 miles for this event and it was well worth it. I ran the marathon while my 6 and 4 year-olds ran their "marathons" and I'm not sure who had more fun. =) We love the city and now we love it even more. The people of Fargo should be proud of themselves and I hope other cities use Fargo as an example of how to put on a top-notch, class event. My only request next year: put lids and straws on the water/Gatorade cups. =)

I really liked this marathon. It exceeded my expectations. The course was enjoyable and the fan support was more than I had hoped for such a small town. While I could have done without the 20 mph headwinds from mile 11 until almost the end, the temperatures were o.k. However, these conditions certainly lowered my time.

I think that Mark Knutson, the race director, did a great job. The pre-race registration went rather smoothly in spite of a small expo. They need to get a few more booths. The finish in the FargoDome was cool. And I really enjoyed seeing myself as well as others on the Jumbotrons as you came in. And I can't thank the organization enough for the nice spread including spaghetti at the end! I think the course was rather enjoyable going through great little neighborhoods with tree-lined streets in Fargo and Moorhead.

My only suggestion for improvement would be to not combine the marathoners with the relayers (good job in spliting the halfers early though!), getting electronic mile markers (however good idea with balloons... like Grandma's Marathon) and maybe have a technical wicking shirt instead (although I liked the artwork this year). Other than that, great race! Nice medal too!

I have witnessed several marathons over the years, but this is my first from the view of a marathon runner. For my first marathon, I thought Fargo, Scheels and the Planning Committee did an EXCELLENT job in all aspects!

I was able to run pace with a runner from the Twin Cities who was running this marathon for the first time. It was a thrill to see the race through her eyes as we winded through the residential areas, Lindenwood Park and crowded (with spectators) city streets. As a Fargo resident, I was and am extremely proud of the citizens of Fargo who came out to cheer us on - what a show of support and friendship!

I will continue to run the Fargo Marathon and I plan to 'run fast, run friendly and run FAR!' Thanks again for a most memorable run!

This is a spectators viewpoint. My husband ran the marathon in 2006 and was going for his best time - which he achieved.
The route was laid out well, so that as a spectator, I could go to various places along the route to cheer him on.
I also appreciated the well informed volunteers that lined the route. They were all friendly and helpful.
I thought running into the dome and showing the runners on the big screen was a stroke of genius. What a great photo op for the spectators!!
I have one complaint. My husband trained really hard for the full marathon. However, there were other contestants in the 1/2 marathon that were kind of 'power walking'. The 1/2 and full marathons are not walking contests. Either you attempt to run as much as possible or else you don't sign up. There were times when these contestants were in the way of the runners and they had to go around them. There was a point around the 15-16 mile mark where the course narrowed so much that the walkers clogged up the path. Fortunately there weren't many runners that were going through at the time. I think you might want to add a different race for the power walkers so that they are on a different course. Who knows, maybe Fargo will have the largest power walking race in the world?

I'd heard good things about this race, and I found them to be true! In spite of the brutal wind on the second half, my overall time was very good. The course was nice an flat, mostly very scenic. And, the crowds were FANTASTIC. You will soon be edging out Richmond for America's Friendliest Marathon, and Richmond was VERY friendly!

There are only a couple, well, three, things that I would criticize about this race: 1) Directions to the Fargodome were lacking. Where were you supposed to go after you took 19th Avenue? 2) it would have been nice to have had the first aid station closer than 3+ miles and I would have liked to have had Gatorade there, and 3) what is with the funky age groups??

Otherwise, it was well organized and I had a great time. Ending in the Fargodome and seeing the runners come in on the jumbotron was awsome, too!

I highly recommend this race!

This was my first marathon and I had a blast! Fargo was so well organized. The fans were wonderful for such a new event (2nd annual). Thank you Fargo for a memorable experience! I was just so shocked at the number of people that came out of their warm and toasty homes to cheer us on in the 41-degree wind chill temp. and 20 mph winds. You ROCK!

Congrats to Fargo on a job well done! A very small, but very well organized marathon that was as advertised, 'flat and friendly'. I can't speak to the billing of 'fast' as miles 10-23 were run into tremendous head winds, but I imagine that on a day where there are reduced wind speeds, the course is indeed fast. The residents of Fargo and Moorhead provided tremendous crowd support over virtually the entire marathon course---probably the most enthusiastic marathon crowds that I've experienced in the over 20 marathon cities that I've visited (and I've run large races like Chicago and NYC---numbers aren't everything, as Fargo proved). The race volunteers were also fantastic. The only problem areas experienced were the large % of concrete surfaces in the first half of the race and the generally poor condition of the roads (pot holes), again, especially in the first half of the race. Parking at the FargoDome did not appear to be adequate for the number of race participants, and getting out of the FargoDome after you had completed the race was difficult---you had to climb stadium stairs to get to street level and it was difficult to get to the rear parking area without exiting the building and walking around it/or through the finish area. Overall a really good marathon. Hopefully 2007 brings more favorable weather conditions than the race has experienced the last 2 years---it deserves it.

I am a very slow runner, and was very impressed when at mile 25 the volunteers were still waiting for me with water and gatorade. Never does this happen at any other marathons. Although you can't control the winds, it was blowing at me for a long, long time. My only complaint was that the EMS was not able to provide me with Tylenol and I had to look for them. Shouldn't they be on their bikes or carts and stock up on pain medication? The people in Fargo and Moorhead were friendly and came out even to cheer for me!

Ris (Doris) Ng

This race was great!!! The crowd support was amazing and so much more than I expected. They were so friendly and made such a big deal of every step you took.

The course was very well laid out. I really appreciated the fact that the 1/2 marathon group split off at mile 6 instead of mile 12 (it is a mental thing). Really I can't say enough about this race, the volunteers, and the spectators. You have to do this race.

The only negative was how crowded the start was. The street was just not wide enough to hold all of us. They could have staggered the 1/2 and full start.

Overall, great!!!

The 2006 Fargo marathon was awesome. I thought the half course was very scenic and not at all boring. The fan support along the half was tremendous even with the very cool and windy weather. Gels at mile 7 were a nice touch. Using the Fargo Dome as the epicenter of the marathon was a definite coup. Fans could wait inside for their runners in comfort. Package pick up and the expo were well organized. Maybe it was just me, but I had no idea we would be finishing inside the Fargo Dome. I could not find this piece of info anywhere. It was fantastic as 4 big screens captured your moment and your name was announced. The only thing I did not like were all the sharp turns heading into the final chute. If you are sprinting it out, it could be very difficult to navigate. Otherwise it was great, and I will definitely be attending next year.