Compared to other upper Midwestern marathons, Fargo doesn't have the scenic beauty of Twin Cities, Grandma's or Madison; but the enthusiastic crowds, music along the course and unique finish all make this a race worth trying. Note that it is very much a half marathon (6,000 runners) with a marathon on the side (2,200 runners); and the groups share the course for the last 10 miles. This contributes more energy; but leads to bobbing and weaving, which got frustrating late in the race.
The whole town seemed excited to be hosting the events, and everyone was very welcoming. To the organizers: nice job.

One of the best organized marathons in the country! Loads of porta potties at the start plus free Starbucks to get you going. A band on almost every street corner. The entire town turns out to support the runners either cheering or volunteering. The race director should give courses on how to run an exceptional marathon. 1/2 marathon started an hour after the marathon and that was great. Thank you Fargo for such a wonderful weekend. Icing on the cake was hot pizza at the finish line. Gorgeous long sleeve tech shirt. Bravo Fargo!!!!!!!!!

Pros: Flat, extremely well organized marathon. Congrats to the enthusiastic crowds cheering. Having bands at every mile was an outstanding addition to the event.

Cons: Lots of concrete to run on. Quite a few turns on the course.

This was my first marathon and now I think I will be forever disappointed in any future marathons when I compare them to this one. My experience in Fargo was amazing from start to finish!
First of all, it was so neat to the city of Fargo really go all in for this event. It seemed like everyone was so excited for the marathon. We were repeatedly thanked for coming to Fargo by people all over town.
The expo was easy to get to/park at and was a neat set up in the Dome. Race morning still had lots of parking and the pre-race environment was very exciting.
The course was great, my favorite parts being Concordia, downtown (twice!), and the finish!! I cramped at about 18 and to walk a few, but the crowd was still extremely supportive, yelling out my name and offering encouragement. The bands were all great and very entertaining!
After the race there is TONS of food and lots of space to hang out. Having showers right there in the Dome was very convenient for those of us that had to hit the road after the run.
All in all, this was a fantastic event. I would encourage anyone from a first timer to a veteran to run this race. It was truly AMAZING!

This was my 5th time running this marathon. I as disappointed with some of the changes that have been made since the previous time I ran this marathon in 2008. #1 - seems like many more turns have been introduced to the course including a hairpin turn in the middle of a residential street. #2 Starting the half marathon 1 hour after the marathon does not work well given that we share the last 8 miles of the course. I ran the race in just over 3 hours. At mile 18 of the marathon (mile 5 of the half marathon) the marathon and half marathon courses merge. This does not work well. I was running at a 6:52 pace surrounded by half marathoners that were running at a 10:00 pace. The half marathoners were to stay to the right and marathoners to the left. However this was not the case. If this does not change in the future I will not be back.

This is one of the best marathons I have run. Great course, friendly runners, and lots of local spectators. Enjoyed visiting the lovely town of Fargo. Hats off to the organizers - it was awesome!

I tried to keep it under control but the course was just too fast to resist. I saw a man with a keg at mile 21. I ran up to him and he handed me a cold one. He said to me, "You know that's beer, right?!" I said to him, "Hell yeah, I know it's beer," chugged it down, let loose, and laughed all the way to the finish!

Race was great. Pre-race in the Fargodome was a blessing. I agree with most previous comments. The best part of the race was running through Concordia, even though I am a Piper!

My biggest complaint was the expo. I saw lots of 5K particpants showing off their bags they got at registration. By the time I was able to get to the expo, the bags (both Adidas and regular plastic bags) were all taken. I recommend that they set aside bags for those who sign up for the full and half-marathon; that number should be a known number prior to race weekend. The 5K people should get the bags on a first-come, first-served basis.

This was frustrating when I had to scramble to get a bag to drop off on race day. Never had to find my own clothes bag at any other race. The folks who were working at the expo looked very surprised when they were made aware of this.

Again, an overall great experience. Fix the bag issue at the expo and it gets 5 stars all the way around.

Loved this marathon - one of my favorites! Great experience for me and my family. I agree that the marathon start could be earlier but that's my only suggestion.

Expo organization/speakers and meal were super. The kids' play area is much appreciated after the race too. The bag and shirt we got for signing up is unbelievable.

Course - flat as promised. Very easy for family/friends to follow and cheer you on.

Crowd support - awesome the whole race!

Post race - great to finish in Fargodome. Awesome post-race food/drink and set-up for family (kids' area).

Medal is really cool and unique!

Loved the way the whole City of Fargo supports this event and its heritage!!

I'll be back and will bring more runners. I would recommend it for first-time marathoners.

This was only my second full marathon (with my first being only 3 weeks earlier), but I've traveled to many with my husband running, and so I can compare those as well.

I only have great things to say about Fargo. I thought the expo was wonderful: it was in a nice, open place; they had great bouncy games to keep our kids busy; the shirts and Adidas bags were wonderful; and we walked away with lots of samples (which is always nice).

The course was really pretty good - the bit between about miles 12 - 16 was boring and seemed to take forever, but really that's just a small complaint. It really is a flat course and you could easily PR on it. The spectators were fabulous!!! Many after mile 18 had their water hoses out and getting that cool water spray as we ran by that was so welcome and refreshing! Keep that up, Fargo!

Finish line was great inside the FargoDome - lined with people all the way from the outside, offering great encouragement to help you to finish fast.

I can never eat right after running. The chocolate milk helped though - and I did see the line for pizza and snacks (which looked great if I could stomach that kind of thing).

We drove about 7.5 hours to run this race and it was absolutely worth it. Great expo, great shirts and bags, great course, great medals, and great spectators! Keep up the good work!