May 16, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
Fargo Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Fargo Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.4 
Organization 4.6 
Spectators 4.6
Number of comments: 388 [displaying comments 371 to 381]
|
J. S. from Lake Mary, Florida (Orlando area)
(5/16/2005)
 "1 of the best marathons out of my 42" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Great organization, great course & many thanks to the Fargo faithful who made this an awesome marathon. Even with the cold weather it still made for a great time. Plenty of aid stations & the bottled water was a nice touch. Very runner friendly. I would definitely recommend this marathon! Mark Knutson & his staff did a wonderful job. YOU BETCHA!! | |
|
Derek Boutang from Winnipeg, MB Canada
(5/16/2005)
 "Superbly organized" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Great race. I can't believe it was Fargo's first marathon. The race organizers ran this event like they'd been doing it for years. This is a marathon I'd come back to, no question. So many things were right for runners, including: - Hot egg noodles and sauce in the recovery area (traditionalists could still get bagels and bananas) - Bottled water at every aid station - Energy gels at mile 19 - Thermal blankets to keep you warm at the finish line - Post-race recovery area inside the Civic Centre, with available showers - Medal with spinning insert (kind of neat) - Race results posted every 15 minutes - Pretty good expo, for a first-time event - Shuttles to the start were on-time, in plentiful supply The course is flat and reasonably scenic. You run through nice, treed areas of town and alongside the Red River. The bald prairie is nowhere in sight. My only quibble about the course is the occasional pothole and uneven surface. Fans were sparse but enthusiastic. There weren't any really long stretches where you were by yourself, and the last three miles were well-populated. Good job, Fargo. | |
|
J. A. from Minneapolis, MN
(5/16/2005)
"Nice Course, Miserable Weather" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 If the organizers keep up the great job they did with their inaugural race, this will be a popular race in years to come. It is a very flat course that doesn't spend much time running through corn fields. The spectators were great. Unfortunately, it was a miserable day weather-wise with drizzle throughout and 30 mph winds from mile 6 to 20. They also had a decent post-race spread. Congratulations. | |
|
J. H. from Chicago, IL
(5/16/2005)
"Fargo Friendliness Wins the Day" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 For a first-year marathon, I thought this was exceptionally well-organized and professionally-run. The entire process went smoothly, despite some challenging weather conditions, which are very typical of the Midwest in May. This was my 32nd state on the way to 50 and several things jumped out at me about the Fargo Marathon: 1) There were loud and enthusiastic spectators along the ENTIRE course. Considering that race time, temperatures were quite chilly and given the presence of a stiff north breeze, I personally found it amazing that all of those people were out there cheering us on, 2) traffic control was exceptionally well-done and the Fargo drivers seemed quite patient and 3) the volunteer/runner ratio seemed like it had to be almost 1/1. There were an amazing number of volunteers and that speaks volumes to the race director and race committee. Other positives: a) a nice flat course which takes you through many friendly neighborhoods and along the river, b) an outstanding speaker line-up at the expo, c) well-stocked aid stations, and d) the Fargo Theater is a gem - and the free ticket to see 'Fargo' there the night before was a nice touch. One request: with Adidas as a sponsor, I would have been happy to pay a bit extra for a technical-fabric race shirt that I could wear while running (and further publicize the Fargo Marathon!) Overall, a great experience. Thanks again! | |
|
C. M. from Pensacola, Florida
(5/16/2005)
 "Ten-star rating all around" (about: 2005)
50+ previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If I could give more than five stars in each category, I would. For its first time, this was a wonderful marathon. Fargo should be proud. The course was mostly flat, scenic and took us through several friendly residential areas. The residents made you feel more than welcome, even though we probably disrupted part of their day. Lots of families and children bundled up and cheering as we ran by their homes. I was suprised to wake up to a little snow on my car on Saturday morning, but it only added to the flavor of North Dakota and gave me something to remember - I live in Florida. By race time the streets had only a few puddles and the temperature for running was great. Only problem was a 25-30-mph headwind and crosswind in some areas, which turned into a great tailwind at the finish. But what race director can control the weather? All in all, I would recommend this marathon to anyone who asked. | |
|
E. M. from Toronto, Canada
(5/16/2005)
"Terrific Inaugural Marathon" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 An almost flawless staging of a brand new marathon. Kudos to the organizing commitee, sponsors and volunteers. You could feel the whole town was in full support of the marathon and other races. Everywhere I went wearing my Boston jacket, I was wished good luck in the marathon. The course is about as perfect as a marathon course can get. Relatively flat, just some train underpasses, beautiful tree-lined, old neighbourhoods, great new neighborhoods, and even more beautiful park and river trails. A great tour of everything Fargo/Moorhead had to offer. It was hard to believe this was a brand new marathon (also a half and 5K) because the organization was great. All the amenities you would expect from a larger and more experienced marathon were in place, from a great one-stop packet pick-up, pasta party, race expo and finish area to a gel station on the course. The only two things I could complain about is the brief smell of the sewage plant at mile 21 and the hard concrete-based roads in the last 5 miles. Unfortunately for this year, the weather didn't co-operate and we were greeted with cold temps in the mid 30F, some rainy drizzle, and most of all, 20-30-mph winds from the north on a course that mainly took you south, then way north into the wind, before returning back south. Can't fault the organizers for the weather and it only adds to my admiration to the volunteers at the water stations, course marshals (special recognition to the bagpipers in kilts at the Fargodome) and any spectators that came out on a miserable day for spectating. There were a lot of boom boxes playing, a few garage bands, and numerous 'private water stations.' This race gets two thumbs up from me. I highly recommend you put it on your marathon to-do list. Just one bit of advice, though, is this course has a lot of twists and turns, so don't forget to run your tangents. Thanks again, Fargo. | |
|
W. J. from North Dakota
(5/15/2005)
"Great time!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first full marathon. I was training since February up in ND - mostly indoors. Then I had surgery... which laid me up for 16 days. Still I said, "I'm gonna do it - you just don't throw stuff away!" Surprisingly, despite cold rain and a 20-mph NW wind (which is why I did NOT give the course a 5 - they should have known better to leave about a 10 mile strip in those predicable winds, as I live in ND and the wind is always NW!), there were spectators at every spot to cheer. It was nice and flat and they left the best parts of Fargo-Moorhead to see. The water stands were set up pretty well, sports drinks were ok, and they gave away that GU stuff after 20. I still finished at 4:46 despite crappy training (and crappy weather)... the people were great and the organization and set up from pre-traffic/afterwards were great, too. They got you a blanket. Got your shirt/medal and they fed you right away. Could be because there were only 700+ full marathoners...? Great experience anyhow!!! Expect to be treated like a king there - how many can say they get a chance to run in FARGO???? | |
|
C. S. from Cantrall, Illinois
(5/15/2005)
"Fargo should be proud!!!!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The weather wasn't pretty, but from the start of the race to the end, the organizers controlled everything they could control. Great volunteers and traffic control - unbelievable enthusiasm by everyone. Pasta after the race. Fargonians(???) came out of their houses in great numbers (in 35 degrees, 25 mph winds and rain) to cheer us on and give us food and water. The City of Fargo stepped up to the plate, big time. I can't even recall how many people called out, thanking runners for coming to the race. Having the water in bottles was a GREAT idea - all the water stops were where they were supposed to be, and well staffed. The ONLY major downside: They were out of 'large' polo shirts 1/2 hour into the expo, and aren't ordering any more. It's got to be tough to order the right amount, though. | |
|
G. B. from Portland, OR
(5/15/2005)
"VERY fast course and fans were great!" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The weather was lousy, but the terrain was fast, fast, fast. Lots of flat, open stretches and the fans were everywhere. Race organization was outstanding and never confusing. This will be an important race for the Midwest. | |
|
L. N. from Harwood, North Dakota
(5/15/2005)
 "Disappointed the relay teams were not separated." (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The brochure indicated the relay teams were separated into male, female, and mixed. However, this was not the case at awards. Our team was very disappointed with the absence of a female and mixed division. Instead, the race director decided to award overall teams which does not recognize the ability of a female team. I do not feel the race director handled this properly nor did he offer to remedy the matter when we discussed this with him following awards. |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
