May 2, 2024
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☰
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 31 to 41]
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P. K. from Minnesota
(5/22/2016)
 "Fast, organized, but weather is unpredictable" (about: 2016)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My tenth marathon. PRs are my main concern, so let me get the other stuff out of the way. Expo - fine. Organization - great. Post race food - fine but not great. Fan support - excellent for a small town; Fargo residents love this race, but it's not Chicago or New York. Course beauty - exceeded expectations. Now, about a PR? The course is very flat. A couple of very small hills, almost can't call them hills, so that's a plus. A lot of turns, but they didn't really bother me as much as expected. Only 1 hairpin turn, otherwise just a lot of tangents. Probably added a few seconds to my overall time, but it was minimal. The biggest variable for this race was weather. Fargo can't help it, but it is smack-dab in the middle of the great plains so wind is always a factor. It also holds its race in May, which reduces risk of hot weather. But as those of us in the Midwest know, spring brings wind. Wind is always a high risk with this race, so keep that in mind if you're concerned about a PR. And of course you CAN get a hot day in May. There're some shady stretches, but also a lot of open spots where the sun beats down on you. In 2016 it was 70F+ after the first hour, and I got a mild case of heat stroke and ran about 15 minutes slower than expected. It was probably abnormally warm this year and could happen at any race, but keep in mind that the course is wide open in a lot of spots. Overall I'd say this course lends itself to a strong PR-possibility. Weather is always a variable that you can't control, but if you get a good day, you should be able to run this race fast. One last thing - there's a lot of religion infused into this race. That may appeal to some Christians who like their theology promoted in public, but to those non-Christians or Christians who prefer to pray in private, be forewarned that they make you participate in a long prayer to Jesus before the start, and they put a bible verse on the medal. Maybe that bothers you, maybe it doesn't, but you shouldn't be surprised when it happens. | |
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j. s. from Nassau, Bahamas
(5/21/2016)
"Superb Marathon" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The people and businesses of Fargo really got behind this marathon. You could feel the community involvement - from the arrival at the airport - there was a table with reps of the race there and at Fairfield Inns - the hotel was into it - giving us a swag bag. I had a facial before the event and the aesthetican was aware of the marathon. So you got the community spirit from the beginning and even during the race. The homes had there own stereo systems blasting music as well as the Bands on the Run engaged by the organizers. Plus, in addition to water stops provided by the organizers, the residents had refreshments and candies as well as shower/sprinklers (it was a bit warm). They spectators were very enthusiastic and stayed to cheer on the slower participants. I thought the 15 or so minutes apart for the races would cause congestion - but that was not the case. There was a full, 1/2 and 10k but when the 10k & 1/2 met - the full were not part of the mix. When the full and 10k met the 1/2 were not part of the mix. So it worked out well. The course was flat and scenic and well marked and manned. It was flat - no course can be pancake flat so the little rises were not of any consequence. Under Armour was the featured sports company - and the shirt was really nice and the race bag was absolutely sturdy and beautiful. Under Armour did not skimp. The medal if you are into that kind of thing - big and you can call it BLING. Powerade was the drink and it was fine. A resident at around mile 21 had some delicious lemonade. Man that was so refreshing. I would suggest a 6:30 and 7:00 pace group - that may help participants finish on time. I would highly recommend this event. There are a week of exercise events - cycle-athon, 5k, kids run and the marathons & 10k are the culmination. Fargo showcased itself very well. | |
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Todd Wells from Chicago
(6/15/2015)
"Beyond Fargodome" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Until recently, I had never started a race inside, run out the door, and just kept going. Welcome to Fargo and the Fargodome. Starting and finishing the race inside made the temperatures in the low 30s much less of an issue. The award for Best Non-Traditional use of a Domed Stadium goes to the race director for thinking of that one. Beyond the dome, the other elements of the race were also well-done. The course was modestly attractive. Its flat, but the very tiny ups and downs in the park along the river add up to a small impact. The really smart lady who lives inside my phone says there are 113,000 people in Fargo - I think most of them were out cheering during the race. We shared the second half of the race with the halfers, but they didnt get in the way. The t-shirt might be the best Ive ever received at a race. The downsides to the race are negligible. There were two or three points along the way where they could have used an extra course marshal. Need to know more? Go here: http://traveldiaryofamadman.com/fargomarathon/ | |
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T. S. from Massachusetts
(5/17/2015)
 "Top Notch Event" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my 30th marathon and I rate it as one of the best. By starting and finishing in the Dome the weather was nearly a non-factor. No waiting in line for the porto potties. Fun for all members of the family. A flat and fast course. Three university campuses and many turns kept it interesting. Halfers did not crowd the field. Fantastic swag. Pizza and cookie dough for post run. Small airport and town makes you feel welcomed. | |
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J. V. from New York
(5/17/2015)
 "Well organized" (about: 2015)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 First, the organization was on point. The shuttles ran on time, the start and finish villages were well done, packet pickup was easy, there were enough water stops. Couldn't ask for much else, besides maybe being on Sunday instead of Saturday. Only weird thing was that the full and half marathon merge at one point, and then get split up again. It was very confusing, and added a lot of unnecessary traffic for the full. Starting and ending in the FARGODOME was clutch, since it was quite cold. The course is nice and flat. It is as scenic as Fargo allows, so not very. Spectators are pretty sparse, except for the strong support at the schools and on Broadway, so if you are looking for a race in the area with good crowd support I would look at the Twin Cities marathon in MSP. Expo was small, but fine. | |
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T. K. from Cincinnati, OH
(5/15/2015)
 "An Unexpected Treat!" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 For a town of only 105,000, Fargo manages to put on quite the show with its marathon. Organization, uniqueness, course, spectators and volunteers, and swag rival and even top a lot of the big city marathons. Top Ten Features of the Fargo Marathon: 10) I never saw any nefarious activity around wood chippers! 9) Fargo airport - simple, no-hassle 8) Expo - grand scale for small town 7) The Community - really gets behind all of the weekend events. 6) T-shirt - technical, long sleeve, zipper, classy 5) Hotels - many hotels immediately adjacent to start and finish making race day logistics easy. The Day's Inn provided free bottles of water, protein and granola bars to their guests throughout the weekend 4) Fargodome - the start and finish of the race were inside this indoor football stadium for the North Dakota State Bison football team. Kept us toasty warm and protected from the wind chills in the 20's at race start 3) Finisher's Medal - unique to Fargo - modeled after the iconic Fargo Theater - nice choice! 2) Deena Kastor - was a guest speaker and gave an inspirational speech the day before the race 1) The course - mostly (but not entirely) flat, runs through three beautiful and unique college campuses and multiple parks - beautiful. And ends in the Fargodome with your finish displayed on its Jumbotron! Great job, Fargo! | |
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G. W. from Baltimore, MD
(5/13/2015)
"Do This Marathon! Fantastic Experience" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This race was top notch for all aspects. The town completely embraced all the runners. The expo was to the point and had anything you might have forgot to bring with you. Lots of freebies. The course is flat. The inside start made for a relaxing prep for the race. The course was well marked and had plenty of aid stations. Lots of bands and DJs along the route to keep you moving. Finishing in the Fargodome was fun. The post-race party supplied plenty of food and drinks to get your energy back up. The 27th Mile bar crawl around town after the race was a blast. The whole town was involved. Highlights: 1) Early morning shuttle buses to the race. Thanks for adding the downtown stop at the Civic Center! 2) Pace groups. I ran with the 3:45 group and our leader was fantastic. He found ways to wake us up when energy got low. He took me all the way to the finish for my first ever BQ! I still owe him a beer or 2. 3) I liked all the turns on the course. It kept the scenery changing. 4) Going through the colleges was fun. Lots of screaming students is a great way to get a boost. 5) The Fargodome start and finish made bag drop/pick up so easy. It made getting ready for the race and recovering from the race stress free. 6) I recommend staying at the Radisson downtown. They are steps from the downtown shops and restaurants and the bars for the bar crawl. Their restaurant had pasta specials the night before the race and one of the shuttle stops was right outside their door. Bottom Line: Run this race, stay with a pace group, do the bar crawl, stay at the Radisson. | |
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D. H. from Albuquerque, NM
(5/11/2015)
"Flat as promised, a party as reputed" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I read the prior reviews because I had heard last year's race was a bit of a step backward. Whatever the issue, they've fixed it. This race was fantastic. I've been to a number of races where the RDs claim the course was flat, but this is the first one that actually was flat. Honestly, the only real 'hills' were the upside of underpasses. The course took us through a number of beautiful neighborhoods and downtown Fargo, the latter looking like iconic Mainstreet, USA. The start & finish in the Fargodome were awesome, and really brought the hooplah to a fever pitch. The shirts were nice, and the medals were great. They were a recreation of one of the signs from downtown. Afterwards, there was a pub crawl that took you through 10 of the bars in the downtown area, most of which were pretty cool places I wish I had in my town. At best of all, there was a medal you got for finishing the pub crawl! This looked like the race medal, but with a bottle opener on 1 end. The spectators were great. There were a number of unofficial aid stations, bands, and lawn parties happening all along the course. Volunteers were great. Beyond great, really. Super friendly & helpful. Aid stations were well stocked and traffic control was superb. This was an outstanding race. They love their race, and I am not used to this level of excitement outside of a big city race. Population notwithstanding, I'd compare it to Chicago & Cincinnati. It's that good. | |
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M. W. from Milwaukee, WI
(5/11/2015)
"Why not?" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Fargo really did a great job putting on the marathon weekend. The Facebook page and emails kept me well informed and excited about the event. The course itself wasn't much to write home about but it is as flat as a pancake and there were plenty of spectators out there. Of the 25 marathons I've done, I'd say that this is my favorite medal. Very cool and heavy and definitely stands out on my medal display. Great Under Armor bag and a nice quarter zip long sleeve tech shirt which is almost too nice to run in :) Great job Fargo! | |
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Larry Macon from Republic of South Texas
(5/11/2015)
"Spectacular New Course, Sam Great Spectators" (about: 2015)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Fargo Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Mark Knutson, the Race Director, has designed a spectacular new course that begins INSIDE the FargoDome, runs through parks and three college campuses, and ends back in the FargoDome. One thing that hasn't changed are the hundreds of enthusiastic spectators throughout the course. |
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