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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 61 to 71]
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Jeff Newcorn from Chicago
(5/21/2013)
 "VERY well done for a mid-size event" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Having been a participant at Boston, New York, Chicago and other major marathons, I was delighted at how well this event went. Attention to details, like lots of porta-potties along the course, to plenty of water stations and very vocal fans, made this event a real delight. The Expo was also very good for this size of race. Fargo should be very proud. Course is flat and gives a nice taste of the town and the neighborhoods. Great bands playing along the course. We got lucky with weather; predicted t-storms and rain never appeared. | |
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K. M. from Dallas, TX
(5/20/2013)
"Fargo Rocks - the perfect slogan" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a fabulous event. They do everything first class and the whole city is behind it 110%. The Fargodome is the perfect venue - expo, start, finish, post race - all are there. The course is fast and scenic - you see parks, neighborhoods and downtown. Large expo with lots of variety. Spectators and volunteers were great. I'd be hard pressed to find anything negative to say. One comment -being that it was warm and humid, I think fluids every 2mi instead of 3mi in the first half would have been welcomed by all. I'd recommend a trip to Fargo (even if you are not a 50 stater or maniac) to run this event. | |
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T. M. from GA
(5/20/2013)
"Fantastic Community Support" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Having read the posts from previous years, I thought this was going to be a very well run race and it certainly was again in 2013. Being a back of the pack runner, I have some different likes/dislikes than commonly posted. While the route is not very scenic, I was blown away by the number of people cheering on the runners/walkers 5+ hours after the start. Never have I experienced a community that sincerely viewed the race as a community event and had fun with it. Many broke out garden hoses to help keep us cool after the sun broke through the clouds. Some were offering their own bottled water, Powerade and even beer. They knew that those around me and I were struggling to finish and their support meant a lot. Port a johns seemed to be at every other corner and entertainment was about every mile. The finish is unique in the Fargodome and it was a relief to see plenty of food and drink still available with only a 100-200 racers still on the course. The only room for improvement was the aid stations during the last 5-6 miles were too far apart. I would have liked to have them every mile. It got very hot at the end. The locals that offered their own aid, were heroes to me. This was my favorite mid-sized marathon yet. Bravo, Fargo! Yah, You betcha! | |
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Geoff Martin from Winnipeg,Canada.
(5/20/2013)
"Great" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Fargo Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Thanks for a wonderful and fun day considering the humidity.Organization is wonderful throughout all the events.Ran the half with that great pacer Jim.Capt Castro the blind Green Beret runner was an inspiration to our group.Was I the only one who had a lump in their throat as Imagine was played?Any race that starts with Eye of the Tiger is in my book great.Thanks to Mark Knudson and the crew for another wonderful event.All Manitoba runners should run Fargo to see how an event should be run. | |
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T. H. from Fort Collins, CO
(5/20/2013)
 "Marathon Starts Too Late in the Morning" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The race was good, but was the last race to start in the morning. The race would be great if they started it first thing in the morning. Starting the race late in the morning causes the race to be warm leading to slower times. I won't run this race again until the change the start time. | |
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L. E. from Saint Cloud, MN
(5/19/2013)
"Nice race" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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. | |
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K. F. from Minneapolis, MN
(5/19/2013)
 "Much improved since 2011" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Fargo Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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. | |
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M. D. from Georgia USA
(5/19/2013)
"A great small town race" (about: 2013)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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. | |
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J. P. from Sioux Falls, SD
(6/18/2012)
"Fargo takes pride in this event" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 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. | |
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V. B. from NY, NY
(6/7/2012)
 "Perfect ND option for 50-staters" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 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. |
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