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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: 391 [displaying comments 101 to 111]
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S. P. from Manitoba
(7/24/2011)
"Good - could be Great!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Fargo Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Overall this is a very good marathon. Well organized, good expo, nice course for the size of Fargo, and excellent spectator support. Similar to others, my only complaint is converging with the half marathoners at mile 17/18 (I was running an 8/mile pace), and the hectic ending in the FargoDome. If this is not fixed, I would not run the race again. | |
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K. L. from Minneapolis
(6/13/2011)
"Do Fargo. Do It." (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Fargo Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Fargo is a great marathon destination. There are things to fix, as there is with any race. Fast marathoners having to weave in and out of half marathoners is unfortunate. I am sure the race committee will look at this for future races. It should be noted that this was not a problem last year when the half marathon started before the marathon. But then some marathoners were upset that the marathon started too late. The finish area is crowded. Maybe they should have a family meeting area in the stands around the dome. Each section could be a letter. As for the bag pickup area, this would be more efficient if the pickup was outdoors. I know weather could be an issue, but many other marathons have outdoor sweat pickup. The medal is really nice. The shirt isn't top quality, but is better than others would make it sound. The fans/spectators are great. There are people all over the course, with only a few short sections with minimal cheering. The bands all along the course were a great 2011 addition. And I happened to like the electric guitar national anthem. It was different. The volunteers are also awesome! Thank You Fargo! | |
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J. V. from Winnipeg Manitoba
(6/7/2011)
"A BQ and I will be back." (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Fargo Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 It was an excellent event. Great fan support, water stations, music on course, Expo, shirt, medal finish in the Dome, close to home showers etc. etc. This was marathon 41 and I will do it again. It compares with Chicago, Boston and New York. I was happy to make my Boston qualifying time again. Most of my suggestions were made by others. It was hard and a little dangerous, to run into half marathoners who were running slower and in groups. There could be a 2 hour difference in start times so marathon runners would be running with more comparative runners. It would be nice to split the marathon from half marathon after the finish. I wonder why the 10 km started before the full and marathon. The merchandise at expo could have had a hot and a quality singlettes with the Fargo marathon on it. | |
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E. U. from Rochester, MN
(6/3/2011)
"Letdown after Runner's World rated it so highly" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I was super excited to run this marathon after realizing I was temporarily living in the 'far north' and Runner's World rated one of the best value marathons, praising the course, organization, city and spectators. It did not live up to my expectations because of a couple of real issues, but overall, I think it is worth the money/time. I also think the organizers really will try to fix these problems after talking to them. Positives: - Fan were incredible, the whole city really comes out and supports the race. Some places on the course were saturated with fans, you have thought you were an elite runner. Other places were thin, but that's to be expected. - Fargo is a neat city overall. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the universities in town help a lot with the culture: specifically atomic coffee and drunken noodle. Great little spots. - The course is flat and fast. - Lots of music and entertainment along the course. - Enough water stations, but not always where I thought they were going to be. They were well put together and the volunteers were overwhelmingly good. - Pacers were great. - Post run food great: cough dough, pizza, bananas, chocolate milk, water, etc. Really good selection if you could get to it. CONS (Not many, but a big deal) - The congestion at about mile 17-18 was a TOTAL mess. TOTAL MESS. So, while attempting to qualify for Boston (males and females, but I will discuss males) I ran into the half-marathoners at mile 17-18. They share the course from that point forward. Here is the problem: they started 1 hour after us; thus, we were running 7-8 min/mile and ran into crowds of people running 11-13 min/mile. It was a mess. I was weaving in and out of people and running them over and hitting them. Not fun. Finally, around 21 I noticed the 'elite lane' on the far left and stayed to the left of the crowds, albeit likely illegally. When the half-marathoners drifted over, we would just yell that we were coming. At mile 23, you have little to no patience for weaving in and out of people. - This congestion continued across the finish line. They were smart enough to separate the two groups about 1 mile from the finish, but then after the finish line, WOW. The space in the Fargodome was small, families were down there, the food was in a tough place to get to and the half marathoners (finishing around 2:15-2:45) were crowded around the food. Exhausted, I literally had to push and shove myself to the food. I was downright rude, but after a marathon, I'm just trying to get fuel. The food was a nice selection though. - Free marathon finisher shirt was ugly and so thick it is unusable even in Minnesota except Jan and Feb, but minor issue. I know the organizers know about the post-race congestion issue, but they need to consider the in-race congestion issue too. Not fun to have top 5-15% runners having to run through and around people walk/running a half marathon for the first time. SUGGESTIONS - Do the Fargo marathon to check off North Dakota. It was a good experience overall. - To the organizers: You have to find a way to free up the course, so the faster marathoners are not running into the really slow half-marathoners. Maybe start the half-marathon later or something. - Post race: it was a mess, half-marathon and marathon could have separate areas and then move families off the Fargodome floor. The marathoners need to feel like they are supported post-run, not just playing second fiddle to the half-marathoners (which is an great accomplishment, but not one that should prevent marathoners from getting post marathon fuel.). | |
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Sarah Gross from Cincinnati, OH
(6/3/2011)
"Great Marathon with Top Notch Organization" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Favorite Thing: The medal which highlights the source of my strength. 2nd Favorite Thing: The prayer offered before the start of the 10k. General: This was 41st marathon and definitely one of the best organized of all. I flew into Fargo and never had to turn on the GPS. Everything was very convenient. I have ulcerates colitis so I really appreciate the restroom availability at the start inside of the Dome and also along the course. Having the Dome available was awesome. From staying out of the rain at the start to having the opportunity to shower at the finish, (particularly since I was flying out that afternoon.) | |
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C. S. from Omaha, NE
(6/3/2011)
"Well-Organized Race" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Expo: Packet pick-up was fast and easy. You didn't even have to go through the usual maze of vendors to get your gear. Also, I never do the pasta dinner, but I decided to do it for only $12. It was worth it. Pre-race: Couldn't believe how close we could park to the start. We just sat in our car waiting for the start. And there was absolutely no line for the port-a-potties! The only negative was the choice of a guitar national anthem. It was loud and painful. Course: The course was flat (I have no idea how somebody could say there were hills), but needed a lot of turns to fit 26.2 miles into Fargo. Fans: Lots of people; especially on the 2nd half. The Con: When I saw the course maps before the race I knew that we would be running with half-marathoners from about Mile 18 on. I thought that might be kind of neat since the marathoners would be thinning out around that time and it would be nice to have rabbits to chase. Unfortunately it was a disaster. I was trying to run Sub-3 and ran right into thousands of 2:30 half-marathons running 4 minutes per mile slower than me. I added a considerable distance trying to weave in and out and had to be on constant alert for a half-marathoner turning 90 degrees into my path. I didn't even take water at the last three or four water stops because it was so packed. That aside, based on the changes that were made from last year and the early comments I have heard since this year's race, I get the feeling that the organizers are willing to listen to suggestions and that is the biggest plus of all. | |
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M. M. from Minneapolis, MN
(6/1/2011)
"Great, but needs a little improvement" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Fargo puts on a great marathon. Pros: Expo (fast and easy) Great starting area Plenty of aid stations Great spectators Swag (shirt is okay- not high quality, bag is good, medals are ALWAYS gorgeous!) Cons: Course- too many turns on the course (I know this can't always be controlled b/c of flooding, but there needs to be less turns) Finish Area- it was a disaster this year. There were way too many people on the floor of the Fargodome. They should NOT allow spectators on the floor- with as many finishers as they have in the 10k, half and full marathons, they need to reserve that space for runners only. The organization with the medals was poor as well (you had to ask for your medal). Sweat Pick-Up- horrible, they need a new system I would HIGHLY recommend the Fargo Marathon and I think it's an outstanding race, but there are things that can be improved on and I'm sure the race director(s) will do their best. | |
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C. Y. from Houston
(5/30/2011)
"Was OK overall - Would not do it again." (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The marathon is advertised as 'flat'. While it is flatter than others I have run, there were more 'hills' than I expected. The National Anthem performance was an embarrassment. It was screeched by a guitarist until almost not recognizable. This was after a lovely rendition of the Canadian National Anthem. There were plenty of water/Powerade stops and many volunteers manning them. (Thank you, volunteers - We could not do it without you.) That and the finish line with the huge screen were the best things about the race. | |
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J. W. from Michigan
(5/28/2011)
"Great marathon except for the walkers" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Fargo was well organized and pancake flat. Good chance for a PR. Marathon went well until running into the half marathon walkers starting at mile 18. Many of the walkers walked 3- and 4-wide and to the left, causing runners to zig-zag back and forth through them. I missed qualifying for Boston by 40 seconds and much of that was due to the walker situation. After the finish it was a difficult to get anything due to all the half marathoners ahead. This race is geared toward the halfers, but it's still a nice event. | |
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L. G. from Vermont
(5/27/2011)
"What an awesome race and city!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first time in ND, and what a great state! The marathon organization is top-notch, all the volunteers are super friendly, I loved hanging out in the Fargodome before the race (and no pottie lines!). Great call to have Matt Long as a speaker, and what a treat to try lefse. The post race party with bands Dirty Word and Hairball was simply awesome. |
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