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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 171 to 181]
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c. g. from California
(5/17/2009)
"Great support from the community!!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I wasn't excited about the change of course due to the floods, but that was out of everyone's control. It turned out to be a great run! There was TONS of support along the course. There were the nicest people around. The course was nice too - beautiful neighborhoods, downtown Fargo, etc. Highly recommended for first-timers and marathon addicts! | |
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Teresa Poliquin from Delaware, OH, USA
(5/14/2009)
"Definitely a PR course - very flat!" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 The whole weekend of events was well organized (only exception was timeliness of shuttle buses); I especially enjoyed listening and dancing to the Johnny Holm Band at the post-race party (good food too)! Course was perfectly described - flat, fast, and friendly - providing dynamic fan support from the community and local colleges, helping us achieve PR times for the half and full marathons! Great aid/water stations and port-a-potty availability. Also, very good last-minute planning (especially having to reroute the course) due to previous flooding in the area. Coming from Ohio, we absolutely loved our 1st race in North Dakota and hope to visit again sometime. Thanks again for helping us create awesome memories that will last a lifetime! | |
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B. B. from Pittsburgh Pa
(5/13/2009)
"Amazing Organization" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The organizers did an incredible job of reworking the course due to the recent flooding. The crowds were large and enthusiastic throughout both loops of the race. My only criticism is the lack of splits provided on the course. | |
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Geoff Martin from Winnipeg,Canada
(5/13/2009)
"Outstanding." (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 2 Fargo Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Considering the flooding, and how they had to reroute the whole event, I thought the organizers did a fantastic job. The race is very well organized. I was amazed at the large number of spectators out on the course (due to the cold weather). I don't know who does your finisher medals, but they are a work of art. Water stations were manned by very enthusiastic folks. It is nice to chill at the FargoDome before and after the race. I only ran the half this time, but I did the full in '07 and would recommend this race to anyone. They care about the runners, and it is fun and flat. As Gunny Hartman would say, "Outstanding." | |
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S. C. from Minnesota
(5/12/2009)
"Loved it!" (about: 2009)
First Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon ever and I had a great time. I will be back next year. Due to the flood, the course wasn't as good as originally planned, but that's totally understandable. The registration process the night before wasn't as smooth as I had hoped. The volunteers and people cheering us on were top-notch! Thanks, Fargo! | |
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C. F. from West Fargo, ND
(5/11/2009)
"Great considering the flood" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Fargo Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran Fargo last year, and was a little apprehensive about the course being two loops. But I really enjoyed the ability to see other runners that were faster and slower and help cheer them on. I gave the course a 4 only because some of the roads were pretty chewed up. I'm sure that this is from all of the added heavy traffic from building and tearing down the dikes, which the marathon had little control over. The organization was great, the course was well marked, and they did a great job considering how much they had to alter because of the flood. I noticed that there were a lot fewer spectators out this year compared to last year. I think it had to do with the weather being cold for spectators (but perfect for runners). I love running Fargo because it is flat, fast and close to home. | |
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L. M. from Sammamish,WA
(5/11/2009)
"Better than expected" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Pros -Waiting for the race to start in the FargoDome was perfect for keeping us out of the elements... plus it had plenty of flush toilets :-) -EXCELLENT finisher's medal -Nice tech-fabric shirt, and other race goodies (bag, towel) -Plenty of porta-potties along the course -Very good crowd support and course entertainment for the first 13 miles -Double-loop course wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but it wasn't ideal either -Chicken noodle soup at the finish line - YUM and really hit the spot after a chilly race -Not as cold or windy as it could have been Cons -Organization a little wonky at the starting line. A bunch of us had to climb barricades to get behind the starting line and we ended up lined up with the wrong pacing groups. -The double-loop course was awful when the fast marathoners were doing their 2nd loop through the 1st loop runners. Police officers were driving in front of them yelling at us to get out of the way because runners were coming. HELLO - we were all running, just not as fast. -The double-loop course didn't allow us to see very much of North Dakota. I'm guessing the normal course would have been much more interesting/better. -Crowd support and course entertainment were pretty much nonexistent during my 2nd loop - except for a few die hard homeowners. THANK YOU!! -Sprinkling rain from mile 17 on made for very slippery roads. I fell twice and was involved in a 5-runner pile-up. | |
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B. D. from Twin Cities, MN
(5/11/2009)
"Great Job, Fargo!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I rated the course a 3 because it was a loop and an out-and-back (because of the flood clean-up). Running by the same place four times was a drag, but the spectator support was phenomenal! Considering the weather (30's and drizzling rain), the crowd support was spectacular. The aid stations were well marked and very helpful in calling out what beverage they offered. I had a rough day, twisting my ankle at mile 10 and finishing when I should have dropped, but it was a great day. I will definitely be back because, when they say it's "flat," they aren't exaggerating! When I hurt myself, I was on pace to PR by over 11 minutes! Unheard of. The only thing I did not like about the event was the 4-person relay. Talk about a spirit-killer. The 4th leg of the relay started at about mile 19. So I'm fighting the demons of the final 6 miles and I've got all of these fresh legs blasting by me because they are 1 mile into a 6-mile run! The mental abuse that caused was tough. Why events offer a 4-person marathon relay is something I've never understood. Run a 10K versus 10K runners. Great job, Fargo. You've had a lot to deal with this spring, and the modifications you made worked. I hope to join you next year on the original course! | |
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P. R. from Canada
(5/10/2009)
"Usually well organized, but...." (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Fargo Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was our 4th year making the trip to the Fargo Marathon. The first three were great experiences and we knew why the race was getting well known for its great organization. It has a runner- and spectator-friendly atmosphere, and has great community support. The 2008 edition was also well done, but I'm not too sure that everything was thought out. Kids' race: Our daughter loves coming to Fargo to take part in the kids run, and has done the kids' race since the age of 4, but starting it on the Friday at the same time that everyone was arriving for package pickup and the pasta dinner caused some chaos. Volunteers didn't know where to send people, etc. Having 1,800 kids corralled for more than an hour can never end well. Apparently there were still kids waiting to run after 7 p.m.! If you're in town to run, the last thing you want to do is stand inside and outside for more than an hour, over dinner time, the night before the race. Next year, we'll pass on the kids' race. Package pick up: I thought it was pretty smooth, but that's only if you were in town before 4 p.m. Some friends got there at 6 p.m. and it took them well over an hour to get their stuff. Maybe you could have locals pick up their packages on Thursday? Race day: Pretty good. The staging area in the dome is great! The baggage drop-off vans were easy to find (finding your bag at the finish was not so easy, and volunteers had no idea where to send people). It looks like there were a lot of first-timers out there who need to learn how to seed themselves. I lined up at my pace sign and was surprised to see the pacers lining up groups that were 30 seconds/mile slower than my pace off in the distance ahead of me. It took 2-3 miles of dodging and weaving past the much slower runners - most of whom were wearing headphones and oblivious to the congestion problems they were causing seeding themselves to far forward. At the start I was surrounded by runners who had finishing times anywhere from 2 - 120 minutes from the posted signs. This is definitely a course to run a PB on, but not when people can't read pace signs. The fans along the course are great, and they may be the only reason that I include this race on my race calendar next year. Three out of four ain't bad. | |
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D. K. from United States
(5/10/2009)
"Flat, Friendly, and Fun" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 If you want to run a flat course that is friendly to both Boston-qualifiers and first-time runners/run-walkers/walkers, FarGO is the one to run. Thanks for all of the warmth on a cold and drizzly day. This city rocks!! |
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