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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 11 to 21]
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J. Y. from Dayton, OH
(5/21/2018)
"Friendly in Fargo!" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a very well-done race, and all the locals (at least the ones we met) seem to embrace the fact that runners take over the city for the weekend. Fargo is really easy to get around and having all events in/near the Fargodome made parking and logistics seamless. The race sweatshirt was great this year and I also like the drawstring gear bag and medal. The biggest factor during the race this year was the wind, but the course is pretty curvy, so there were stretches where we got a break from it or even a tailwind. It's also as flat as advertised, and the stretches along the Red River and through the two college campuses were really nice. Aid stations were well-stocked with labeled tables, there were lots of port-o-johns, and I thought a good number of enthusiastic spectators for the size of the city. Start/finish in the dome with bag check on the floor was great. You also can't beat real bathrooms (with sinks!) for before the race. We ended up renting a car, but saw race shuttles lining up right on time and returning after the race. We celebrated afterwards with Sandy's Donuts and burgers at Sickie's, both of which we'd recommend, along with the Country Inn and Suites. Uff da, go run Fargo! | |
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R. H. from Milwaukee, WI
(5/21/2018)
"Flat course, good swag, but not much scenery" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 No many options for a North Dakota marathon and Fargo seemed to be the best choice. While I would recommend this race, it did not live up to all the hype. I participated in the 'GoFar' challenge and ran the 5k on Friday night and the marathon on Saturday morning. The expo was very convenient and well laid out. The sweatshirt, t-shirt, and bag you receive were top notch items. It is so nice not to get another technical running shirt as I have a ton already. Left the expo satisfied, checked into the hotel, and got myself ready for the 5k. The 5k was well organized and there were big signs showing where to start based on projected finish time. However, many bad parenting decisions as we had 6-7 year old kids lined up for the sub 20 minute 5k time? I ran the event in 20:40 and had to weave past all this at the beginning. No big deal - finished the event, got my medal, and left. Marathon day and being able to line up in a dome was FANTASTIC given the cold weather and wind. The run itself was flat as advertised and while nobody's fault, very windy. The scenery of the course was quite boring compared to other states I've accomplished. However, running through NDSU was kind of cool. Most of the race is run in residential neighborhoods. I did give the spectators 3 stars as there were quite a few out, especially as the day wore on. I finished the event, grabbed my marathon medal and went to look for my 'GoFar' medal for completing the back to back events. I am given a bottle opener instead. I am told this was a change this year. I say something to a woman in a race committee lanyard and she says she'll pass my comments along? It's really not about the medals but when you are promised something and then given no heads up - it's easy to get mad. The wind took a lot out of me and running the 5k the night prior led to a rough day of running. At this point, I grabbed some of the snacks and left...No Mylar blanket at the end, no beer, but there was the warmth of the dome so that was good. This was my tenth state completed and while I still think it's the best choice in ND, it ranks near the bottom of the states I've finished. | |
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T. Y. from Dayton, OH
(5/21/2018)
"Flat, Fast, and Friendly indeed" (about: 2018)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 They aren't kidding when they say Fargo is flat. Starting and finishing in the Fargodome was a nice shelter from the wind (20ish mph), but the starting cannon/fireworks (think NDSU Bison touchdown) was a little loud for 7 in the morning. There might have been a couple small 'hills' in addition to the dike wall hill around mile 17, but otherwise very flat. The course preview video was very nice for an out of towner. Great course support and ample aid stations, although some didn't really match up well with the course map. Decent expo for a semi-small race. Limited post race food variety (pizza, cookies, cookie dough, half bananas, chocolate milk), but plenty of it (and I like all of those, so I thought it was great). Overall a great race and experience (everyone we interacted with in the city was very friendly), highly recommended for 50 staters or BQ efforts. | |
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R. R. from Dallas, Texas
(5/21/2018)
"Great race and chance for cool temps in May." (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Well organized race with incredible community support. Start and finish indoors and chance at cooler weather in late May. Course is flat but interesting with stops at a couple of universities, trails along the Red River, and a trip to Minnesota. Folks along most of the route. | |
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H. B. from Lawrence, KS
(5/21/2018)
"Cool vibe, fast course" (about: 2018)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Set a PR here, so very little to complain about. As advertised, course was flat and weather was cool. Indoor start/finish was great for my partner who came to watch, but turned my Garmin into a very expensive stopwatch. There are a few miles where the course gets narrow (paved trails through parks), and they could use a couple more water stops in the last 10 miles, but everything was well marked and plenty of volunteers to direct traffic. Would definitely recommend to someone looking for a May race. | |
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B. W. from South Lyon, MI
(5/20/2018)
"Excellent Marathon" (about: 2018)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I chose Fargo because I needed a May marathon in a state I had not run in. Fargo was excellent in most aspects. Pros: 1. Generally flat course with some short hills. 2. Start and finish inside FargoDome. 3. Plenty of parking around FargoDome plus shuttles from other parking areas. 4. Excellent pacers from Fargo Running Company. 5. Canadian and US anthems before start of marathon. 6. Marathon, half, and 10K started at different times and the courses were largely separate. 7. Plenty of food still when I finished at 4 1/2 hours. 8. Showers were available after the events, but bring a towel. 9. Excellent swag Cons: 1. Very windy (20 to 30 mph) 2. Expo was held in another complex across from FargoDome. Less than 10 vendors were crammed in hallways around main floor where packet pickup was located. Difficult to find your way to packet pickup. 3. Spectators were limited probably because of the cool weather and wind, but those who were out were enthusiastic. 4. Event was well organized, but signage (especially in FargoDome) could have made it easier to find things. I flew into MSP, rented a car and drove about 3 1/2 hours to event. I stayed the night at a hotel in Moorhead, but found many of the hotels had higher rates for this weekend. | |
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T. S. from Indianapolis
(5/29/2017)
"Welcome to Fargo!" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Because of previous commitments, I was only able to be in town for about 24 hours, but I'm guessing I averaged about five 'Welcome to Fargo!' greetings per hour. Folks in Fargo are ... well, welcoming, and they seem to really enjoy having the marathon. The spectators were out in force, though I'm told by others who have done the race previously that there are even more spectators on warm days (thanks, but I'll trade the nice cool weather this year for a few less spectators). The musical acts and DJs were great. Just goes to show you don't need a high-priced Rock n' Roll marathon to be entertained and help push you to the finish. I loved the course with its mix of downtown, parks, colleges and neighborhoods. Not to mention the lack of hills. Fargodome start and finish was great. My non-running wife could bring a book and sit in comfort while waiting for me to hobble in. | |
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K. M. from New Hampshire
(5/29/2017)
"A fantastic race!" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I had not expected this to be so much fun! I loved every part of the race and highly recommend it. The expo was easy, the course was well laid-out, interesting and quite flat. The spectators were enthusiastic. I liked that the half and full marathon did not intersect until the end. I had expected it was ambitious with the number of races but it was so well organized that the numbers only added to the event. | |
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B. N. from Washington, DC Metro
(5/24/2017)
"Big Al's comments on Fargo" (about: 2017)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Everything that they say about this marathon is true! From the packet pickup and race start/finish at the Fargodome, to the super flat course (I LOVE flat courses!!), spectators and race management, everything was top notch. I highly recommend this race, especially if you're looking for a PR or a BQ or both! We were also blessed with A+ conditions for this year's race. | |
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N. M. from Chattanooga, TN
(5/23/2017)
"Nice race in a peaceful town" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Fargo Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am a 50 Stater and chose this race for North Dakota. I had never been to North Dakota before this past weekend, but I am glad I went. It was a fun race in a fun town, and I highly recommend it. Here are some specifics about the race in no particular order: Surface - some broken pavement in places, but this is normal for the geography and does not detract from the race in my opinion. Crowd - great support from enthusiastic spectators. I thought the number of spectators relative to the size of the race was actually pretty high. Great turnout among the neighborhood residents. Even had welcome messages chalked on the pavement in some areas. Temperature - was cloudy and in the 40s this year. drizzled a little about 5 hours after the start. It was hot the week before the race, so I wouldn't expect perfect weather like 2017 every year. Course - higher than average number of turns than what I'm used to, but once again this did not detract from the race. The course is pretty flat. There were a small number of hills, but they were short. Start/Finish line - Starting and finishing inside the dome was really fun. It also helps to not have to start the race cold. Post Race - great post race. Chocolate milk, donut holes, pizza, bananas, water, and last but not least cookie dough. The cookie dough was a nice touch. Medal - nice design. Pretty decent size, too. Has the Fargodome in the background. Fargo - nice small town with hidden gems. I really liked Würst Bier Hall. Great beer and brats. Rhombus Guys Pizza was good as well. If you like craft beer, check out Drekker, Rhombus Guys, and Fargo Brewing Company. Lodging - I stayed at the Kelly Inn on 13th ave. Convenient to the Dome and downtown. Nice and friendly staff. Clean Rooms. They also have an indoor pool and hot tub which was great for recovery. They even started Breakfast at 0500 on Race Day (an hour earlier than normal) to accommodate runners. The only suggestion I might have for the race crew is to maybe have more recycle bins available at the start/finish. Other than that this was a great race. |
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