Fargo Marathon, ND

What was by far the most impressive element was the crowd support. I don’t think there was a stretch of the course more than 10 feet without crowds of people cheering, volunteering at aid stations, waving signs, clanging cow-bells, or donning costumes. There was an entire girls gymnastics floor routine going on next to the course around mile 4. Then came the “Microsoft Mile” up to mile 5, where signs lined the course with funny quips and quotes, leading up to a great aid station staffed by Microsoft Fargo employees.

I was lucky enough to run the first 5 miles of this race with my cousin Brian, who did a great job in his half-marathon debut. Thanks, Brian, for coming back onto the course after you finished to support me at several places during the second half of the marathon. You were a great supporter and motivator!

It was also great seeing my Uncle Ernie & Aunt Diane on “their” Concordia College campus as I ran through that great section of the marathon.

The family support and hospitality was great the whole weekend, and led to my new 2nd-best finish time of 4:37!

Cousins Matthew, Jake, & Nick did a great job running the 5K race too. Some future marathoners there? Matthew has already done a half-marathon…I’ll give him another year maybe before I start pestering him to run a marathon with me! Another highlight of the weekend was getting to see Brian’s daughter Neisha play in her last soccer game of the season. With Brian as one of the coaches, she has really honed her skills and talents well…she did a great job and it was so much fun cheering her on.

I highly recommend the Fargo Marathon…it was fast, fun, and friendly!