Fargo was my 49th marathon and honestly it was so perfectly organized I was taken aback a little bit. I'd heard good things but really, I thought, how good or different can it be compared to the other 48? From start to finish, it was fantastic.

All of the pre-race communication was helpful and timely leading up to marathon day. There are lots of other events during the week for anyone interested. There's also a pub crawl after the main events on Saturday. The expo and packet pickup was super smooth and quick, and there were lots of vendors and merchandise.

I stayed at Candlewood Suites right next to the Fargodome; super conveneient as I walked to the expo and start/finish in just a couple of minutes. There's also a grocery store and CVS nearby for last minute necessities. Pre-marathon dinner at Grazie's was excellent too (drive not walk).

Weather forecasts were predicting rain up until the day before and lo and behold, it stayed off until well after noon. Awesome cool and overcast conditions, couldn't have been better!

The start and finish in the Fargodome is so nice. Plenty of bathrooms, warm, lots of space. They start loading up the chutes early enough to get everyone in and do a staggered start. Wheelchairs went at 7, then a couple of minutes later the rest of the marathoners went. Half runners went at 7:15 and 10k a few minutes later.

The course has a lot of turns but was perfectly marked with road paint, signs, and volunteers. I never felt crowded or like I couldn't find my stride. Plenty of water stops every 2 miles or so with lots of volunteers on either side of the road. The roads were also marked to direct half/10k/full runners and keep us separated to a certain degree.

The course was very nice as well. There were some very pretty neighborhoods and a few places where we ran in a great scenic park. Just a really nice, varied course with only a few small hills.

The finish area back in the Fargodome was nicely appointed with chocolate milk, pizza, fruit, etc. The medal is very nice and the marathon shirt is a great hoodie.

I highly recommend the Fargo Marathon. Great atmosphere and organization!