Fargo is a PARTY - every year I have been there, it just rocks! Coming off of 2020's race cancellations and reschedulings (I actually had another baby and was out for that instead), I was looking forward to returning to the in-person race scene. Fargo was scheduled as a Fall race this year and the September weather was chilly and perfect for a race day.

Expo:  I brought my four kiddos along to the race expo on Friday evening and, even though it was swarming with people (in a good way!), navigation was very easy. Parking at the Fargodome was easy to find. There were quite a few vendors there around the outer circle of the Fargodome building. Seeing the running community out and about again was SO good!

Course: Fargo is flat & FAST! The perfect place the PR. Fargo has a great showing of spectators and fans, signs and music. There are very few quiet patches in this race.

Aid Stations: They have plenty of aid stations and the aid station workers were all extremely efficient and helpful. They make all the difference in a race! Stations had sports drink and water options, along with gels at certain stations.

Awards: All Finisher's receive high quality medal - love the design this year! Check my blog for a picture of that :)

Post-Race Refreshments: Like a buffet table from heaven... they know how to do post-race treats! Donuts, bananas (of course!), water, choco milk, and more. I really should have taken a picture of it!

Logistics: One of my favorite aspects of Fargo is that the travel isn't stressful at all. My family and I actually camped at a nearby campground and I drove there in the morning. The drive was quick, early morning traffic was quiet and parking was a breeze. I did have to take a more creative route to get back to our campsite afterwards, because the race was still going on.

Race Swag: Fargo always has great Finisher's medals and the half & full marathons received a Finisher's Jacket this year.

The Wonder Woman Half Marathon in Fargo was blazing hot this year and an absolute blast! This was the first year for the Wonder Woman Run Series to come to the northern Midwest and I am SO glad to have them here - it’s just what our area needed!

Race day itself was extremely hot and humid for a typical Fargo, ND day. You just never know what you’re going to get up here - besides wind. Wind is always a guarantee.

First things first, lets start at the beginning:

Registration & Race Swag: I registered online and selected the Kit #1 option (included a tech tank, tote bag, wrist cuffs) along with a Kit Upgrade (official visor, cape socks, tattoos, car magnet). The race offered a t-shirt kit option and youth kit as well. I love my Wonder Woman tank and it’s a nice quality. The cape socks material is very thin but the cape concept is cool! I broke rule #1 of racing (don’t try anything new on race day) and wore the Wonder Woman golden visor. How could I resist?!

Expo: The expo was fairly quiet but presented numerous Wonder Woman background photo opps! The real Wonder Woman wasn’t present at that time but she was on race morning! My sister-in-law and I picked up our numbers and packets which took very little time. The process was very streamlined. The expo included music and a dance floor set up along with assorted Wonder Woman merchandise available for sale and an Orange Theory booth (one of the sponsors).

Course: Overall the course was great to run and it kept things interesting. I ran solo for much of the race and some inclines/declines, running along the river, quiet trails and then some residential and city running made for a nice change of scenery. I did have trouble with seeing the course markers at two locations. I’m not sure if it was just the size or infrequency of the direction arrows or what it was. There was one turn around the mile 3-5 area where I just had to guess and hope it was right. This wouldn’t have been an issue if other runners had been around - I was just in a gap between the #1 girl and #3 runner and there were no spectators at that point. It made me a little anxious but I ended up going the correct direction!

Aid Stations: The aid stations were fine though on this unusually hot day more is always better. Both Gatorade and water were offered. .

Awards: The Wonder Woman finisher’s medals are AWESOME! They are pretty big, nice quality and the center spins. So fun :) One huge perk of this race is that your race pictures are FREE and they are super nice quality. I love that you can choose to have your finishing time on the pictures even.

Post-Race Refreshments: The finisher’s table included M&M’s in a cup, cookies, tortilla chips, mini protein bars, bananas, water bottles and likely a few more things that I had missed.

Logistics: Making our way to the Expo and then to the race itself was so easy. The Fargo Marathon that happened in May is known for making the town super congested but the Wonder Woman Run was much more low key. We were able to park downtown and walk to the vehicle afterwards. Of course, that was after fully enjoying the Finisher’s party with LIVE MUSIC and fun pictures with Wonder Woman.

For more race day details and photos, check out my blog post:
http://www.sherunsbyfaith.com/2019/06/i-am-wonder-woman-dc-ww-run-series.html

Fargo Marathon is one of the BEST in the Midwest. Running Fargo is a tradition for many and it’s a race that I look forward to attending whenever I can. When I come to Fargo, I know it’s going to be good.

This year was my third time running their full marathon and, in true midwest style, you never know what the weather will bring. 2011 had perfect racing weather. 2016 was more hot than usual. 2019 was rainy, windy and COLD. Yep, you just never know!

In spite of the drenching rain and cold winds, did I still love Fargo? Of course I did. Here are the deets:

Registration: I registered early online before the price increases began. Picking up my packet was a quick process on the Friday of race weekend and everything was ready to go.

Expo: The expo took place around the circumference of the Fargodome this year instead of in the middle of the building. Maybe it’s been this way for the past couple years; I’m not sure as my last time there was 2016. The Friday night 5k was in progress while we were picking up my packet and there was a lot of activity going on. My husband and I walked around to pick up some freebies and snacks. I was thankful to find a pair of free thin gloves to use and then throw away during the race!

Race Swag: Fargo had really cute shirts this year. They are a neutral and blue color scheme and super cozy for a cold, wet weekend.

Course: The race started and finished in the Fargodome. This totally messes up my Garmin watch but I certainly am not complaining. The 1,360 marathon runners (and that’s not counting the half and 10k runners there too) were able to stay dry before jumping into the steady rain. A wedding even took place while we were waiting to line up. It was pretty awesome!

The course itself was fine. Honestly I didn’t notice much besides the rain and wind. We weaved through residential areas, parks and some business areas. The elevation is mostly flat with a little incline/decline here and there. The Fargo fans are SO faithful. Even in terrible volunteer and spectator conditions, they were along much of the course. Thank you hardcore fans and volunteers!

Aid Stations: The aid stations offered water and sports drinks with GU gels available later in the race.

Awards: Fargo’s 15th Anniversary medal this year was a big one! Fargo never disappoints.

Post-Race Refreshments: I know I grabbed a banana and chocolate milk after the race but can’t remember much else. I’m thinking I saw pizza and cookie dough there too. My stomach struggles at the end of long races! They definitely had an assortment and a streamlined set up to handle the flood of runners crossing the finish.

Logistics: Fargo does get congested on race weekend but they plan accordingly. My husband and I stayed at the hotel by Cash Wise where a shuttle picks up runners on race morning. Finding a hotel with nearby shuttle is so worth it. The hotel offered early morning granola bars and bananas so I grabbed some and headed out the door and straight to my shuttle. We were dropped off at the Fargodome and ready to go. Bag drop is available at the race. These details make a full race day very easy to navigate.

For more race day details and photos, check out my blog post:
http://www.sherunsbyfaith.com/2019/05/fargomarathon-2019.html

As a lifelong Minnesotan, Grandma's Marathon has been sitting on my bucket list for quite a while and, finally, I was able to make it there this year. It just so happened to be the PERFECT year to race there with amazing weather and storms in the forecast that never showed!

Registration: For registering online before January 1st, I received a high quality, zip-up Grandma's Marathon training jacket. This was the perfect motivator to get me through those cold Minnesota winter training runs.

Expo: I wasn't able to make it to the expo on Friday for packet pickup but opted to have my packet mailed to me instead. For $25 my packet was mailed to my doorstep a week or two before race day. That was so helpful as we have small children and quite a way to travel that day.

Race Swag: The training jacket for early registrants was definitely some “bonus swag”! Along with the amazing race medal (more on that below), the marathoners received nice quality dark green “finisher’s shirts” upon completing the race.

Course: This is the highest point of Grandma’s Marathon. I absolutely LOVED the course! The first half of the course is mainly scenic rolling highway lined with trees and an overlook of Lake Superior in spots. Race morning was cool this year and a mist covered the lake. It was really refreshing to run through!

The next half of the race was moved into the more spectator-filled areas as we neared Duluth. We ran by the Glensheen Mansion and the “Troll Mile” was really cool too. The spectators were wonderful and I enjoyed their enthusiasm and the rolling hills. There was never a dull moment in this race.

Finishing down a road lined with cheering fans was so awesome! The energy was high and the noise grew as we neared the finish. Upon finishing the race, the finish area was also quite scenic. It’s just such a beautiful area.

Aid Stations: The aid stations are located on the odd number miles up to mile 20, where they increased to being every mile. Stations offered water and Powerade with a selection of gels (numerous flavors!) available at mile 17. Occasionally there were bananas or oranges being handed out too.

Awards: The race medal is beautifully designed and a perfect fit for the race. Plus, it’s free-standing and easy to display.

Post-Race Refreshments: Water bottles were given out immediately after crossing the finish and the post-race refreshment table offered potato chips, CLIF bars, strawberries, orange juice and more. A drink of choice was available in the finisher’s tent when runners presented their designated ticket.

Logistics: Smooth! I was nervous about navigating a bigger race like Grandma’s Marathon but the shuttles made it a breeze. We decided to stay at the AmericInn in Carlton (about 20 minutes away) to save on hotel cost. They didn’t have a shuttle leaving from that location on race day but my husband dropped me off at the Proctor AmericInn to board that shuttle. A return bus brought me back after the race as well. Overall that plan went smoothly and taking the shuttle was much easier than finding parking in all the busyness of the day!

Grandma’s Marathon was an absolutely AMAZING experience! It may be my new favorite race and I can’t wait to go back.

For more race day details and photos, check out my blog post:
http://www.livinglifetruth.com/2018/06/race-report-grandmas-marathon-2018.html