It had been five years since I last ran Fargo's full marathon. Fargo was an amazing experience back then and this year certainly didn't disappoint! The weather was a beautiful, sunny mid-80's - a bit hot for running 26 miles but perfect for spectating.

Expo: We arrived at the race expo around noon on Friday and it wasn't packed with people, which was awesome (especially since we had the little ones with us). Picking up my race number, bag and other swag was a quick an easy process and everything was sorted out by your race number. They had a station to check the timing chip on the back of your number to make sure it was working correctly.

Between the free chips, Clif MOJO Bars, a toddler t-shirt, Wild Hog Marathon socks, and an Australia's Best Licorice stuffed animal (given to my toddler), we got a lot of great treats from that expo!

Race Swag: The Under Armour race bag is great. Fargo's race bags are definitely my favorite. The shirt was nice but the material felt kind of cheap. Full marathon gets a zip-up long-sleeve shirt and the half gets a long-sleeve. The grey and green colors look great though.

Course: Fargo is a great course for any new marathoners or those chasing the BQ. Very flat, well marked and lined with spectators and music! For all the miles, there was never a time where it was quiet on that course! This year the race started and ended inside the Fargodome, which is great, minus the fact that everyone's watches had a hard time connecting with satellites. Finishing in the Fargodome is so cool!

Aid Stations: Water and gatorade were available every 2 miles. At first I thought it was a bit overkill, but with the hot weather that day I was VERY thankful for all of the hydration opportunities! GU's were available at 2 stations as well. Near the end of the race, spectators were handing out gummy bears and jolly ranchers and I totally took some of that. The Fargo spectators are awesome.

Medal: The full marathon medals are HUGE, solid quality and well-designed! The medals for each race are a little different and I believe the text notes each specific race. Hebrews 12:1 is on the back of the medal, as it has been every year I've been at Fargo, and I think it is awesome that they are standing firm in their faith in God. "Let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us"

Logistics: The crazy traffic on race morning has been a downside of Fargo in the past but it was no problem for me this year. I was dropped off at the Fargodome by a family member and they also have shuttles running all morning and after the race if you don't have a ride. Showers are available at the Fargodome, too.

View Full Race Recap: http://www.livinglifetruth.com/2016/05/race-report-fargo-marathon-2016.html

This was my second year running the Wild Hog Half Marathon and I have been impressed both years. Attending the Wild Hog Marathon will likely a yearly tradition for my family. Even better, they are having a FULL marathon for the first time in 2016!

Expo: The atmosphere is "small-town", compared to the Fargo or Twin Cities Marathons, which I really appreciated. Picking up my number and race swag was a very quick and smooth process and the expo did have a few goodies to pick up.

Race Swag: The BEST! In both 2014 and 2015, the race swag included a pair of Fitsocks with "Wild Hog" on the top band, a beverage glass, and high quality finisher's shirt. This year's shirts were grey zip-up long sleeve shirts with thumb holes in the sleeves. The race medal was a cut-out of the Wild Hog head - nice medal and unique design.

Course: Flat, flat, flat. The course covers mainly residential and park ground, which on a sunny Fall day was beautiful to me! I highly recommend their full marathon if you are looking for a BQ! That should be a great fast course for qualifying.

Aid Station: Plenty of aid stations along the course that offered water, sports drinks and GUs at some of them.

View My Full Race Review Here: http://www.livinglifetruth.com/2015/09/race-report-wild-hog-half-marathon-2015.html

Music, cheering fans, and runners everywhere. I LOVE the Fargo Marathon atmostphere!

Expo: The expo was very busy and full of great freebies. Picking up your race number can be a bit chaotic because of all the people attending, but it was fun to check out all of the great booths.

Race Swag: Half Marathon runners received a purple/white (for the women runners at least) long sleeve technical shirt and an UnderArmour drawstring bag. The race medals are awesome - heavy duty and fun designs. I always love the medals from Fargo!

Course: The course runs through mainly residential areas and it isn't overly scenic, but the cheering fans and LIVE MUSIC make it worth while! The run is super flat and great for a PR. On this particular year, the race started on the bridge and ended outdoors. The finish line and post-race food area was packed.

Aid Stations: Water and sports drinks, GU available at select aid stations.

View My Race Recap Here: http://www.livinglifetruth.com/2014/05/race-report-fargo-half-marathon-2014.html

2013 was the inaugural year for the Blue Ox Full Marathon and it was a great experience!

Expo: Small, but I didn't expect it to be huge for such a young race.

Race Swag: The medals had a unique lumberjack style and the technical shirts were great! Three years later and I'm still running in mine.

Course: The race started and ended at the Stanford Center, which was a great place to keep warm and dry pre- and post-race. The weather was cool and wet that year but the sights were still beautiful. The Fall leaves were changing and the course had a great view skirting the State Park. The last 6 or so miles of the race were hilly but nothing too challenging. It was a nice change up and enjoyable course overall.

Aid Stations: There were enough aid stations and gels were supplied near the 13-mile mark.

The race atmosphere was very supportive and I would love to race there again in the future!
My full race review is available here: http://www.livinglifetruth.com/2013/10/race-report-bemidji-blue-ox-marathon.html

The weather was grueling hot in 2012 but the experience was absolutely amazing. I trained mainly with Heartbreak Hill in mind but I would have been better off running in a sauna (instead of the Minnesota snow)!

The fans were amazing and so involved in cheering on the runners. They set up sprinklers, sprayed us with hoses and some little kids were handing out ice cubes and cold water. The community was awesome! Personally, the heat took a toll on me but I made it across the finish and that was all I could ask for. After the race, we went for some clam chowder and Boston Creme Pie.

Wow, do I love Boston!

Expo: The expo was huge! After picking up my race bag, we watched the live course video. There were many booths and lots of running products to check out.

Race Swag: I received a yellow and blue Boston Marathon shirt, a poster, and a few other things I can't quite remember. I did order the 2012 Boston Marathon coat online beforehand, brought it with to the race but refused to wear it until I crossed the finish line. It was a great feeling to finally wear that Boston coat!

Course: Downhill at the start and very tempting to take off too fast (which I did). Things seemed to even out for a while and then the Heartbreak and Newton Hills are waiting. The heat was the biggest challenge for me but the hills at the end of the race weren't a cake walk either. On a day of more moderate temps, the course would have been really enjoyable!

Aid Stations: Thank God for all of the aid stations - there were plenty of them with water and sports drinks. The spectators were AWESOME because they handed out water and ice cubes as well.

View My Full Race Review Here: http://www.livinglifetruth.com/2013/04/race-report-boston-marathon-2012.html