Jill Guerin's Staging Area

Very well organized race on a pretty course. Volunteers along the course were wonderful. We got a sweatshirt and a medal. Nice sized expo.
The heat was intense on race day which made the course more challenging. My friend was so dehydrated at the finish that she had to have medical help and was taken by ambulance to the ER. The medical personnel at the finish line were amazing and deserve major kudos!!

There were some glitches to this year’s race due to the death of the previous years’ race director. We did not start or finish inside the Fargodome, and the half marathoners started before the full marathoners which created a little bit of chaos along the course with runners running past me on the left and toward me on the right. I have completed over 60 half marathons, and that was definitely an unwelcome first. The weather was perfect at the start with 50 degrees but got hot by the time we finished. The course was poorly marked and the mileage for the half was mismarked, so that while my Garmin watch was letting me know I was at mile 8, the course sign said I was at mile 7. My watch also said the course was 13.38 long and not 13.1. The course really is flat with just a couple of inclines.
In spite of that, we went through some nice neighborhoods and had wonderful crowd support from the community. People took it upon themselves to hand out orange and watermelon slices which were greatly appreciated. The volunteers were also fantastic although I think they may have been short a few.
Wasn’t much in the way of food at the finish line. The jacket and medal we got were nice.
I had high expectations going into this race based on previous reviews, but it fell short due to being under the direction of a new race director. Hope they get the kinks worked out for next year because I sure enjoyed my time in Fargo!

This race is so well done with great support along the way. There were some challenging hills, but the great SWAG made it all worthwhile. The weather was perfect this year which was also a plus. It was great fun being escorted across the finish line by Mary Todd Lincoln! LOVE the huge penny medal, shirt, sweatshirt, AND blanket that we received. Small race in a small town, and we walked to some good restaurants and tourist attractions. This race needs to be on everyone’s must do list!

Well organized and great communication throughout. The course was a little boardwalk, a little trail, and some neighborhoods. Excellent post race food, even for slow people like me, and cute shirt and nice medal (although the shirts ran two sizes small!).
We got really lucky with the weather this year. It rained the day before the event and the day after, but race day, while humid, was rain free. I truly enjoyed the tunnel of flags along the course!
Pretty route, good production, and course support.

This was my first time at the Air Force event. I had to downgrade to the 10K at the last minute due to health issues.
The weather could not have been more perfect! 51 degress at the start… They sent us off with some fireworks, and the first two miles or so were all uphill. We saw a gorgeous sunrise as a plane was flying over. Paratroopers appeared in the sky along the course as well.
The finish line set up getting to run under the plane wings was awesome! Very patriotic event, of course.
The shirts and the medals weren’t the greatest, but I really enjoyed the support along the route and the entire race production. Going back next year to knock out that half!

The scenery along the course was beautiful, but it was on mostly open roads with lots of traffic and much hillier than I had anticipated. There were not enough Porta potties at the start or along the course.
The medal is cute (a lobster claw), and we hot a pullover which ran small. After the race, there wasn’t much in the way of food (if that is your thing): ice cream, bagels, chips, and chocolate milk.
The volunteers were great, and those in the medical tent deserve special kudos.
After the race, we had to wait about 45 minutes for a bus back to the Village Green. I think one of the bus driver’s mom got sick, so it couldn’t be helped. The announcers enthusiasm deserved to be commended as well.
I would not do this race again, but I will definitely come back to Maine in October.

This was my 4th Vacation Race and one of the most challenging because of the 8200-foot altitude. It started out nice and cool at around 50ish degrees, and by the end of the course it was 74 degrees which felt like 100 due to the altitude.
Beautiful scenery along the way, and miles 1.5 through 5 were not too bad, but there were a few hills around mile 10 that were not much fun.
Vacation Races always puts on a great production in spite of some changing weather conditions for this one. Love the medals (we did the Elk Double and got three medals).
Well worth doing, but that altitude was a killer!

This is a great race! Very well organized with excellent after race food and drinks. Excellent support along the route. Loved the shirt and medal. Loved this one!

The race director put on a great race! Nice shirts and medals, and a great jacket are part of the SWAG.
Very hilly course, and I loved the Jacob’s Ladder Challenge near the end of the race.