Overall Rating
Overall Rating (309 Reviews)
4.7
(309 Ratings) 🏆 (309 Reviews)
DIFFICULTY
2.3
SCENERY
3.8
PRODUCTION
4.7
SWAG
4.4
The Fargo Marathon is one of the best small-town marathons in the United States, and for good reason. The course offers 26.2 miles (or 13.1 if you opt for the half marathon) of Midwestern charm, a town-wide cheering section, and 50+ live bands and DJs to keep you entertained and motivated. It truly is an experience like no … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 28):
  2023 2022 2021 2020 2019
 
H (°F)  91  82  65  69  71
L (°F)  63  57  33  49  39
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Recent reviews

    DisneyRunner FIRST-TIMER '23

    If you're looking to check North Dakota off your list, this is a great race to consider. The volunteers were super friendly and everything was well organized. The course was … MORE

    If you’re looking to check North Dakota off your list, this is a great race to consider. The volunteers were super friendly and everything was well organized. The course was fairly flat, and starting and ending in the Fargodome was a fun and unique aspect of the race. The course lets you see many of the highlights of the town. Aside from the race itself, Fargo is actually a fun place to visit, so give yourself an extra day or two to check out the town and the surrounding area.

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    enigma20 FIRST-TIMER '23

    If you are a 50 state runner, there are not many choices in North Dakota. Luckily, this is a good race. The race expo is a two day event. I … MORE

    If you are a 50 state runner, there are not many choices in North Dakota. Luckily, this is a good race.
    The race expo is a two day event. I was there as soon as it opened, so there was a little bit of a line, but it moved quickly. There were a few vendors and it’s a chance to look at the Fargo Dome. They had hand towels on the way out the door. This was an important pick-up as I’ll explain later.
    Race day starts in the dome. This is a great place for a race start due to the restrooms and in case of poor weather. It’s also nice for non-running family members. They are able to sit in the stands and wait and the concession stands are open as well.
    There are 3 distances running at once, 10K, half and full marathon. Each one has it’s own start time and each course differs slightly. There are no corrals, but there are pacers where runners should align themselves. Of course there are those at the front that go out at a 9 min pace.
    The course is mostly flat. There are a couple underpasses and a bridge, but the overall gain was less than 400 feet. You travel through a lot of neighborhoods, around a park and through Moorhead College. About 4 of those miles are in Minnesota. The only issue, it that there are a lot of turns which can slow the momentum at times. Luckily, most areas are well marked and there are volunteers there to help. There were a few places that were a little lonely, but the college and neighborhoods had pretty good support. Family’s were out cheering for random strangers and was like a block party.
    There seemed to be a good amount of fluid stations offering water and powerade. There was at least one Gu station and orange slices. I didn’t notice many port-a-johns along the way, but you generally only notice if you need one. Luckily, I did not need one.
    The weather was good. It sounds like you can get just about anything in Fargo this time of the year. It was a little warm for me by the end, mid-sixties, with lots of sun and a moderate breeze.
    Runners finish inside the dome with a video of themselves on the big screen. The DJ announces your name and where you’re from. There were donuts and some other snacks at the end. Parking and getting into/out of the dome were pretty easy. They do also offer a shuttle service.
    Runners receive a nice sweatshirt, backpack and a decent sized medal. Overall, it was a good race experience.

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    kgladfelter FIRST-TIMER '23

    Nicely organized race on a flat course with great spectators for its size. Nice medal and sweatshirt. good weather with a cool start and a sunny finish MORE

    Nicely organized race on a flat course with great spectators for its size. Nice medal and sweatshirt. good weather with a cool start and a sunny finish

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    BrandonD FIRST-TIMER '23

    We’ll put together smaller race. Flat course with great support from local community. Course goes through lots of residential areas of town. Great swag. Big medal! MORE

    We’ll put together smaller race.
    Flat course with great support from local community. Course goes through lots of residential areas of town.
    Great swag. Big medal!

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    bioprofsd REPEAT RUNNER '23

    The Fargo Marathon is always well organized, and this one was no exception. I've run the full marathon twice before, but this was the first time running the half. The … MORE

    The Fargo Marathon is always well organized, and this one was no exception. I’ve run the full marathon twice before, but this was the first time running the half. The course runs south of the Fargodome, then zigzags a little at the southern end of the course before heading back north to the Fargodome. You can see the Fargodome for about a half a mile from the finish, but it is deceptive because you have to circle around it to get to the entrance where the finish is located. The course mainly goes through residential areas, and the residents come out to cheer and set up impromptu aid stations, including one that was serving mimosas. The swag was nice. This year the marathon and half marathon runners received a hoodie. The one disappointment this year was that the post-race party was canceled without telling any of the runners. I heard some were hanging around waiting for the free beer, but none of the volunteers knew that it was canceled. This is something they need to fix for next year. The weather was really pleasant this year and the Fargo Marathon races always make for a fast race.

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    marxbk18 FIRST-TIMER '23

    This was a great race. I ran it because I am running 50 states and this was the best ND race. Fitz is the announcer and reason enough to run … MORE

    This was a great race. I ran it because I am running 50 states and this was the best ND race. Fitz is the announcer and reason enough to run this race. The “shirt” was a nice hoodie. We had perfect weather which, from what I am told, is not the normal. It is a very flat course. The community is really supportive. I have never been offered so many orange slices in my life during any race. They start and finish in the Fargodome. That means real restrooms and no matter what the weather is you will be comfortable foe the start. They even have showers open for runners after the race! If you are looking to run in ND or just want a fast course with a great start finish line and great swag then this is the race to run.

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    bramms24 FIRST-TIMER '23

    Really good race. Course was flat and pretty fast. The corals were on the honor system so we know how that usually works. Once out of the Fargodome you had … MORE

    Really good race. Course was flat and pretty fast. The corals were on the honor system so we know how that usually works. Once out of the Fargodome you had lots of room to spread out though. Course went through some really nice neighborhoods, parts of NDSU and downtown Fargo. Lots of people lined the course for support with lots of music and extra drinks. The finish line was in the Fargodome as well which was pretty cool. Gear check was probably the worst I’ve ever seen though. There were 4 or 5 lines and they were all super long. i happened to get in one that was about half as long as the others and still stood around for about 15 mins. When I finally got up front the guy told me I could hop the fence and get my own bag since it would be quicker 🙂 The web site advertised an after party downtown Fargo at 3 PM. Lots of runners down there only to find out there was no party this year and it hadn’t been removed from the web site. Small things like this don’t really bother me but I know it does others so thats why i mentioned it. All in all it was a good race and a good time and thats why I would recommend it.

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    emelia.pitlick FIRST-TIMER '23

    I loved the flat route and all the crowd support! Starting/ending in the Fargodome was a little odd but also kinda nice. The weather in 2023 was great, but if … MORE

    I loved the flat route and all the crowd support! Starting/ending in the Fargodome was a little odd but also kinda nice. The weather in 2023 was great, but if it wasn’t the Fargodome would be a life saver. Swag was a comfy sweatshirt and nice reusable bag. Plus lots of good giveaways at the expo. Great race!

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    MattyIce FIRST-TIMER '23

    After 26.2 miles on foot I feel like I've seen everything Fargo has to offer. North Dakota is one of only a few states that would dare to have a … MORE

    After 26.2 miles on foot I feel like I’ve seen everything Fargo has to offer. North Dakota is one of only a few states that would dare to have a race in May. Weather was great, you can count on 40s/50s in the morning warming up to low 70s by the end. Course is flat as promised. A few gentle hills but otherwise as easy as they come. If I could make any course complaints the reliance on out-and-backs to pad distance was a bit repetitive. Great crowd support and glad the organizers largely keep the race distances independent from each other. Having now done a good handful of races I can say it really makes a difference not tripping over half-marathoners or 10K-ers. Sweater they give you is pretty bad but you do get a lot tech shirts with this hobby.

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    todd17406 FIRST-TIMER '23

    Ran Fargo in 2023 as my 32nd Sub 4 state. 2023 was their 19th year, and you can tell it's a very well oiled machine. From prerace communications/Expo/Course/Swag, they have … MORE

    Ran Fargo in 2023 as my 32nd Sub 4 state. 2023 was their 19th year, and you can tell it’s a very well oiled machine. From prerace communications/Expo/Course/Swag, they have it down pat. Being able to start/finish inside the FargoDome is a great feature. You can’t go wrong choosing Fargo as your ND marathon. My only suggestions for improvement would be to start it earlier than 0730 if you hold the Marathon on May 20. Maybe 0730 works if you hold it May 6? It gets warm on the course and there isn’t lots of shade.

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    StoneSquarer FIRST-TIMER '23

    This marathon has all of the amenities of a big city marathon, but the friendly, kind people that you would expect to meet in a small town. Fargo is such … MORE

    This marathon has all of the amenities of a big city marathon, but the friendly, kind people that you would expect to meet in a small town. Fargo is such a lovely city, and the people treated us really well. The marathon was very well organized and executed. everyone in town got behind it. It’s a very flat course through some very beautiful neighborhoods, where many of the neighbours would come out and support the runners. .

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    pleegenes FIRST-TIMER '22

    Absolutely no complaints here, perfectly organized race. The announcer was fantastic, I'm from Tulsa and she does ours as well. Start and finish indoors, can't beat that. I stayed a … MORE

    Absolutely no complaints here, perfectly organized race. The announcer was fantastic, I’m from Tulsa and she does ours as well. Start and finish indoors, can’t beat that. I stayed a 1/2 mile from start. Aid stations were awesome, course was well marked we had great weather until the headwind at the last couple of miles but so what. Free pictures and they were out to us that evening, spectacular!!! Really nice jacket, lightweight.

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    hillertm FIRST-TIMER '22

    Overall, the Fargo Marathon 2022 was excellent, though not without challenges. The course this year had to be rerouted twice due to flooding. The final course still started in the … MORE

    Overall, the Fargo Marathon 2022 was excellent, though not without challenges. The course this year had to be rerouted twice due to flooding. The final course still started in the Fargo Dome and went through many of the same neighborhoods, but cut out most of the scenic paths along the river (they were all under water). The final course was flat, fast, and fun. There were a lot of pace groups in 5 minute intervals and the pacers I ran with (3:55 and 3:50) were excellent, encouraging, and entertaining. There were great fans throughout the course. Water/Powerade stops were available every two miles or so. The only downside in terms of the race is that they only had one GU stop at around 20 miles.

    The swag this year was a nice change of pace from other races. Instead of a T-shirt, marathon runners received a warm jacket that will be useful for fall/winter running. The medal was fine–I think EnMotive uses the same medal for every event and just replaces the small medal in the middle, which isn’t as nice or as fun as a personalized medal, but it was still solid.

    Overall, it was a great race. The race director should be applauded for making the race work despite the challenges of the river.

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    mlrjwetzel FIRST-TIMER '22

    Easy race with a flat course, great training run for distances and working on speed. Town was awesome with a post race party and music throughout the course. Everyone was … MORE

    Easy race with a flat course, great training run for distances and working on speed. Town was awesome with a post race party and music throughout the course. Everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming!

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    hseitz FIRST-TIMER '22

    Race expo, start, and finish were all at the Fargodome, home to the local college football team (North Dakota State). Plenty of free parking for every event, no need to … MORE

    Race expo, start, and finish were all at the Fargodome, home to the local college football team (North Dakota State). Plenty of free parking for every event, no need to worry. It’s a hype atmosphere inside, waiting to start, and they sing both the Canadian and American national anthems.

    The course changed for 2022 because of heavy flooding. IDK what it was in previous years, but for 2022 this means a LOT of neighborhoods. It’s hard to think of what else there even is on the course besides neighborhoods. We crossed into neighboring Moorhead, MN around mile 11, ran past their downtown, and onto two beautiful college campuses around mile 15 (Concordia-Moorhead and MSU-Moorhead). We come back to North Dakota around mile 18 and run through the pretty downtown at mile 23 before finishing inside the Fargodome. Shoutout to the guy at mile 21 with the sign that said, “Feeling tired? There’s a Taco Bell just ahead that will give you the runs!” That sign made my day.

    Great crowd support for a small state like this–it rivals the best I’ve seen in Maine and Indiana. Cheap to register (~$85), free photos, great production, plenty of pacers. A perfect race to run if you are (A) a 50-stater, (B) trying to qualify for Boston, or (C) a local. If you aren’t one of those three, WTF are you even doing in Fargo?

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    RRWAEB83 FIRST-TIMER '22

    I loved this race. The fact that it starts and ends inside with bathrooms readily available? That in and of itself is a huge selling point! The community comes out … MORE

    I loved this race. The fact that it starts and ends inside with bathrooms readily available? That in and of itself is a huge selling point! The community comes out big time to support runners and the swag is amazing! I am going to make this an annual race once all my fifty are done!

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    dchaplin1990 FIRST-TIMER '22

    There was fantastic course entertainment, from bands, to dj’s and other things as well. The medal is super cool and I will be looking at a lot. All of the … MORE

    There was fantastic course entertainment, from bands, to dj’s and other things as well. The medal is super cool and I will be looking at a lot. All of the event organizers were super friendly, and will definitely be making a return trip for the full marathon

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    grimesdee FIRST-TIMER '22

    Packet pickup was a breeze at the fargo dome. We stayed at an Airbnb about 5 minutes away from the Fargo Dome. Parking was very easy in the morning. The … MORE

    Packet pickup was a breeze at the fargo dome. We stayed at an Airbnb about 5 minutes away from the Fargo Dome. Parking was very easy in the morning. The start is inside the dome. It was a little confusing as to where to drop your bags. A long line formed and we realized that was for the half because you couldn’t see the signs. Larger or higher signs would be better. You cannot obtain GPS prior to the start. At some point I ended up with more than .20 over the race distance.
    The race had to be altered due to flooding. Many turns and the 10k spilled into the full. 10k gunners were 4-5 wide and I had to make my way around them. The race in 2022 was not as flat as I anticipated but it was mostly flat. The portions on sidewalks are not ideal. The city definitely was very supportive of runners for the most part. We did make our way to the 27th mile after party but it was just too cold to continue sitting outside. The weather was great for running.

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    bjrobinette FIRST-TIMER '22

    The expo was a trip around the Fargodome with lots of freebies and plenty of opportunities to buy merchandise. Since the start and finish are inside the done there are … MORE

    The expo was a trip around the Fargodome with lots of freebies and plenty of opportunities to buy merchandise. Since the start and finish are inside the done there are plenty of restrooms and lots of room to talk, stretch, etc pre and post race. The half, marathon, and 10K were all the same day but the starts were staggered but have different courses at the start to reduce crowding. The course was altered days before the race due to flooding so we ran mostly in neighborhoods. But a lot of people were out cheering despite it being a little cold. The medal was the same as the 5K, just a different ribbon. The pullovers are nice but ran small. They let me trade up a size though. All the volunteers/workers were friendly and helpful. Post race was water, chocolate milk (Yay!!!), one beer or Truly, doughnuts (Yay!!!) , potato chips, and banana. Finishers were announced inside and the big screens showed those about to enter the dome and the finish line. I seriously diubt that North Dakota has a better race for 50 staters.

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    bjrobinette FIRST-TIMER '22

    The day was very windy and chilly. But, the start and finish is inside the Fargodome so there are plenty of bathrooms and you get to stay warm before and … MORE

    The day was very windy and chilly. But, the start and finish is inside the Fargodome so there are plenty of bathrooms and you get to stay warm before and after the race. Packet pickup was part of the marathon expo. You walk around the dome with packet pickup for each race in different parts of the dome. The expo was nice with some freebies and plenty of opportunities to buy other merchandise. Quite a few participants in the 5K so it was a little crowded in places on the course. You get a nice medal for a 5K and the long sleeve shirts were nice too. You get a post-race beer. If I had to nitpick, my only complaint was only getting a bottle of water at the finish. No food, powerade, chocolate milk, etc. But all the workers/volunteers I encountered were friendly and helpful. All in all, I enjoyed my experience.

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