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The Fargo Marathon is one of the best small-town marathons in the United States, and for good reason. Our course offers 26.2 miles (Or 13.1 if you opt for our 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 other.
The fun doesn’t stop there. Our event is a week-long celebration of running and endurance that includes 7 total events from our extremely popular Friday Night 5K to our Furgo Dog Run and Cyclothon events. Everyone is welcome to participate, spectate, and enjoy, so what are you waiting for? Secure your spot today. Uff-da!
The marathon course is USATF-certified and an official Boston qualifier.
Marathon
The Essentia Health Fargo Marathon course is a 26.2-mile party unlike any other. Starting and ending inside the FargoDome, you’ll be treated to over 50 bands and DJs lining the route. Plus, you’ll be welcomed around town by Fargo’s incredible residents who cheer on every runner as they go by throughout the day. You couldn’t ask for better entertainment and support as you complete 26.2 miles.
When you return to the FargoDome, you’ll receive our VIP treatment via being able to watch yourself cross the finish on the high-definition jumbotron above you while thousands of people in the stadium cheer you on. There’s no better way to finish your race.
And as always, the Essentia Health Fargo Marathon is a USATF-Certified Course and a Boston Qualifier!
Half Marathon
Recognized as one of the fastest half marathons in the region, the Fargo Half Marathon includes the best pieces of Fargo all wrapped up in 13.1 miles!
The race starts inside the Fargodome and then takes you through tree-lined residential streets and on to the bike path trails along the Red River. The half marathon course continues through historic 8th and 9th Streets before you hit Broadway and the awesome Fargo Theatre! After that, it’s back to the Fargodome for your indoor jumbotron celebrity finish line!
Very flat! Very fast! Very fun!
And don’t forget about the DJs and live bands along the way….at least one per mile!
10K
The Fargo 10K will be on Saturday and start at 7:45 a.m. INSIDE the Fargodome! The route will take you through some beautiful North Fargo neighborhoods and will wind back around to make your grand finish inside the Fargodome.
5K
Get ready to join thousands of runners at North Dakota’s LARGEST road race. That’s right, the Fargo Friday Night 5K is a massive celebration of running and all things Fargo, and attracts more runners than any other race in the state!
With an amazing and electric atmosphere, this is a can’t-miss 5K. The race kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and starts and finishes INSIDE the Fargodome with an epic after-party, so you’ll be rockin’ and runnin’ from the inside out!
The event is capped at 6,000 runners and will sell out prior to registration closing, so be sure to reserve your spot as soon as possible!
Youth Run
In 2005, about 100 kids lined up at the bike path along the Red River on a Friday night to kick off the very first event of the inaugural Fargo Marathon. Fast forward to our Youth Run in 2016, and we had over 2,800 kids who took part in the Fargo Marathon Youth Run!
This year’s Youth Run will feature two different distances: 1/2 mile and 1 mile featuring the thrills and excitement of TNT Fitness – who help prepare the kids with fun music and stretches & warm ups and get them ready to run! The race is open to all children 12 and under. Parents/Guardians are welcome to run alongside their children or push them in a stroller, if necessary. The different age groups will start in waves so congestion is kept to a minimum. Safety is our first priority! All kids will finish inside a secured, fenced-in area.
Cyclothon
We know that not everyone likes to run, and there are a lot of folks that like to ride their bike. The Fargo Marathon Cyclothon is the perfect way for you to be able to participate in the Fargo Marathon week of festivities, feel the energy of the excitement from all of the participants, and do it while on your bicycle!
The Cyclothon will happen on Monday, May 16, and start at 6:30 p.m. for both the 15-mile and 26.2-mile. The races will start and finish at the Buffalo Wild Wings just off of 19th Avenue North in North Fargo. The courses will be a nice loop of North Fargo, Harwood, and Moorhead, circling back to the finish line at BWW. Every finisher will receive an official Fargo Cyclothon shirt and finisher’s medal.
Make sure to stop at Buffalo Wild Wings just across the street after the race! They will be hosting an ‘after party’!
Furgo Dog Run
Have a furry running buddy? Then we have a run/walk for you, too!
Introduced at the 2016 Fargo Marathon event, the FurGo Dog Run, sponsored by NutriSource, was an instant success with dogs and dog owners, alike! Over 400 participants took on the 1.5-mile course with a canine and loved it!
Join us on Tuesday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. as we shoot for 500 participants (that will be something to bark about!). Complete with your doggy goody bag, finisher’s shirt, finisher’s medal, and your dog’s very own finisher’s medal, it’s an event you will not want to miss! This race often fills up fast, so be sure to register early!
Go Far Challenge
Are you one who really likes a challenge? Then the Bell Bank Go Far Challenge is for you!
The concept is simple: run or walk the 5K on Friday evening and then run the 10K, Half Marathon, or Full Marathon Saturday morning!
You’ll receive: a 5K shirt and a finisher’s medal, a shirt and finisher’s medal from your Saturday race, an exclusive Fargo Go Far Challenge running hat, and all the bragging rights you want!
This event was introduced in 2010 and was an instant success! We have limited space for 1,500, so if you’re “up to the challenge”, then we advise you to sign up now!
LESS
Full of energy and nice urban course.
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.
A great, fast course
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.
Beautiful run and perfect weather!
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!
Go far in Fargo
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?
Great race, amazing support
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!
My overall experience
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
Cool and mostly flat
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.
Well Organized, Lots of Course Support
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.
Well Organized Race
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.
The Fargo residents were the best
My first event so had nothing to compare it to but since I've done a second one: the crowds of people cheering us on with theirs signs, snacks, water (outside … MORE
My first event so had nothing to compare it to but since I’ve done a second one: the crowds of people cheering us on with theirs signs, snacks, water (outside of the aid stations) was spectacular. The route was easy to follow and starting/finishing in the stadium with the huge screens was incredible. I think they called out every name. Photos/timing could use QA. It took a couple weeks for my times to be recalibrated and fixed. 5K and Half Marathon photos got mixed up but there was a good quality of both.
Great race, wasn't my best day
This race company does a great job with logistics, course, after party (although the beer was for cost) and swag. I was used to running in warmer weather and didn't … MORE
This race company does a great job with logistics, course, after party (although the beer was for cost) and swag. I was used to running in warmer weather and didn’t fare too well in the colder climate, but that’s on me. It was very pretty and friendly there.
Major PR
I couldn’t help but feel group size was down with Covid, less crowds and bands made it a bit more lackluster of a year. I also just love the exuberance … MORE
I couldn’t help but feel group size was down with Covid, less crowds and bands made it a bit more lackluster of a year. I also just love the exuberance of ND marathon in the spring. Happiness is just in the air. September just didn’t seem right. The dome start/finish is normally awesome, but with Covid could have probably been done outside to avoid congestion. No fault except the usual shipping delays affecting everyone right now, but race swag was delayed so they are shipping it to us for free so I don’t know how awesome that is yet. I used the 1:50 pacer who was great. Monster PR on my half time. Medals are big. Aid stations are frequent!
Fargo Half Marathon- FUN!
This was a super fun race, well supported along the whole course. A lot of music, bands and cheering people. The course was pretty flat, some hills. Some great scenery. … MORE
This was a super fun race, well supported along the whole course. A lot of music, bands and cheering people. The course was pretty flat, some hills. Some great scenery. The Medals are nice, I did the Go Far Challenge with the 5k the nigh before, so 3 medals in all. Can’t comment on the shirts because we did not get them yet. Shipping issues with their supplier. Disappointing but beyond the race organizers control. They are mailing them to us free of charge when they arrive. I would do this again!
Nice showcase of Fargo
The race started inside the Fargo Dome. A few runners complained about the transition into the colder weather outside bothering them, but I appreciated the ability to stretch and warm … MORE
The race started inside the Fargo Dome. A few runners complained about the transition into the colder weather outside bothering them, but I appreciated the ability to stretch and warm up at room temperature before the run. The music, video screens and general atmosphere helped set up a nice mindset for the run.
The race was advertised as flat and fast. There were a few elevation changes, but nothing major to speak of; however, this was not flash like a coastal race.
There was a shipping issue so no one received their race swag the day of the event. The pull overs look nice but I did not read the swag higher because we have still not received it.
The race highlighted downtown Fargo along with several of us knew her in Victorian homes. There was also a small section through some of the local trails. The bands were a nice touch and the volunteers were great along the course.
If someone is looking for a race in North Dakota, I would definitely recommend running the Fargo half marathon.
Flat, Fast, and Friendly course.
I think the best thing about this race is the start and finish being inside the Fargodome arena. Its nice not freezing while waiting for a race to start, or … MORE
I think the best thing about this race is the start and finish being inside the Fargodome arena. Its nice not freezing while waiting for a race to start, or having to cover up after, or eat, change, recover while in the elements. Plenty of free parking as well. Great setup in Fargo!
Great North Dakota Race
Course: Almost pancake flat course mostly through residential neighborhoods and down a paved trail along the Red River. Lots of crowd support but not much diversity when it comes to … MORE
Course: Almost pancake flat course mostly through residential neighborhoods and down a paved trail along the Red River. Lots of crowd support but not much diversity when it comes to scenery. Starts and finishes in the Fargodome, which was cool. Very easy course to PR at but be careful of potholes and storm sewer grates in intersections as you turn.
Swag: Medal was OK. Jacket and stocking hat needed to be mailed directly to runners due to supplier delay.
Production: Race was during COVID so they might have run into some snags:
– The expo and the finish festival were not as big as hyped
– The post-race “beer” was a Truly Punch
– No side events promoted with local businesses
One of the best I've ever done!
Fargo was a nice surprise! * easy pickup and great expo (Fargo Dome is 1 mile from the airport!) * no shirt at pickup - some excuse about shirts not … MORE
Fargo was a nice surprise!
* easy pickup and great expo (Fargo Dome is 1 mile from the airport!)
* no shirt at pickup – some excuse about shirts not making it in time – but will mail (we’ll see)
* absolutely no pre-race swag except for 4 free safety pins although the medal was nice and large.
* stayed at the Radisson Blu downtown. Great hotel but was impossible to get to after the race because all the roads were closed. I would suggest staying somewhere close to the airport. Also did not charge a late checkout fee (had a plane to catch the same day of the race)
* Crowd support was amazing! Loved running through the neighborhoods – everyone participated and supported even for the slow runners at the end!
* post race food – amazing doughnuts at the end!
* free photos
* great flat course
A “must do” for runners
Great race
Pretty flat, only a handful of small “hills”. Cool finish as you come into the FargoDome. Good crowd support until the last couple miles. Would’ve liked water station at mile … MORE
Pretty flat, only a handful of small “hills”. Cool finish as you come into the FargoDome. Good crowd support until the last couple miles. Would’ve liked water station at mile 4
One of the Top 10 US Marathons
**Please note: This review is from 2021. I originally signed up for the May 2020, which was postponed due to COVID. In 2021 this race was run in September, not … MORE
**Please note: This review is from 2021. I originally signed up for the May 2020, which was postponed due to COVID. In 2021 this race was run in September, not May.**
The Fargo Marathon is now easily one of my top 10 favorite US marathons. It is advertised as flat – and it definitely is! Weather was perfect–cool, not too windy. Course was well marked and there was an adequate number of aid stations.
Due to shipping issues, the swag did not arrive in time for the expo. That will be sent to runners post race (so TBD on when I will receive). Thankfully, they did have the medals to give out at the finish line.
It was SO NICE to be able to wait inside at the Fargodome before the race. No waiting outside in the dark and in the elements/cold. Plenty of seats, so no sitting on the ground. Actual bathrooms! And lots of them.
The race starts and ends in the Fargodome, which was fun. Course was flat and there were more spectators than I thought there would be. Volunteers were great. There were shuttle buses for Saturday’s races that picked up runners at multiple Fargo hotels and brought them to the Fargodome. Getting to the expo and/or the Friday night 5k required walking (several miles), renting a car, or using a ride share app. Keep that in mind when booking your hotel.
I did the Friday night 5k. I’m sure that I’ve done other night before short races, but I don’t recall those races starting at 6:30 PM. I’ll admit that I was briefly thrown by that and trying to figure out when to have my pre-marathon race pasta dinner! After the 5k seemed too late. Too close to the start seemed bad, too. So I went with 4 PM and that worked fine.
I highly recommend this race.
Loved Fargo
Fargo was well organized and great scenery throughout the course. Lots of fun art and things to look at while running. The organizers' sign game was strong! The race directors … MORE
Fargo was well organized and great scenery throughout the course. Lots of fun art and things to look at while running. The organizers’ sign game was strong!
The race directors were amazing in helping with a travel delay and still allowing me to get my bib.
Can’t rate the race swag as the event did not have any due to COVID shipping delays. Will be mailed at a later date.