This 33rd marathon/ultra memento seem different from all the others. For emblazoned in it were the bold words describing the theme of the event- Fargo Rocks! For 2012, the organizers had enjoined 70 live bands and disc jockeys to light up the course! Just another reason for the event being voted as Runner’s World ‘2010 #1 Best Value Marathon in America’.
It was a long way to Fargo, the biggest city in North Dakota. Thanks to Delta's Skymiles frequent flyer program, I flew all the way from my home base in Vancouver, British Columbia to Minneapolis and then to Fargo. As it was my first time to visit, I hardly knew what to expect in this city named after William G. Fargo, co-founder of Wells Fargo Express Company.
How pleased I was, therefore, to be immediately greeted by smiling and stunning blonde-haired volunteers at the Fargo-Moorhead airport's arrival area. How FAR can you GO, they asked? The locals had been working hard all year to prepare for a grander 8th staging of this event. They wanted participants to be able to RUN, ROCK and GO FAR in the city!
A short taxi ride from the airport brought me to the Swanson Health and Fitness Expo at the event’s focal site- The FARGODOME. As in most major races in North America, more than 80 exhibitors were on hand to show-off the latest gadgets, running gear, and souvenir items. Local charities also maintained booths and running seminars were held at the Fargodome’s lower level.
I had registered for the event online at a relatively low price compared to other US marathon races. I did not expect, therefore, to be handed perhaps one of the most finely crafted race bags I have had so far- an Adidas sackpack- inside of which was an equally exquisitely designed long-sleeved Leslie Jordan race shirt! Indeed talk about having the biggest bang for the buck!
The marathon was sponsored by The Scheels, arguably the second largest sporting goods store in the world that is headquartered in Fargo. The Scheels in Fargo features boutiques with products ranging from technical running gear to the latest fashion sportswear to spectacular hunting and fishing paraphernalia. The official outfitter for the event, on the other hand, was a brand I had patronized before- Under Armour.
A highlight of the event was the Johnny Carino’s Italian Grill Pasta and Freddy’s Lefse Feed- touted as the world’s only Pasta/Lefse feed for a marathon. Pasta everyone knows… but lefse? Well, it is a traditional and soft Norwegian flatbread made out of potato, milk or cream (or sometimes lard) and flour, and cooked on a griddle. Special tools are used for lefse baking – indeed, a special carbo-loading treat!
And while we enjoyed the Italian pasta and this fine Scandinavian original, Josh Cox, the US record holder in the 50K event, a four-time US Olympic Trials qualifier, and three-time US National Team member, awed us with his inspirational talk about how he and his late businessman-father finally came to terms with his chosen field- running- during the last months of the latter’s life. He urged us never to waiver in the pursuit of our dreams!
And since this was dubbed as a Marathon Weekend, there were activities held on both Friday and race day Saturday. Among these were the Friday Night 5K Run/Walk that was amply covered by Fargo’s media outfits. After all, the event’s goal was to set a new record of 10,000 participants, landing it in the top 10 largest 5K race events in the US. I was to learn the next day that the goal was missed just by a hairline.
All of these activities were set right within the one-square kilometer campus of North Dakota State University or NDSU, the largest public university in the region with 14,000 students. NDSU is home to the ‘Thundering Herd’ or the ‘Bison Football Team’ which plays its home games inside the Fargodome. As school was not in session, many runners, myself included, stayed at the vacant university dormitories.
Race morning Saturday was a bit cold for me at less than 10 degrees Celsius contrary to earlier forecasts. But for most everybody else, it was a perfect running morning. The giant star-spangled banner hoisted near the starting area in front of the Fargodome gently swayed with the morning breeze. I walked 10-minutes from my dormitory to the dome all wrapped up and feeling cold.
The organizers brought back the UPS bag drop for storing personal belongings during the run. One could place money, clothes, phones, and other items in the supplied Adidas sackpack, hand it over to the UPS trucks that lined the entrance to the starting line, and then throw all worries to the wind. After the event, one simply retrieved the sackpack from the same UPS team, this time inside the Fargodome.
There were staggered starts on Saturday morning for the 10K (7:00AM), 21K (7:30 AM) and 42K (8:15 AM) events. A program that featured the national anthems of Canada and the US, followed by an invocation, preceded the Marathon Wheelchair start at 8:10AM. The singing of the Canadian national anthem threw me off-guard. Turns out in places close to the Canadian border, this is customary.
Marathon runners began assembling in their respective corrals based on expected finish times. The organizers led by Race Director Mark Knutson brought back the Pace Team this year. Pace groups led by experienced pacers for a wide variety of times, including many of the Boston qualifying standards, were made available to support the runners achieve their respective marathon goals.
The more than 2,000 runners registered for the full marathon race came from all over the US, Canada, and a few other countries. Overall, nearly 24,000 participants registered for the various races that included the full marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and youth run. A tracking software allowed fans and family to visualize the progress of individual runners along the half and full marathon race courses.
With the mayor of Fargo Dennis Walaker firing the starting gun as other officials gathered on stage to witness the marathon's opening salvo, runners began to race, traversing first the tree-lined NDSU campus. The time limit for the full marathon was a generous seven hours. Everyone had enough time to be back by 3:15PM it seemed. So I took out my camera to record the event for posterity.
Just a few blocks into the race, my attention was suddenly caught by this pair of cheerleaders riding a pair of giant chickens. A few runners stopped to take photos. This scenario was to be repeated again, this time with other eye-catching mascots, all along the marathon race route. The red carpet had been rolled out, giving runners a taste of that renowned Midwestern hospitality.
For course entertainment, there were live bands every mile such that it was okay to leave one's iPod and not be isolated from the musical world. After all, it was the aim of the organizer’s to make the course a 26.2 mile Block Party! Each entertainment spot along the course became a hangout for local residents, a place to cheer the runners while enjoying music in the background.
And for added drama and rock relevance, they even invited the King of Rock himself, Elvis! Danny Elvis this time, a local Elvis Presley impersonator, and one of the several wearing the King's costume during the event! And sure boy did he rock! After running past him, one began feeling like a rock star too!
For the teeny boppers and modern day rockers, there were disc jockeys who mixed and matched lively tunes or played hip-hop. Among them were Livewire, Digital Delight, Powerplay, Jump Jive and Wail, Jordan Runsvold, Dancin with a Cowboy, Tyson, and Dude Walker. Their repertoire was varied as it was loud!
And there was old fashioned, traditional music too- this one from Kringen Accordions, a local group of 30 or so musicians who meet monthly at the Kringen Sons of Norway lodge in Fargo to learn the ways of the accordion. Their kilts matched the haunting music they played. And for the religious, there was the Atonement Church Choir belting out gospel music!
And there were the local folks and volunteers, some holding inspiring signs and placards that made runners even more thirsty just thinking of the prize at the finish line. But then other volunteers immediately handed out cups of water to make sure that the same runners immediately quenched their thirst and concentrate on running instead!
And Fargoans, as the residents of Fargo are sometimes called, came out of their homes to cheer the runners in full force. They made sure everybody felt welcome to their neighborhoods, with some hosting tailgating parties and the works. Even the kids lined up the streets, ready to slap a high-five to every runner who dared extend his or her hand.
And there were plenty of race officials and volunteers. In fact, over 2,000 residents volunteered for the event- manning kiosks, preparing and handing out medals, assisting with registration, and so on. The race marshals made sure that everybody turned correctly at the key intersections. They even invited somebody famous to guard what openings remained against unauthorized entries!
And so under such settings, the runners had really no choice but to run, rock, run again, and thus GO FAR in the city exactly as planned! For, as a runner, how else can you reciprocate the kindness of your host except to abide by their wishes? For the thirsty, water and Powerade stations were set up every two miles or less along the full marathon route.
For additional energy, GU Energy were provided twice – at mile 12 and then at mile 19 for the full marathon runners. At several points, local residents handed out food, even beer to runners. For the injured, first aid was available at all hydration stations. For the really, really sick and injured, medical drop-out stations with ambulance support were set up at four points along the course.
The locals even had a pleasant surprise for those simply feeling hot and dirty - a cold overhead shower at one point set up along this beautiful tree-lined residential street! But, still feeling cold on a sunless morning, I opted out and stayed dry. To think that just the previous afternoon, the temperature levels soared to the 90s (Fahrenheit) or high 30s (Celsius).
The race route was relatively flat with very few uphill and downhill portions. I think, however, that for a moment there, we went inside Moorhead, Minnesota – Fargo’s twin city, separated only by the Red River of the North, which is also the boundary between North Dakota and Minnesota. That brief incursion made the race a two-state run, I reckoned.
And we would run underneath passing cargo trains. Fargo's early beginnings is tightly linked with the creation of the Northern Pacific Railroad that reached the city in 1872. A decade later, in 1882, the Great Northern Railroad arrived in the city connecting it to Grand Forks and then west to the coast. For nearly a century, these two railroad systems connected Fargo to the rest of the country.
Then we would run on side streets, along key city thoroughfares, and underneath major freeways. The route were clearly marked by signs, mile after mile, so runners could track progress while finding their way. All roads we ran on were paved and the local police, race marshals, and even UPS personnel posted at intersections kept them traffic free practically most of the way.
And the run would take us into the historic and revitalized downtown districts of Fargo and, briefly, Moorhead. Every summer, a Downtown Street Fair, full of outdoor booths of handmade arts and crafts, awesome food and great entertainment, attracts 150,000 people to the area. That morning, a solitary fireman on a crane greeted each and every runner for a job well done.
The run to the downtown would be highlighted by us passing by the historic
Fargo Theater. Built in 1926 as a vaudeville and cinema house, the building has played host to film icons such as Janet Leigh and sports greats such as Babe Ruth over the years. Recently restored, nowadays the theater is operated as a first-class movie house that is open all days of the year except one.
Sixty three members of my club the Marathon Maniacs rocked Fargo that Saturday morning. Some of them like JC, Kino, and David W I have shared roads with before in Hong Kong, St. Louis and a few other places. Elite Maniac Larry Macon, a trial attorney from Texas who holds the world record for most marathons done in a single year at 113, also graced the occasion.
Many of the Maniacs did very well including my friend Kim G from Texas who ran strongly with this pack and would finish the Comrades Marathon in South Africa two weeks later. Eventual winners for the men’s 42K event would be Oliver Hoffman of Germany at 2:28:15 and local runner Lisa Dyer at 2:45:25 for the women’s side. Overall, 1825 runners finished the full marathon.
And the race ended where it all started, but this time right inside the Fargodome – my very first ‘inside-the-dome’ finish for a marathon. Finishing inside meant a grand entrance with the moment being captured on camera and displayed on the giant Jumbotron Video Monitors! Music blaring, I could almost hear the word ‘Touchdown’ as I stepped on the finish line!
The medal was to be my second for the same month of May and 33rd overall. Food and beer plus a free shower and massage were waiting at the finish line. In the evening, a rock concert featuring the rock classics of Journey, Styx, and REO Speedwagon was held at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds as performed by Minnesota’s premier tribute band The Arch Allies!
The marathon this year had several taglines, among them ‘Fargo = Flat, Fast and Friendly’, ‘Rock N Run’, ‘Race, Run, Rock’, and ‘Rock, Run, and Go Far’. Having ran The Scheels Fargo Marathon already, to these all, I could only agree.
Fully, completely!
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