So after the Minot half marathon run, I was really hyped to stick with the last month of a 3:30 training plan in order to nail the Fargo Marathon. Time to rest, time to plan, nice schedule in place – my plan was good. So we pack up the truck and the family and head for Fargo. While I was really hoping I could run a 3:30 marathon, in retrospect it was quite ambitious, considering that my previous best was only 3:51. However, I had ambition on my side.

Forecast for race day – Overcast, rain, and high humidity. The Friday night of the weekend there was a 5k family fun run/walk. The race was organized with an added incentive – called the GoFar challenge. All you had to do was run the 5k on Friday, and then either the full or half marathon on Saturday, and there it was – an extra medal. So naturally I figured I had to do that. And I did.

Friday began with a pasta supper at 4pm. Guest speaker – none other than the ultra marathon man, Dean Karnazes. Although the meal sucked, Dean’s presentation was pretty good. He spoke about motivation for running, and included his 10 minute video clip of him being on the David Letterman show. It was pretty decent.

Anyway, the Friday night run was good. My plan was to treat it as a calm, slow, relaxing run since the marathon was the next day. Normally I run 3k the day before anyway, so I figured what’s 2k more between friends. It was a crowded, but fun run and worth doing.

Saturday morning was cold and raining. Not heavy, but just enough so that you knew you were cold. And often runners will tell you that’s a good thing. I would have to agree with that also. The rain lasted about 1/2 hour or so, and then the sun came out and it got warm – and humid. I was feeling pretty good all the way through the first half of the run, making the 1/2 way point at 1:45:06, which had me on track for a 3:30 finish. However, it was not to be. For reasons which probably ranged from improper and bad timing with hydration and nutrition, to unexpected heat and humidity, to running the first half too fast – all factored in to give me a poor finish. I knew just past the half way point that I would not make the 3:30. My legs were just done. I was not too depressed – I knew I would finish and once I knew I wasn’t going to make my Boston Qualifying time, I just sauntered to the finish. The finish line was indoors, at the FargoDone, and the last 100 metres or so was also downhill. The only excitement for me was those last hundred metres where I sprinted past about 3 or 4 people just before the finish. It doesn’t seem to matter how tired I am at that point in the race – I seem to be able to sprint for that last 10 – 15 seconds to cross the line.

There were plenty of pictures thisd time. However, they were taken by a professional group, and I did not feel like paying $54 (USD) to have a digial copy of me crossing the finish line. So below are some small images of the race – maybe you can tell it’s me there, or maybe not. SInce they were free, it’s all good.

Oh, final race time: 4:06 something. There’s also an image here of a snapshot of the timing results from the website.

All in all, I’d give this one an 8/10 as well. Well organized and well supported. Fan support was great and definitely worth doing again.

Next up: Banff Jasper – June 5th.

Click on the image below to see the smaller text.

That’s the Fargo Marathon for 2010.

I think I might like to do this one again some time.

It was a great experience and it’s always nice to go to the USA for some running and cheap beer.

The race was very crowded, but by and large, everyone was happy and glad to be there.

The jumbotron was a plus. You could see yourself on the jumbotron as you ran by at the start, and as you run into the finish. People inside the FargoDome could watch people in real time as they got closer to the finish. It made it very nice for Patricia and the kids to watch me come in – they knew I was only a few minutes away, and watched me cross the finish line.

It was a tough race. I felt dizzy and nautious. Still, a good day.