Fargo? You Betcha!

Oofdah! I conquered North Dakota! This weekend, I traveled to Fargo with my friends Laird and Heather to take part in Fargo's marathon weekend. 
I chose to run the 10K, as I'm just building up my mileage after a winter break.  Since the 10K started at 7 am, and the marathon started at 8:15, it meant that I had time to run the 10K and then hightail it to an intersection along the marathon course to cheer for Heather and Laird.

The weather was a cool and rainy as I made my way to the start line. Thankfully the rain stopped before the race started! The course wound through the streets of Fargo near the Fargodome. It was nice to see spectators cheering for us even on parts of the course that diverged from the marathon route. Thanks Fargo residents! The finish line was actually inside the Fargodome - it was fun running into the stadium and seeing lots of people sitting in the stands cheering. Now that's a fun way to make every finisher feel like a rock star!

Laird and Heather midway through
Mile 18 and still smiling!

Laird and Heather ran the marathon together, in step, for all 26.2 miles, and had a fantastic 3:50 finish. Way to go! We celebrated our accomplishments with a night out on the town Fargo-style: dinner at Fargo's best restaurant, HoDo, which uses local ingredients to produce food that is "fresh, lively, adventurous and fun." That perfectly describes HoDo's extensive cocktail menu. :)

As always, I am running to support Girls on the Run. I have joined the Fundraising Committee of Girls on the Run Twin Cities, which just wrapped it inaugural season, and I'm the volunteer "director" of the Solemates charity run team, through which runners can raise funds for GOTR TC while training for their favorite races. What better way to lead the Solemates program than by example! So please consider making a donation to GOTR Twin Cities to help us expand our program locations througout the Twin Cities. You can make a donation using this link. If you are a Twin Cities local, we're celebrating our first season with a party and silent auction fundraiser on June 7 called Dollars For Distance. Please consider attending and sharing the invitation with your friends! Tickets can be purchased using the same link.

Also a charity runner, Laird ran Fargo as his 7th marathon of 2012 (!!!) in support of The Alliance for Children's Rights, Activision's Call of Duty Endowment and Children's International. If you would like to make a contribution to any of his charities, you can do so here.