Fargo Marathon 2015: The Big Chill

30 degrees Fahrenheit at race time this morning! Fortunately all the races started in the FargoDome.
Lots were well bundled up and some less so. The top runners treated the weather like any other and cruised the course with shorts and tank tops. As a spectator I was chilled. I am glad I went back home and picked up gloves for the family otherwise I would have begun running to keep myself warm. This might have been the coldest starting temperature since the inaugural race 11 years ago. And on that day it snow too!
The chill did not keep 9th and 8th St from cheering on the throngs of runners fast and slow. Many spectators were in place well before the 7:30 start of the marathon and good parking was limited. Nonetheless it was a great time.

Eric Loeffler on 9th street

Nothing terribly dramatic at this year's race from what I observed. Marathon victors won pretty handily. But I must give a shout out to Keith Lehman. This is a guy to watch for the future. He might come back and win this race in a year or two. But this year's men's race went to a Kenyan transplant again. The women's race was won by a Colorado native. Bleacher Report sings praises and gives summary results of the marathon.
On the half marathon side of the day- Fargo's Eric Loeffler added another half victory and bested his 2013 victory time by 2 minutes. One of the of the region's top runners, Eric will be running Grandma's Marathon in June. An 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier and UND grad, Heidi Greenwood won the women's half.
Finally, a bravery award goes to the man who decided to run shirtless in the chill of the morning. Hopefully there were lots of cheers for him. Eat your heart out Will Ferrel.

2015 Bravery Award Winner