The Royce Files

I think I have owned over a dozen pairs of New Balance shoes in my lifetime.  That is not much by some standards, but I have found the shoes to be durable more or less and have worn out many pairs. Plus New Balance shoes tend to fit better for people like me who have wide feet.  That is probably why I gravitate toward the brand when looking for running shoes.  My first pair of New Balance I believe were a gray and blue pair of NB574s my mother purchased for me when I took up track and field in the seventh grade. They lasted through my greatest athletic period- junior high. I grew out of them by high school, left track behind, and wore Converse All-Stars instead.  I do not recall when I returned to the New Balance fold. I remember using quite a few junky sneakers through college for sports that did not fit my feet well or breathe. Those shoes may have been from Wal-Mart or Pamida. I also started wearing more luggy outdoor recreation style shoes- Nike All Condition Ge...

BNSF Hoppers sitting still in Fargo There will be plenty of people out for National Train Day in Fargo. Most of them will be running in the Fargo Marathon. And no trains will delay the races. Those spectating the runners from downtown Fargo can watch trains too. There are 2 ideal spots. On the north end of downtown off of Broadway is the old Great Northern Depot (now Great Northern Cycles). Tracks run adjacent to the depot and there are a few places to sit. Mixed freight usually passes on this former Great Northern mainline.The Amtrak Station is just next door- but don't expect to see Amtrak during daylight hours. The Empire Builder stops in Fargo in the wee hours of the morning. On the south end of downtown at the corner of Broadway and Main is the Northern Pacific Depot. The depot is historic itself- it was designed by famed architect Cass Gilbert. The depot is adjacent to BNSF's mainline. Plenty of traffic runs through this corridor. These days you can see plenty ...

I am exhausted. I think ran the marathon. However, I did not. I spectated. However, after spectacting in the early hours of morning I mowed the lawn then tilled the garden. And all this is after spending most of Friday up at the Fargo Dome volunteering and watching my MFS run the 5K. Rain may have put a damper on the 1st part of the race but the sun pulled out a major comeback by mid-morning. Yeah SUN! I am much surprised and impressed that Chris Erichsen pulled out a victory in the men's marathon. Both times I saw him he was trailing in 2nd place. Nichole Porath took the women's title. She had a commanding lead both a mile 4 and later around 18. I also got to check her in at the elite runner check in. And Fargo's finest Eric Loeffler won the half. He continues to stand astride the top runners in the region. But let's begin with my extended coverage of the races- beyond the races and to the intrigue. This post will cover the "celebrities" at the 5K...

Race week is here. There is less flood than expected. But it is overcast. Our late spring only peaks out once in a while. Although it warmer now the temperatures will drop later this week into the weekend. But that is nothing to be concerned with the lows will be well above freezing. My only concern is potential showers on Saturday that could dampen things up a bit obviously.Still expect a cool start. Only races still available to sign up for is the Friday Night 5K and the kids runs on Thursday. You can sign up online for the 5K until Tuesday May 14th otherwise you can sign up in person at the Fargo Dome. The race currently has about 7000 entrants. Goal is 10000. Fargo loves Boston is an underlying theme this year in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing in April. Memorial bands are being sold and proceeds donated to One Fund Boston, a fund set up to help victims of the Boston bombings. Media coverage should ramp up by mid-week. Most the news in the last few weeks h...

An Unofficial Fargo Marathon band One of the allegedly unofficial bands on the marathon route featured a banjo, and fiddle, and a trombone. Pretty odd trio. Nothing rock about them. There was a ton of music on the route again this year. I saw mostly DJs but also a reggae band and the minivan Elvis

You know a marathon has passed when you notice used packages of GU strewn on the streets, half used bottles of water on the boulevard, and remnants of orange peels tossed to the curb. I have been running parts of the course this week following the Fargo Marathon and take notice of the things on the street. The course is mostly especially around the aid station areas. But as you leave  those spots behind you see the GU. After marathon the course closes I like to bike it and see if I can find any leftover GU. There were lots of wrappers this year. However, I found only 5 unopened GU packets. Last year I found 12. So I guess either the GU was mostly consumed this year or cleaned up after the races were over. There is a still a spot on the course which was not an aid station which has a bunch of orange peels on the ground. I call it orange peel pass. Why no one bothered to clean up the mess I am not sure. In all the excitement of seeing 8000 runners pass they probably forgot.

On article of clothing did stick out more than the rest this year- the headband. Nike's resurrection of the image of Steve Prefontaine has done wonders for the headband market. I've been wearing the sweatband for at least 5 years now from more of a practical standpoint that one of fashion statement Here are a few wearers of the headband. To start us out we have a rainbow headband- reminding the wearer that there may be gold at the end of this marathon. Next we have a yellow headband with sunglasses- sure to make you cruise to the finish with charm. If you cannot afford those special wicking headbands, use a bandana and spend your money on lime green over the calf socks. And forget your shirt at home. This guy is perhaps the most styling fellow in whole race. He also uses the bandana but gives it a generous width. Sunglasses, water bottle, Ipod, and cool watch- he knows how to run and chill at the same time.

Continuing the beyond the race coverage of the 2012 Fargo Marathon we present you with a few runners who were shared their impressive body art with us. Running attracts many kinds of people. I was considering make this the major focal point of our beyond the race coverage but did not encounter enough of them to make a decent amount of entries.  Some of them cross genres which we have explored before (beards) and will examine later (headbands and no shirts.) I do not recall any women with tatoos, so we have just a handful of males. Colorful biceps moving gracefully by with a beard. A full frontal tattoo with beard and abandoned carpet. He also makes the shirtless category. Looks like a floral display in the center and some artistic doves on the lower shoulders. The abandoned carpet is a leftover from clean up week. Seems nobody wanted the scrap. And not to be outdone- a duplex of tattoos, and bonus trifecta- shirtlessness, beard, and a headband. You could ...

Where other media outlets stop at the winners and a few human interest stories, the Royce Files goes further in its coverage of the Fargo Marathon. A highlights video has been posted on YouTube that allows you to see winner Oliver Hoffman flash by. <p><br><br><br>The</p> The Royce Files HQ on the marathon route was right on mile 8 for the half and near 22 for the full marathon. Just down the street from WDAY. No live Tweeting, however. I was a one man operation with 4 cameras. 2 ran out of batteries plus I had to grill hot dogs and bratwurst and play banjo. Fortunately I had a little help from my friends. The streets were crowded earlier on around mile 8 for the half marathon but dwindled as most of the pack passed by. Still there was plenty of cheering happening when the 1st marathoners arrived. . Royce Files HQ  And speaking of...

It just is not a marathon unless Elvis is running in it. Well this year Fargo had 2 Elvises running and 2 performing. Elvis will never die as long as he is running the Fargo Marathon. Below is half-marathon Elvis running just behind an Alexa's Hope team member. Elvis may make some swoon but Alexa's Hope is making aware the need for organ and tissue donation.     Elvis does the half  But do not fret, Elvis also runs in the full marathon with his own guitar and a waving roadie ahead of him. Elvis makes an appearance in the full marathon Two Elvises also performed along the race route- 1 on the North side and 1 on the South side. I photographed the south side Elvis with his mini-van last year. I caught just slice of his act this year.

You probably already know the winners of the races- the German, the Moorhead woman, the guy who sprinted past Andrew Carlson to victory, and the Ladia the defender of titles. However, you might not know the curious oddities of the Marathon- those individuals who seek running glory while in costume. I saw my share of costumes- Thor with a hammer, hula guys, a caped female. Let's start with the grand-daddy of costume figures at the marathon- Superman. Superman, faster than a speeding bullet, has run Fargo at least 3 times. I am not sure why he does not just fly a few miles. I am Superman and not blond  Below I caught the back of Luigi of Mario brothers fame. Oh no Luigi  Not to worry, Luigi made a 2nd appearance with Mario and the Princess. All I can say is that Luigi got hit by one of those moving crabs and had to go back to the beginning of the level. Mario, Luigi, and the Princess and older man

3:25 pace group coming through aid station The races are done and I feel exhausted even thou all I did was watch and ring bells and hunt for GU after the course closed. It was a real cool and windy morning on Saturday for the Marathon and Half. After reaching 90 the day before in Fargo, this was more than relief- it actually felt chilly at times. A German, Oliver Hoffman, and a local woman Lisa Dyer took the marathon championships. Lisa had come in 2nd in the half last year. It seems the few Kenyans that did enter did not make it to the top ten. Hilary Kogo had been behind Hoffman at the start of the race but fell off in the later stages. Hoffman held the lead the entire race. In the half Joe Moore must have been closely pacing Andrew Carlson because right at the end Moore sniped the Fargo South grad by a few tenths of a second. Probably the biggest upset of the weekend. Ladia Albertson-Junkans bested the females in the half marathon again. In the 10K Cley Twigg won it for the...

 Thankfully the some thunderstorms blew in overnight and have cooled Fargo down from its foray into the 90s yesterday. At this point this morning before the races it looks good albeit the roads will be wet. But at least the heat has dissipated. Volunteered at the dome yesterday on the main floor. It was not very busy. It seemed slow but some account that for 5k registration and packet pick up being removed to the south concourse rather than the main floor. I discovered that elite runners will take their time checking in. Only 2 picked up their packets during my time slot. One of them was Andrew Carlson, who will be running the half. The other was Gina Aalgaard Kelly who was still undetermined if she would do the 10K or the half due to the forecast. She holds one of the top ten course records for the women's marathon in Fargo. Other notable people spotted included the Coach- Coach GP. I actually saw him in the morning driving one of the official marathon cars. Later he was d...

Over 24000 people will take part in one of the races of the Fargo Marathon. If we assume each one came with someone else then we have around 48000 people involved. That's quite an event. Only rivaled by the annual Street Fair. Nearly 10000 ran the 5K on Friday and now the rest take to the streets on Saturday. But why should it matter to you? Is just because the economic impact we should spur the runners on? Here is some reasons I think you should be watching and cheering on Saturday.  People are important Simply put- people matter;young and old- male and female. If we lose track of that principle then we risk letting selfishness and apathy prevail which will despoil community. In this day and age of materialism and self absorption it is good to recognize the achievements of other. Character is on display It takes a lot of effort and perseverance to run a marathon or half marathon or any long distance running. event. In events like the Fargo Marathon you'll see a lot of...

5K Shirts And so the Fargo Marathon kicked off its 2012 run today with the Youth Run, Expo, and Early Bird packet pick up. All but the 5K are closed to registration. I had the opportunity to volunteer at the 5K packet pick up. It was plenty of fun. Packet work generally is a great way to meet the runners and give them a Fargo welcome. You betcha! 5K packet pick up was moved upstairs from the rest of the races. It gave us more space and generally a less stressfull time. A whole throng of gymnasts came and helped out, too. They had a great time unpackaging bags for runners. Ran into a few aquaintences of mine while I volunteered. One was running the Half Marathon while the other one, Jeff, recently got a serious injury and would not be running. Jeff has appeared in a previous marathon post a few years ago. He fractured something in his leg while trail running. Jeff assured me he was not using the 5 finger shoes. Gymnast unpacking bags Strolled t...

The youth race is just around the corner to kick of the Fargo Marathon weekend. I was supposed to be volunteering at the youth run but a volunteer scheduling blunder nixed that- those tasks were to be set asided for the race sponsors. With that volunteer gig gone I signed up for another- albeit further away from the youth race. Found another cause someone is running for. EJ Scott of Los Angeles, CA, will be running the marathon blindfolded to raise awareness of choroideremia and funds for the Choroideremia Research Foundation. Just what is choroideremia ? Basically it is a rare eye condition that leads to progressive loss of vision due to degeneration of chorid and retina (Wikipaedia). EJ plans to run blindfolded 12 marathons in 12 states in 12 months. Fargo will be the 5th marathon of that course. And on an added note, EJ does improvisational comedy and will be appearing at Fargo Billiards & Gastropub on Thursday night in an improv show. EJ's blo...

On my run yesterday I noticed familiar white markings in the street.   The course for 2012 appears to be marked and ready to go. I did not follow the parts in my part of town yet but I cam across quite a few. I biked by the Mile 22 marker.   Looks like we will be gearing up for potentially hot marathon next Saturday. The forecast outlook has a high of 73 F and a low of 52 F. Some slight wind out of the north but I do not think it will have much impact unless it gusts up past 25 MPH. Things could change but the week leading up to the marathon will be pushing the low 80s. Hydration will be important. One thing you should be aware of- the half and full marathon will not be starting together. Instead, the half marathon will start at 7:15 AM and the full marathon at 8:15 AM. A lot of the local magazines have front covers featuring the marathon, including Stride . It features runner and US 50k record holder  Josh Cox on the cover who will be s peaking during the F...

Specially built marathon cart Many people get involved in running events in order to raise awareness of an issue. The Fargo Marathon is no stranger to those runners. I recall many who ran for individuals who have died from or are suffering from cancer. I remember a man who ran the marathon with an American flag a number of years ago. Then there was the guy who ran pushing his son in a specially built cart. A few years ago the race director and few others ran the entire marathon route after it was closed as a tribute to 5 year old  Caroline Ruby Vetter , who had diedearlier that spring from the affects of Leukodystro​phy and Lennox-Gast​aut Syndrome. In fact a whole mile of the race course was dedicated to her that year. It featured lots of yellow ducks. I mentioned the college barefoot runners for Samaritan's Feet in the last marathon post. They have a Tumblr site . I was running last week and encountered a young lady running barefoot- but I do no...

It is now May in Fargo and most streets will be full. This week they will be full of junk- and pickers of all stripes will descend upon the streets looking for thrown out treasures. American Pickers could do a full season just passing through during clean up week. In three weeks, a portion of those streets will be full of people. People running, walking, standing around, doing nothing. And there will be music. Lots of music! Who knows there may even be some dancing in the streets. The Fargo Marathon weekend gets underway on May 17th with the Youth Run and then the following evening there will be the 5K. Saturday will culmintate with the main events- 10K, relay, marathon, and half marathon. If the weather trend continues we could be in for a much warmer marathon. No major flooding this year (just barely some minor flooding) so the course will generally stay the same. A portion had been removed from the Moorhead side but it has been added back in- albeit not through th...

It has been a sparse July. Not much time to post things with much going on in my wonderfully delicious life. But here we bring you Marathon in July- more Fargo Marathon beard spottings. Below we have a very real Colorado goatee surrounded by a multitude of women. The Colorado goatee is also bold enough to sport a head band Next we got a rare specimen of the almost ducktail. It is a bit blurry since I almost missed this guy. Some may classify this as the common short boxed beard but the slight point at the chin puts it in the ducktail category. Next a traditional goatee or is it? It might be an attempted balbo. He certainly takes headbanding to a new level. Here we have the envious chin curtain. Mr. Red Shirt is certainly impressed since this guy goes on to pass him up and leave him in the dust all because of the beard. We also get a bonus shirtless man and a dew rag enthusiast. Now finally, the old dutch, and a red one with a yellow headband to boot. [Also next to hi...