Fargo, North Dakota – After finishing in a little over 2 hours and 19 minutes, Abraham Talam Kipkemei claimed victory in the 19th annual Fargo Marathon. At the Lincoln Marathon in Nebraska two weeks earlier, Kipkemei, a Kenyan, set a record by just fifteen seconds. Previously, the long-standing record was held for the previous 37 years. There are rumors that the 45-year-old may stop running marathons.
Sadie Smith, a resident of St. Louis, won the women’s competition in 2 hours, 5 minutes. She has done marathons across all fifty U.S. states and says her eighteenth title is “Fantastic. Very unexpected. It feels amazing. I’m a 44-year-old woman. So, it’s pretty awesome to come in first here. This is my 94th marathon. So, I run these a lot. It’s the 19th state that I’ve gotten under three hours. Super excited about that. Everybody out there was so nice. Great course, a lot of fun,” she said.
Maddie Van Beek of NDSU won the women’s half-marathon in 1 hour and 17 minutes, while Nadir Yusuf of MSUM won the men’s competition.
Alumnus of Concordia College Munir Isahak defeated NDSU alumnus Tyson Mahar in a close race to win the men’s 10k division in 31 minutes and 26 seconds.
Bridget Henne, a native of Fargo, won the women’s competition in slightly over 39 minutes.
