100 years of running 

Bismarck Marathon celebrated its anniversary

SPORTS | October 2024

The Bismarck Marathon celebrated its 100th anniversary and hosted multiple different events, which included a full marathon, half marathon, relay race, 10k, 5k, kids mini-marathon, Thompson and Sons mascot dash, and the Bisbark 4k for dogs. Thirty-nine teams consisting of three to five people ran, making a total of about 195 runners for the event.

Since it started in 1924, it has grown into a local yearly event. Only one record has been broken since 1995 from Christina Scobey at the women's full marathon. As the longest-running event in North Dakota, runners were recommended to train beforehand and prepare with proper health care like sunscreen, pre-workout, stretching, and endurance training.

Many runners have running experience. Number 1551, Aubrey Eckroth, wheeled the 5k as a member of the Bio Girls, her running team. Her favorite part was “seeing all the people” and her least favorite part was “this big hill that was very steep and just kept getting steeper.” 

A highlight of the race was the mascot dash where many of the town's favorite sports and school mascots ran in a friendly competition. This year, even though it was raining, Clark the Lark from the Bismarck Larks won this year's race. Another popular choice for many was the Bisbark 4k. Runners ran with their dogs, but there were only 100 spots available. It seemed to have attracted the biggest crowd. This year's event was sponsored by many different people, companies, and organizations like Scheels and MDU Resources.