Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon

The race course is a loop, mostly flat with some hills and roughly 300 ft. total elevation gain. All of the route is on paved trails and roads. Runners cite the scenic nature of the course as a highlight of the race.^[9][10]

As of 2018, the course starts at the Sanford Center, the convention center and hockey arena, and then heads west before angling back toward the start for an eight-mile loop. The race continues on the shore of Lake Bemidji and follows the tree-lined Paul Bunyan State Trail over the Mississippi River before doubling back (for just a mile) after reaching Big Bass Lake.^[11] The route continues through the pines, poplar and spruce trees of Lake Bemidji State Park, back around the west side of panoramic Lake Bemidji, through the city's downtown, and past the Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues before returning to the Sanford Center.

The course is a certified marathon distance (USATF #MN18060RR).^[12]

Several races take place as a part of the marathon weekend. The first day includes two kids races (a 1/2K and 1K), a 5K run and a 10K run. The marathon takes place on the second day along with a half marathon and a unique 26K (16.16-mile) race that circles Lake Bemidji. Throughout the weekend, the local arena hosts the Be Active Expo and (most years) the Bemidji State Beavers men's hockey team home games.^[13]

The marathon and half marathon races offer pacers.^[14]

Prizes for the marathon have included double-bit felling axes with engraved handles.^[15]

Local runner Dennis Bartz spearheaded the idea to bring a marathon to Bemidji, a city of nearly 15,000 people. Bartz coached cross country and track for Bemidji High School, and in the 1970s, was captain of his Bemidji State Beavers track and cross country teams. He wrote "Run For Your Life ... The Marathon, Minnesota Style" in 2011. In 2012, Bartz worked with a team of co-directors, including Cris Bitker, Jill Bitker, Aaron Riedel, Mark Peske, to plan and launch the first marathon weekend in 2013.^[16][17]

2013

Marathon

The first Bemidji Blue Ox marathon took place Saturday, Oct. 12. The temperature was 54 degrees at the start and rose to 65 by noon while a strong wind carried in a light mist. Throughout the race, runners faced wet and chilly conditions. Still, the marathon race saw 184 runners finish from 23 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces, proving to race organizers that there was ample support for the event.^[18][19]

Gina Aalgaard Kelly led the women in the marathon and set a course record in 3:04:52. It has yet to be broken. It was another strong finish for the North Dakota State University alumnae and professor who was returning to her hometown.^[20] Earlier, in April, she took 2nd at the Run for the Lakes half marathon, and in June she had run sub-3:05 at Grandma's Marathon.

The men's winner, Pete Miller, was also a Bemidji High School and North Dakota State alumnus. Local spectators recalled Miller running for the Bemidji Lumberjacks at the 1987–1988 Minnesota State cross country and track championships.^[21][18] Miller churned through the course and crossed the finish line first with a time of 2:46:19. The course record would stand until 2017.

Half Marathon—The inaugural half marathon was run with the marathon; 388 runners competed to the finish line. Pam Olsen, who finished top-10 at the 2012 Fargo Marathon, won for women (1:32:27). Her time remained a course record for three years.^[18]

Kenny Miller, a teacher at Bertha-Hewitt High School and former Bemidji State University alumnus, won the overall race in 1:14:04. A week before, he had run a 54:33 at the TC 10 Mile to finish 12th. Miller was often a top-10 contender at the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in the 2000s, and in 2003 had run 1:10:22 for eighth place.^[22]

5K—The first 5K was run Friday, Oct. 11. In field of 206 runners, winners were 16-year-old Evan Byler (20:14) and Amy Thorson (24:14).^[23][24]

2020

The COVID-19 pandemic forced closures on nearly every marathon starting in mid-March, and while Grandma's Marathon and Twin Cities Marathon had cancelled two months in advance, smaller fall marathons in appeared as though they would take place. Med City Marathon pushed back its start from May to September. The Ely Marathon, scheduled for September, and the Mankato Marathon, scheduled for October, still planned to go on.

But one by one, each cancelled. By July 28, after Ely, Med City and Mankato marathons had fallen like dominos, race directors for Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon also cancelled their event, citing the state of Minnesota's policies regarding crowds. They announced that entry fees would not be refunded due to incurred costs. "The health and safety of our participants, volunteers, sponsors, spectators, and community remain our top priority," the race officials wrote in a press release.^[25]

In Minnesota, the Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon was the last scheduled marathon of 2020 to announce cancellation, which the race officials did on July 28. All races were announced to have virtual versions, but all in-person races were cancelled.^[26]

Key:   Course record

All cities in Minnesota unless indicated otherwise

	Men						Women
Year	Place	Name	Age	Hometown	Time		Year	Place	Name	Age	Hometown	Time
2025[27]		Brett Kurschner	21	Bemdiji	2:38:25		2025[27]		Ellyssa Peterson	27	Nashwauk	3:05:36
		Noah Schlee	31	Richfield	2:40:37				Mary Larue	45	Willmar	3:28:08
		Michael Cooper	27	Winnipeg, Manitoba	2:52:13				Caitlin Cavanaugh	35	Bemidji	3:32:47
2024[28]		Benjamin Drexler	36	Minneapolis	2:38:22		2024[28]		Ellyssa Peterson	26	Nashwauk	2:54:31
		Carlos Batista de Olive	44	Bloomington	2:41:10				Serena Sullivan	43	Hibbing	3:04:03
		Sam Hodgson	24	Mankato	2:53:23				Madelyn Stone	23	Bemidji	3:28:51
2023[29]		Jesse Prince	42	Bemidji	2:38:28		2023[29]		Amy Will	36	Warren	2:57:06
		Benjamin Drexler	35	Minneapolis	2:45:28				Molly Mccabe	32	St. Louis Park	3:01:14
		Dave Haglin	42	Duluth	2:53:23				Sydney Patterson	26	Baxter	3:11:47
2022[30]		Jesse Prince	41	Bemidji	2:37:30		2022[30]		Natalie Timmers	40	Nelson	3:29:23
		Andrew Richardson	33	Wyoming, Minnesota	2:58:14				Jill Marble	51	Prior Lake	3:36:04
		Jacob Roberts	36	Ham Lake	2:58:26				Nicole Gunderson	37	Baxter	3:41:00
2021[31]		Anthony Fagundes	31	Fair Oaks, California	2:44:44		2021[31]		Amanda Blair	31	Grand Forks, North Dakota	3:02:14
		Brandon Lee	40	West Fargo, North Dakota	3:04:29				Amy Will	34	Warren	3:10:55
		Dave Haglin	40	Duluth	3:07:32				Amanda Reynolds	36	Pineville, North Carolina	3:21:37
2020[26]		Race cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic*					2020		Race cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic*
2019[32]		Jesse Prince	38	Bemidji	2:35:32		2019[33]		Amy Will	32	Warren	3:22:40
		Ricky Aulie	35	Breezy Point	2:56:58				Dexi Maxa	34	Bigfork	3:26:20
		John Naegeli	35	Bemidji	3:04:56				Kelli Holmstrom	35	Roseville	3:33:46
2018[34]		Brock Tesdahl	25	Hopkins	2:36:35		2018[34]		Stacie Noha	32	Isle	3:21:52
		Christopher Frank	46	Winnipeg, Manitoba	2:55:49				Stephanie Dreis	29	Maple Grove	3:31:57
		Taylor Johnson	28	Sauk Rapids	3:04:41				Karen Kleind Ronning	43	Excelsior	3:32:58
2017[35]		Brock Tesdahl	24	Hopkins	2:37:31		2017[35]		Annalise O'Toole	26	Long Beach, California	3:19:04
		Jesse Prince	36	Bemidji	2:44:44				Lisa Nordvik	26	St. Cloud	3:28:50
		Sam Dwyer	24	Bemidji	3:24:01				Bonnie Fines	45	St. Cloud	3:33:41
2016[36]		James Straubel	26	Bemidji	2:54:58		2016[36]		Amy Will	29	Stephen	3:25:36
		Bryan Larison	33	Minneapolis	2:55:04				Carrie Miller	33	Minneapolis	3:32:29
		Ricky Aulie	32	Breezy Point	3:03:21				Jess Gowan	26	Manvel, North Dakota	3:32:47
2015[37]		Brock Tesdahl	22	Crosby	2:52:30		2015[37]		Sarah Kemp	32	Sauk Rapids	3:25:00
		Ben Bruce	32	Waubun	2:54:09				Melanie Hevel-Olson	34	Bemidji	3:35:35
		Benjamin Nelson	19	Grand Forks, North Dakota	3:04:39				Melanie Lund	33	Roseville	3:39:07
2014[38]		Tom Ritchie	40	Anchorage, Alaska	2:36:47		2014[38]		Sarah Kemp	31	Sauk Rapids	3:15:30
		Ben Bruce	31	Waubun	2:50:44				Andrea Nelson	41	Bemidji	3:21:17
		James Manecke	42	Lengby	3:08:16				Cosette Mari Taylor	40	Winnipeg, Manitoba	3:25:47
2013[39]		Pete Miller	44	Shorewood	2:46:20		2013[40]		Gina Aalgaard Kelly	37	Lisbon, North Dakota	3:04:52
		Cley Twigg	38	Moorhead	2:51:07				Jessica Lovering	25	Eden Prairie	3:07:31
		Robert Preston	44	Athens, Tennessee	2:55:37				Andrea Nelson	40	Bemidji	3:24:27

Key:   Course record

All cities in Minnesota unless indicated otherwise

	Men						Women
Year	Place	Name	Age	Hometown	Time		Year	Place	Name	Age	Hometown	Time
2025[41]		Ruairi Moynihan	36	Fargo, North Dakota	1:41:43		2025[41]		Autumn Huju	29	Minneapolis	1:58:00
		Braxton Middaugh	21	Fargo, North Dakota	1:43:46				Mary Wood	28	Grimes, Iowa	2:02:13
		Taylor Boysen	27	Grimes, Iowa	1:46:06				Tyla Wilson	48	Jamestown, North Dakota	2:08:23
2024[42]		Jesse Prince	43	Bemidji	1:40:02		2024[42]		Dawn Fairchild	48	Grand Rapids	2:05:36
		Keith Virden	51	Springfield, IL	1:44:28				Kerrie Berg	45	Bemidji	2:06:11
		Seth Dallman	35	Grand Forks, ND	1:51:00				Chantal Givens	46	Winnipeg, Manitoba	2:10:33
2023[43]		Carlos Eduar Batista de Olive	43	Bloomington	1:36:58		2023[43]		Chelsey Gloude	35	Warren	2:00:39
		Charles Beiberg	31	Tenstrike	1:49:07				Lynn Astrop	27	Edina	2:04:16
		Isaac Pearson	22	Duluth	2:01:24				Chantal Givens	45	Winnipeg, Manitoba	2:05:16
2022[44]		Benjamin Drexler	34	Minneapolis	1:35:55		2022[44]		Amy Will	35	Warren	1:48:13
		Ryan Rogers	43	Bemidji	1:50:08				Lindsay George	38	Thompson, North Dakota	2:05:40
		Dustin Jarshaw	40	Newfolden	2:00:16				Julie Helsene	37	Brainerd	2:08:14
2021[45]		Kevin Robertson	33	Brainerd	2:20:31		2021[45]		Lindsay George	37	Thompson, North Dakota	2:03:39
		Cullen Reiser	28	Mound	2:21:59				Amber Kantonen	45	Mahtowa	2:14:13
		Mike Porter	56	Brainerd	2:22:14				Sr. Melissa Cote	43	Bismarck, North Dakota	2:14:25
2020[26]		Race cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic*					2020		Race cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic*
2019[46]		Matthew Arbegast	20	Grand Forks, North Dakota	1:45:04		2019[33]		Casey Hovland	23	North Branch	1:45:32
		Ryley Emslander	18	Sartell	1:59:13				Jane Maus	24	Salt Lake City, Utah	2:03:19
		Erik Wheeler	40	Rice	1:59:58				Brittany Hesse	28	Thief River Falls	2:10:04
2018[47]		Michael Mettler	25	New York Mills	1:48:48		2018[47]		Mandy Elseth	36	Fargo, North Dakota	2:01:14
		Norris Chin	26	Grand Forks, North Dakota	2:01:01				Hanna Fylpaa	30	Juneau, Alaska	2:10:29
		Lawrence Mettler	18	Burtrum	2:01:43				Lisa Becker	33	Minneota	2:11:04
2017[48]		Brooks Grossinger	40	Mayer	1:42:48		2017[48]		Denise Kaelberer	46	Bismarck, North Dakota	1:58:04
		Charles Biberg	25	Tenstrike	1:45:31				Katie Durrant	43	Bemidji	1:59:53
		Erik Pieh	34	St. Paul	1:56:26				Jessica Lovering	29	Eden Prairie	2:07:24
2016[49]		Sam Dwyer	23	Bemidji	1:43:05		2016[49]		Jessica Lovering	28	Eden Prairie	1:55:09
		Brooks Grossinger	39	Mayer	1:43:13				Mandy Elseth	34	Fargo, North Dakota	1:56:54
		Ben Kirmse	33	Somerset, Wisconsin	1:45:01				Kari Brown	39	Garfield	2:08:59
2015[50]		Brooks Grossinger	38	Mayer	1:41:40		2015[50]		Lisa Dunnigan	33	Moorhead	1:58:38
		Sam Dwyer	22	Bemidji	1:55:03				Andrea Nelson	42	Bemidji	2:02:32
		Richard Thompson	49	Peoria, Illinois	2:06:30				Danielle Gronhovd	20	Duluth	2:09:52
2014[38]		Chris Bowman	24	Minneapolis	1:51:31		2014[38]		Andrea Kennedy	34	Winnipeg, Canada	2:07:44
		William Sackett	26	Grand Rapids	1:55:16				Jill Anderson	40	Bemidji	2:07:56
		Syl Lemelin	46	Winnipeg, Canada	1:59:24				Kristin Rognerud	33	Duluth	2:08:46