Runners Endure a Windy Saturday Morning during Fargo Marathon

Runners come from all over the country to partake in the race

FARGO, N.D. — Runners of all ages and skill levels embarked on a journey of just over 26 miles through the windy streets of Fargo and Moorhead to achieve a lifetime goal.

Coming all the way from his new home in Texas, Edward Childress, a veteran of 110 marathons, says the key to finishing strong is dealing with the elements.

“Right now it feels cold (laughs), but I’m from Michigan, so it’s just getting used to the weather again,” said Childress.

On the flip side, Hannah Veldman decided to run her first marathon to support cancer research.

“Running a marathon is something I’ve always wanted to do, so when I was done playing college volleyball, I just kind of jumped right into the training,” said Veldman.

There are many runners who run the 10K, half marathon, and full marathon, but there is one runner who overcame cancer to run the half–marathon on crutches.

“I was diagnosed back at age seven with osteosarcoma, which is a form of bone cancer,” said Rob Chloupek, who has run four half marathons in Fargo on crutches.

After overcoming cancer, Chloupek started to run half–marathons with his wife Jenn. 26 half–marathons and 3 full marathons later, Chloupek has his wife and family to thank.

“My wife has been my inspiration and my rock, there’s no question about it, she has run in almost every half marathon I’ve run,” said Chloupek.

Chloupek says he runs for cancer survivors and amputees, saying anything is possible even if you’re missing a limb.

Larry, his wife, and cousins all finished the half–marathon together in two hours and 41 minutes.