FARGO, N.D. – Fargo Marathon officials say they’re monitoring the impact of smoke from Canadian wildfires with local authorities and the National Weather Service, but no changes to the race schedule have been made.
On Saturday, the marathon is scheduled for 7:00 AM, the half marathon is set to race at 7:15 AM, the 10k is set to begin at 7:40 AM and the youth run is set for 2:30 PM. The Mark Knutson Memorial 5k is scheduled for 6:30 Friday night.
“Air quality is expected to be poor starting 6 AM on [marathon] race day. If you are susceptible to respiratory issues, please be prepared with whatever measures you would use in terms of inhalers etc. Please make sure to pace yourself and listen to your body. Consider a shorter distance. It may not be the day for a PR [personal record],” Marathon officials said in a statement.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for the entire state until 6:00 PM Monday, June 2.
“Fine particle levels are expected to reach the red air quality index category across northern Minnesota, which is unhealthy for everyone, and the orange AQI category across the rest of the state, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups,” MPCA said in a statement.
Click here for Chief Meteorologist Dean Wysocki’s forecast including for smoke conditions.
