Antics along way almost as good as the run itself

Of course the most significant time from Saturday's Fargo Marathon was 2 hours, 30 minutes, 34 seconds - the time it took Eric Sondag to win the Fargo Marathon.

But for nonrunners who took advantage of the nice weather and casually stroll parts of the course, such as Fargo's Historic Eighth Street South, the atmosphere of sites and sounds on the sidelines were almost as entertaining as the run itself.

7:55 a.m. - The race has yet to start, but the party has hit its stride at Rod and Ellen Shafer's at 215 8th St. S.

After working for five hours to get his stereo system set up just right, Rod, of Arctic Audio, blasts General Public's cover of "I'll Take You There" and the Pointer Sisters' "Neutron Dance."

Marathon Day is the only time of year neighbors could forgive you for playing bad 1980s and '90s pop at 105 decibels at 8 a.m. Similarly, it's the only day when Republica's lone hit, "Ready to Go," sounds good. Once.

8:20 - "The Kenyans are coming," someone yells, as the lead runners turn off First Avenue South onto Eighth Street.

8:30 - Scott Dahms, dressed in sweat pants and sweat bands, leaves the stationary bike he found during cleanup week and strolls from the curb past a sign on the boulevard that states, "Dahms' Purple Paradise. We drink, you run." He walks up to his purple porch at the very purple 423 8th St. S. to play the theme from "Rocky" - for the third time since the race started.

8:42 - Mile 4 seems to be sponsored by Microsoft, with signs staked in yards. "The finish line is just around the next 32 corners" is clever, much better than, "It's not whether you win or lose. It's whether you run Microsoft Windows." Really? Does Microsoft really need to plug its best-known product on a race course?

9:02 - It's just been announced that the Kenyans have crossed Mile 9. I see a friend walking on the 1400 block. I encourage him to pick up the pace. He's got some colorful, though less encouraging words for me. I probably deserved that. There's a sign on his back that says "Bloody Mary or bust." He doesn't look broken, but if I were to buy him a drink, I'd start with a big glass of water.

9:12 - Lynne Olson and the Kringen Accordion Club play in her driveway at 1713. Standing on the boulevard Jens and Aud Olson wave Norwegian flags at the runners. They're in town from Norway for a family wedding.

"They've never seen a Syttende Mai like this before," says Synnove Rommesmo, noting that Saturday was Norwegian Constitution Day.

Asked what he thinks of the marathon spectacle, Jens simply replies, "Super."

9:40 - Seven minutes after a radio announces that runners just passed Mile 16, one last pack of walkers makes their way down the 1400 block, between Miles 4 and 5.

"We know where to find ourselves in the paper this way," Julie Lavelle explains to someone cheering her on.

Readers can reach Forum columnist John Lamb at (701) 241-5533