About
An exceptional marathon weekend that harnesses the beautiful sights and views around the lakes of Bemidji, Minnesota. LIKE this page for race planning/training updates. Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 26K Lake Loop, 10K, 5K, and Kids Fun Runs!
The Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon weekend is a fun packed weekend for friends and family to enjoy. Whether you’re up to the challenge of a marathon, or training for your first 5K, this will be a race for you that you won’t want to miss.
Bemidji is an action packed tourist town from Memorial Day to Labor Day and we appreciate all our friends and visitors that call Bemidji their summer home. An October race will offer a chance for these friends to return to Bemidji and enjoy our beautiful fall colors along the lake shore that peek the beginning of the month. A fall race also provides more ideal running temperatures and less chance of rain. Yes- it might snow, but hey, we run in snow 6 months of the year here.
The name Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon pays tribute to Paul Bunyan’s faithful friend that has graced the shore of Lake Bemidji for 75 years. We needed a unique name that catches attention from runners across the country. We discussed many names including some that revolved around “first city on the Mississippi,” and Paul Bunyan. We choose Blue Ox to avoid confusion with other towns that claim Paul Bunyan and with Paul Bunyan Triathlon.
