For most participants, races like these offer a chance to get outdoors, come together as a community, leave worries behind, and share in something larger. Runners depart from the starting gate at the Bismarck Marathon in September 2024. Contributed / Patrick JohnsonAcross North Dakota, more than 57 running races – road races, trail runs, mud runs, triathlons, endurance events - were on the slate for 2025. For the Bismarck Marathon, which celebrated its 44th year on September 20, about half of the 1,500 plus participants come from outside the Bismarck–Mandan area. In North Dakota, that shared spirit is carrying communities forward—mile by mile, wheel by wheel, muddy pit by muddy pit.