BEMIDJI — Competing in Bemidji is nothing new for Brock Tesdahl, a former BSU basketball player who put his athletic skills to the test Saturday — he passed — finishing first in the Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon.

Tesdahl, 23, Hopkins, Minn., is already an experienced runner, competing in both the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth and the Boston Marathon, however, this was the first time he’s placed first.

“It felt great to run in  this area,” said Tesdahl, whose first-place time was 2:52:30. “The first 20

or so miles were really great, I was in my zone. But then there were those hills and they were tough, at the same time, they’ve had hills in the other marathons I’ve ran so you just have to come in mentally prepared.

“When I got to Diamond Point Park, that’s when I had great momentum and the support along the sides was so great, it pushed me through.”

Adding to the atmosphere at the marathon, according to Tesdahl, was the coordination by the event officials.

“When you look at the organization, it was great. It was well-planned, there were enough rest stations, I couldn’t have asked for more,” Tesdahl said. “With those big marathons, you’re running in big groups, but here I was running by myself most of the time and it gave the marathon a great small-town feel, too. I plan to come back next year to defend the title.”

In second place was 32-year-old Ben Bruce from Waubun, Minn., who finished with a time of 2:54:09.

“I think it was a good course, but there’s some things I think could be improved,” Bruce said. “Miles 3 through 13, you go off the road and I think it would be better if it stayed on the bike trail. But overall, there was really good crowd support the whole way and you can’t complain about that.”

Ten minutes later, Ben Nelson, a 19-year-old student at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, crossed the finish line to come in third. Nelson, who has raced in a few 20-mile runs experienced his first full marathon in Bemidji on Saturday.

“The first half went really good. Overall, I thought it was a pretty nice course,” Nelson said. “The last six miles were a bit more difficult since it got pretty windy and the wind was coming right at me.”

This year’s first-place time was about 12 minutes slower than in 2014, when Tom Ritchie finished in 2:36:47. Pete Miller took home the first Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon title in 2013 with a time of 2:46:20.

Half-Marathon

 In Saturday’s half-marathon, 13.1 miles, Kenny Miller of Wadena, Minn. won the men’s division with a time of 1:14:17. Coming in second was Christopher Hagen of Little Falls, Minn. with a time of 1:25:16. Third place went to Elias Hendrickson of Bemidji with a time of 1:25:48.

Loop the Lake

In Saturday’s Loop the Lake run,  16.75 miles, Brooks Grossinger of Mayer, Minn. won the men’s division with a time of 1:41:40. Coming in second was Sam Dwyer of Bemidji with a time of 1:55:03. Richard Thompson, Peoria, Ill. finished third with a time of 2:06:30.

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RESULTS

Marathon

Top 10 Men’s Finishers

Brock Tesdahl, Hopkins, 2:52:30

Ben Bruce, Waubun, 2:54:09

Benjamin Nelson, Grand Forks, 3:04:39

Matt Boyer, Bemidji, 3:07:58

Bob Bahr, International Falls, 3:11:00

Ryan Steil, Saint Augusta, 3:16:38

Brad Seigmiller, Winnipeg, 3:19:50

Eric Opheim, Walker, 3:22:24

Michael Weaver, Cloquet, 3:24:42

Steven Kubow, Hugo, 3:25:06

Half-marathon

Top 10 Men’s Finishers

Kenny Miller, Wadena, 1:14:17

Christopher Hagen, Little Falls, 1:25:16

Elias Hendrickson, Bemidji, 1:25:48

Charles Biberg, Tenstrike, 1:26:13

Justin Domogalla, Staples, 1:32:05

Matthew Kustritz, Stillwater, 1:35:00

Jeremy Miller, Mora, 1:35:40

Tyler Spaulding, East Gull Lake, 1:35:45

Clifford Frank, Bemidji, 1:38:40

Dominic Smith, Maple Grove, 1:39:45

26K Loop the Lake

Top 10 Men’s Finishers

Brooks Grossinger, Mayer, 1:41:40

Sam Dwyer, Bemidji, 1:55:03

Richard Thompson, Peoria, Ill., 2:06:30

Bob Moe, Bemidji, 2:09:27

Ryan Aylesworth, Bemidji, 2:10:40

Eloy Cecena, Bemidji, 2:12:23

Daniel Brower, Burnsville, 2:13:37

Adam Krog, Clearbrook, 2:13:37

Matthew Dyrdahl, Minneapolis, 2:16:33

Tim Duffy, Bemidji, 2:17:24

For complete results, visit www.bemidjiblueoxmarathon.com.