 The Blue Ox Marathon is more than just a race. Over the years it's become a big community event for Bemidji. Lakeland News reporter Cheryl Moore tells us more about their be-active mission in this week's community spotlight. Over the hills, through the woods, and past Pollen Babe, hundreds of runners came out to participate in the sixth annual Blue Ox Marathon this weekend. I love running in this weather. It's nice and cool. Yeah, you get all sweaty, but yeah. Over the years, the Blue Ox Marathon has become more than just a race. It's become a huge community event. Friday starts with kid races. Then Saturday, there's the marathon, half-marathon, and Loop the Lake, that each take runners all over the city. Throughout those years, the thing that's grown the most is the community connections and the community support of the event. And that doesn't even necessarily mean sponsors and partners. It means volunteers. It means things that happen around the community because the event is going on. This year, more than 1,300 people signed out to compete in the Blue Ox Marathon. Not only that I was not one of them, but what I can tell you is that the purpose of the Blue Ox Marathon is to promote an active lifestyle. What we've done so far at this point is, with the Be-Active Expo, we have other groups that support being active that we allow to be here to show off other ways to be active in the area. One of those groups is Sanford Health. They help by providing volunteers at the medical tents placed throughout the course. For Sanford, the Be-Active mission rings true. When the race started six years ago, the organizing committee for the Blue Ox Marathon came to us and asked us if we would be involved, and it fits really well with what we try to do in the community. Health and wellness, being involved in active events, and this event just really matches everything for us. It sees runners from all over the world, and the ones who took the time to speak with Lake Lanuse say there's a good chance they'll be back in Bemidji. It was really a great race, probably one of the most beautiful races I've ever done. The start of it on the trail through the state park, the leaves were falling around us, and it was just gorgeous. Reporting of Bemidji with this week's Community Spotlight, Shremor, Lake Lanuse. If you enjoyed this segment of Lake Lanuse, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lake Lan PBS.