Who was Mark Knutson? Fargo Marathon director cycling accident explored

The director of Fargo Marathon, Mark Knutson, passed away on Sunday, July 9, 2023, following an accident near the Detroit Lakes region. The 53-year-old was hit by a pickup truck early in the morning while he was cycling the in area. Although he was rushed to a local Fargo hospital, he was declared dead on arrival.

Needless to say, the news of Mark Knutson's death hit the cycling and biking community quite hard. They took to social media and even spoke to the media about his loss. A race director, Mary Anderson, told Star Tribune that she was constantly receiving texts about Knutson's accident on Sunday. However, she said that she found herself wishing it wasn't true.

“It’s just horrible. We are good friends. I can’t even process it yet,” she told the publication.

Anderson had collaborated with Mark Knutson on the Fargo Marathon and through her company Anderson Race Management.

“He [Mark Knutson] had the energy and wherewithal to do all the things that had to be done,” Anderson said in tribute to Mark.

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Mark Knutson was the general manager of Detroit Mountain Recreation Area

Mark Knutson was born on January 3, 1970, in Moorhead, Minnesota to John and Sharon Knutson. According to the DL Online, Mark graduated from Hillsboro Highschool in 1988 before receiving bachelor's degrees in business administration and finance from Moorhead State University.

Mark Knutson was described as an avid outdoorsman and a distinguished recreation director. He founded Fargo Marathon in 2005, and apart from being its executive director, Mark Knutson was also the general manager of the Detroit Mountain Recreation Area in the Detroit Lakes region. In fact, it had only been a few months since Mark Knutson moved to Detroit Lakes, as he moved to the region in October 2022.

He also ran a well-known tourist resort with skiing and snowboarding facilities in the winter and a biking service in the summer.

While not much was revealed about his family at the time of writing this article, it is known that he was a doting father and grandfather.

As mentioned earlier, Knutson was killed on the morning of July 9 after he was struck by a pickup truck that was towing a boat at around 7 am. At the time, he was biking westbound on South Shore Drive in Detroit Lakes.

As soon as Detroit Lakes Police was alerted of the accident, they responded to the scene. They tried all kinds of life-saving measures on him at the scene after which was flown to the Sanford Hospital in Fargo by Life Link III helicopter. Unfortunately, he was declared dead on arrival.

The driver who hit Knutson was a 42-year-old man named Jacob Grabowski from Fargo. As of Monday, no criminal charges have been filed against him, however, investigation is underway.

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Tributes pour in for Mark Knutson

The chief of Detroit Lakes Police Steve Todd, who was a close friend of the deceased, told StarTribune that Mark was a "really talented guy."

“He was full of energy and just getting his feet under him here in Detroit Lakes. He would have made a huge difference just by promoting the city, and health and fitness,” Todd added

He also noted that the incident was a tragedy and he has been having a difficult couple of days considering Mark Knutson was his friend.

Many organizations that worked closely with Knutson also send tributes via Facebook. A post from Detroit Mountain Recreation Area called Mark a visionary.

“We were excited about his involvement and future events and ideas he had for Detroit Mountain,” the post added.

The Essentia Health-Fargo Marathon page stated the void left by Knutson's untimely passing is immeasurable.

"Mark, simply put, was not just the race director of the Fargo Marathon, but its very essence. His warm and genuine nature endeared him to all who had the privilege of meeting him during his races, and his kindness, drive, and passion were evident to everyone he encountered," the post read.

It added that the entire Fargo community will miss him dearly and deeply feel his absence.

A nonprofit community-building society called Project 412 said that it has lost a dear friend.

"Knutson helped us get started and was our second employee for a blink of time until the opportunity to manage Detroit Mountain Recreation Area, Inc., came along, which is where [Detroit Lakes] needed him to be. Mark was so special and he was 'all in on DL,'" the post stated.

His colleague Mark Fritz from Fargo Marathon said that Knutson led by example and wasn't "afraid to get his hands dirty." Fritz added that Knutson was a "community builder" who was potential and seized opportunities.

Mark Knutson was an avid runner, cyclist, biker, fitness enthusiast, and community builder. He was famous for his vibrant personality. He was a husband, a doting father, and a grandfather.