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☰
GO! St. Louis Marathon Runner Comments
Back to GO! St. Louis Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.9 
Organization 3.9 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 357 [displaying comments 91 to 101]
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L. K. from St Louis MO
(4/23/2009)
 "Keep running out of stuff for marathon runners" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 GO! St. Louis Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The St. Louis Half Marathon is much bigger than the marathon. They either need to get rid of the marathon portion or give it some more focus. Last year they ran out of food by the time I finished, and this year, in the cold and rain, they ran out of blankets for finishers. Since I am running a female's Boston qualifying pace and placing in the top 10%, I find this ridiculous. The majority of the route is industrial, and as a St. Louis resident, there are many, many pretty places they miss. Water stops and course support were excellent. | |
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T. S. from Indianapolis
(4/23/2009)
 "An Arch in the gloaming" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 What a great event! As near as I can figure, the only error by organizers was somehow managing to irritate Mother Nature. On a year without our fill of rain, I'm guessing you'd see the sun rise through the Arch at the start and have it as a landmark to race to the last few miles at the finish. At every race, no matter the distance, I'm amazed at the people who come out to volunteer and others who come out to cheer on runners. Given the conditions, those here were incredible. Thank you, St. Louis. And a special thanks to Pacer Paul, the best pacer with the worst jokes. Try this race. You'll love it. Even if it's raining. | |
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R. M. from New Jersey
(4/23/2009)
"Very good race!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The St. Louis Marathon was my 10th full marathon. I found it to be a very enjoyable race, on a very nice course. The crowd was extremely supportive, especially considering that the spectators were standing outside in a steady rain. The weather certainly wasn't ideal, but the organizers of the race can't be blamed for that. The course was much hillier than I anticipated - I hadn't seen an elevation profile before the race. It might have been the second-most difficult course I have run, after Birmingham. My only complaint is about the post-race tents. While food and beer were plentiful, getting to them was difficult. The tents were set up in a field that was flooded with water and mud. Walking to the tents was like walking in a swamp. While the race organizers couldn't be blamed for the weather, I do think they could have somehow done a better job of keeping the finish area dry. But overall, I am quite happy with my experience. The race medal was nice and the long-sleeve tech shirt was nice. I'll give the St. Louis Marathon a big thumbs up. | |
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Liz Vander Velde from Crestwood, IL
(4/23/2009)
 "Back-of-the-packers beware!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Water stops were unprepared and even unmanned. No Mylar blankets and no photographer at the finish. Virtually no support at all after mile 23. At that point, some official told four of us runners that the course was closed and that we were to go off and find our way to the finish!! After another 20 minutes, many wrong turns and dodging traffic, I found the course near mile 24. I probably ran more than an extra mile. I had to ask if the white gates were near the finish line 100 yards from the finish. A tiny band of hardy souls cheered me and hung my medal on me. I followed the mud to find some water and food. Extremely depressing. I will never run this one again. Plus side: the Clydesdale, the park, the hills, and the kind volunteers. | |
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K. B. from Denver, CO
(4/22/2009)
"Poor weather didn't diminish this great race" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Absolutely fantastic event. Despite the poor weather, fan support was good, the course is outstanding, and overall organization is top notch. I will definitely run again. I PR'd by 9 minutes. The gradual hills are very manageable. My only "minor" complaint is that once you re-join the half marathoners for the last few miles, they weren't very cognizant of the runners around them. They walked 6- or 7-across and didn't seem to want to get out of the way. Other than that, aid stations were good, nice to see the Clydesdale at the brewery and it's always nice running through Forest Park. | |
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P. M. from Bloomington, Illinois
(4/22/2009)
"Awesome support and organization" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a great marathon experience. The hills will slow down people who have not trained on hills, but they are many and rolling rather than steep, so they're very manageable. (And don't forget the sweet downhills.) Fans stayed enthusiastic in the rain. Great organizers; I loved the shirts. I also love the people in St. Louis. Highly recommended for first-timer or anyone who would love to run an interesting course - you get city and neighborhood highlights, and a gorgeous park. | |
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D. S. from North Carolina
(4/21/2009)
 "If you like hills, go here now" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Easily the best-organized of the three I've done so far, and the fans were great (especially along Delmar) despite the poor weather for the day. The hills are long and gradual and keep coming at you in waves; you have to do a lot of hill training to be successful in this race. And a great medal for your result. Only suggestion: more running in the park - nice, serene, beautiful. Thanks, St. Louis. | |
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N. P. from St Charles County MO
(4/21/2009)
"Nice course; good crowd size" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 GO! St. Louis Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is the 4th time that I have run the St. Louis Marathon, and I really liked the slight course change due to highway construction. I really enjoyed seeing the Clydesdale as we ran through the AB complex. Since 1/2 marathoners outnumbered us full marathoners about 5:1, it was rather crowded for much of the first half, especially for a 5 plus-hour runner/walker. The first 2 water stations were struggling to get drinks to us as we came by. Info said, I think, that there would be two or three GU handout areas and I only saw 1, though a large number of containers on the ground as I ran through one area led me to believe there was one there for the faster people. Overall, though, I will definitely do it again. | |
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J. P. from Missouri
(4/21/2009)
"Well Organized" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Bad weather, great race. Very well organized. I have done marathons in the past where the overwhelming majority of people have been running the half, and I have promised to avoid them. When I signed up for St. Louis, I was apprehensive. I must say that the organization was fantastic. The start was smooth and I was able to easily keep my desired pace. When the course again merged with the half, there was a clear dividing line separating the marathon from the half, and there was no need to weave in and out of people. The course itself had more hills then I was expecting, but was by no means was it a "hilly" course, as the hills are gradual and even. Good support with plenty of aid stations. I would highly recommend this race, as it offers the feel of a big-city marathon without the logistical hassles (there is plenty of parking and easy access to affordable hotels very near the start). Great job, GO! Saint Louis. | |
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R. W. from St. Louis, MO
(4/20/2009)
 "Suprisingly fun marathon" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 As a hometowner, I had volunteered but never run this race. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the course took me on a nice tour of St. Louis (Arch, Anheuser-Busch, SLU, Forest Park, Wash U., Clayton, U-City Loop, and back home). It was prettier than I expected despite the constant rain. Course: The first 13 miles were mostly flat, with some minor hills; miles 13 - 18 were rolling hills that provided a challenge for all the runners; 19 - 26 returned to mostly flat with some minor hills. Pros: Lots of volunteers, well-stocked aid stations, an interesting and varied course, and great pace group leaders. Cons: The marathon is way too crowded during the first 6 miles (they need to implement a wave start). The most surprising aspect of the race was the reasonably large number of spectators along the course despite the rainy weather. Of course, this isn't Boston or New York, but lots of people came out to support the race on a very wet morning. I plan to return to run the race in 2010. |
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