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Jul 2, 2024

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 101 to 111]

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m. s. from Missouri (4/20/2009) "Good... as long as they prepare for the weather" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 On the whole, this is a solid race... a good tour of St. Louis from downtown, to the brewery, to Forest Park, to Clayton, and back. The course is scenic, but hilly... not exactly a PR course, but I knew that going in. I also cannot say enough about the volunteers and spectators, who were friendly and enthusiastic on a day when the weather was pretty crappy to be standing around outside for hours on end. Unlike some reviewers here, I rarely have much to gripe about after a race, but I had one big one for this race: on a day when it was in the 50s with a steady rain that left everyone drenched to the bone, they were out of foil blankets by the time I got to the finish. And I was a top-50 finisher in the marathon!! I managed to scrounge one off the ground that was covered in mud and empty Gatorade cups, but I can only imagine what the other 1500 people behind me did. Despite that, I would probably do this one again if I was looking for a scenic, friendly race to run. With 10,000 runners, the half-marathon seemed like a bit of a cattle call, but the marathon was small enough to be enjoyable yet big enough to have large-race logistics and support.
K. R. from Cincinnati, Ohio (4/20/2009) "Great course and great spectator support" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I've run marathons all over the country and this was my 11th. It rained for most of this race, but I still really enjoyed this marathon. Other than miles 22 - 25, I loved the course as it went through many pretty areas and hit all of the highlights of St. Louis. There were lots of hills, but they were all very gradual. I was also very impressed with spectator support, despite the fact that it rained all morning. I would certainly run this marathon again.
B. B. from Texas (4/20/2009) "Wonderful even on a bad day" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Congrats to the RD for pulling off an excellent event under trying conditions. Nothing she could do about the rain, but everything ran without a hitch (well, they ran out of Mylar blankets and apparently GU at the last stop, but minor details, especially considering how many GU handouts there were - and how many halfers and relayers had already come in shivering in the rain). PROS: Good, urban course that showed off the highlights of the city; start and finish area wonderful; Forest Park - wow, I wish we had something like that where I live; pretty neighborhoods near Washington U; nice, undulating hills; great volunteers to come out in the rain; plenty of fluids and stations, good crowds considering the weather; good pace groups (thanks, Rich, with the 3:30); nearby hotels with great prices (stay at the OMNI); and restaurants downtown (Charlie Gitto's, etc.). This was my 3rd in 11 weeks, and all were excellent (Mardi Gras and Little Rock).
Dotty Maddock from Phoenix, AZ (4/20/2009) "Checked Off Missouri (finally)!" (about: 2009) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I signed up for this race because I'm trying to check off the 50 states (this was state #43) and the Lewis & Clark Marathon last fall got cut short because of Hurricane Ike. Does it rain all the time in Missouri?! At least this wasn't a hurricane, and they let us finish the race, but it was pretty much a steady drizzle or solid rain the whole time! Anyway, since the race director can't do anything about the weather, I do appreciate the fact that the race started on time, the volunteers all came out in those conditions to support us, and all of the runner tracking and clocks worked. I like the long-sleeved tech shirt, and the finisher's medal is nice. I was prepared for the hills from about mile 13 to 16 (killers!), but not for those near the end. In my mind's eye, I was thinking that once I got over mile 16 it was all downhill from there - NOT! Just set yourself up psychologically for some hilly challenges in the last few miles. Now, they have GOT to find a way to offer the post-race food without having us track through mud and standing water after running 26.2 miles in those conditions. There was the same problem at Lewis and Clark. There were sidewalks around, but the barriers forced you to walk through the mud instead. Isn't there some way for the race director to make use of the sidewalks rather than positioning everything in the mud? Next, the awards were to be given out at 11:15. I finished a little before 11, but had to rush back to my hotel to clean up since they said they couldn't give me late checkout (Hampton Inn). I was back at the awards table by 12:15 and everything was packed up... no awards, no results, and the volunteers couldn't tell me anything. I went to the information booth and they didn't have the results either. They said they would mail me an award if I earned one. I did get 3rd in my age group (yippee!), but shouldn't that info have been available at 12:15 somewhere? Finally, the metro link is a great idea, and I had planned that as my transportation to and from the airport. Well, apparently the metro was "down" for one stretch, which means you rode the metro for a while, then you got off and took a bus to the next three stops, then you got back on the metro to get downtown (repeat in reverse order on the way back to the airport). If that weren't disruptive enough, it is IMPOSSIBLE to find the metro stations using maps or the website info. I thought I had it all figured out, but it's like they intentionally hide them! All I can say is that if you're going to use the metro link, ask lots of questions and kind people might point you to the little "hidden locations" for them. But, not to be overly critical, I did run an excellent time (for me), and frankly the rain was cooling. Apparently it made for fast times for others too, since several course records were broken.
C. D. from Missouri (4/20/2009) "Betty was a Pacer from God" (about: 2004) First Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 This was my first half-marathon. I have always wanted to run a marathon. I am still recovering from a stroke at the age of 39, but God has given me a second chance at life. I started off at the 12-minute pace marker, but the more I ran, the more I started to notice that I was passing people without trying. I made it to the 9:55 (2:10) pace marker and decided that I just needed to finish and not walk this course. Betty was the one who kept my mind focused, with great tips on how to run and what to think about. She kept the group focused and we both finished side by side. The military always trains us to have a battle buddy; she told us to get a buddy and run the last 2 to 3 miles together as a team, and that is what we all did. Thanks, Betty, for your support. Betty knew nothing of my stroke until the end of the course when we was taking a picture together as a buddy team. Betty, you are never too old; remember that, please!
N. C. from Carmel, IN (4/20/2009) "Well managed and challenging marathon" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was an excellent marathon, even with rain for the entire way. It was well organized from the expo through the finish area. Lots of volunteers. A challenging course, which gives a good flavor of St. Louis. Crowds were a bit thin (due to weather I suspect) but the ones that were out were very loud and cheerful. First time I've run this, but I will be back in future years.
D. K. from St. Louis, MO (4/19/2009) "A good race that could be better" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 GO! St. Louis Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was an interesting race. The course is a nice one for a major city. You run through downtown St. Louis, south to the Busch Brewery, then back downtown out to Forest Park (the second largest city park in the USA) into the central business district of Clayton, down Delmar Ave. (which is a funky neighborhood), and back through Forest Park to finish downtown. The course has a few hills, but nothing really steep. The run through Forest Park is quite nice. The weather was in the 50's all day and light rain on and off throughout. The police did a great job of directing traffic and keeping the morons off the race course. One woman driver was really giving an officer grief for for not letting her cross Delmar. The policeman was very professional, understanding, and a real credit to the force in how he dealt with the situation. I thought the police did a really fine job, and with the bad weather, they were not only professional, but also really supportive!! I say again, good job!! The fan support was pretty good, considering the unpleasant weather. The volunteers were good. They could have used a few more at some of the early water stops. A few were running short on water. The volunteers were really working hard to fill cups, but there were too few! The hand outs were nice. The long-sleeve tech shirt is pretty nice. The medal was really cool. It has an interior section, shaped like the Arch, that spins independently like a mobile. Quite cool! The food at the end was excellent: bagels, granola bars, bananas and much more!! Thank you, Shop-N-Save!! I thought that the finish line was poorly organized. No one was directing traffic, so I had to wander around to find my medal and get to the food. Due to all of the rain, the finish area got very, very muddy. Mother Nature, I guess, should take the hit for this one. I was really thrilled to have the mayor of St. Louis, Francis Slay, and county executive, Charlie Dooley, come out for the start. They gave nice (brief) speeches. I thought the expo had a lot of good vendors, but they were really crowded into the Chavifz Arena. I think you needed to cut out 10 to 20 percent of the vendors, or find a larger area for the expo. Parking was a little tough at the expo, if you are cheap like me. I had to walk six blocks to find a spot on the street to avoid paying the $5.00 parking fee... yes, I'm cheap. I thought that the price of $100.00 was also a tad high for what I received. I think $75.00 would be better! Compared to Chicago, though, it is a bargain. I arrived at 5:55 a.m. and found plenty of free parking downtown... very nice!! Of the 25 marathons I have run, I would put it in the top half, but not quite the top quarter. I would certainly encourage anyone to run in this race, and I thank the organizers for a job well done!!
Jason Fedchak from Chicago, IL (9/6/2008) "Great run, weird name" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 2008 STL Marathon was my third and best. To my surprise, I qualified for Boston despite the hills. I had a whole 5 seconds to spare! I live in Chicago but grew up in St. Louis, so this was a homecoming event for me. There was excellent support, organization and weather. I would recommend this event to any Midwestern runner. The marathon is a little overshadowed by the half marathon taking place at the same time, but the two races separate after ten miles or so. Suddenly you have much more space and tranquility. The middle section of the race through Forest Park is peaceful and beautiful. Great spectator support.
S. R. from St. Charles, MO (5/11/2008) "Fantastic Race!" (about: 2008) 3 previous marathons \| 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I ran the Half. The course was scenic, hilly and ejoyable. Spectators were loud and supportive in some areas, then non-existent in others, but that's okay because the other runners were supportive enough; very friendly people. St. Louis is beautiful. The architecture is amazing. Busch stadium is impressive! The smell of beer while running past Anheuser Busch was delicious and a real pick-me-up. One thing - maybe find a bigger venue for the expo next year. It was very crowded; so crowded that I left after about 5 minutes. Too cramped to shop. Overall, a fantastic race. I will definitely do it again next year.
Mark Dingmon from Lenexa Kansas (4/30/2008) "HUGE FINISHER'S MEDAL and HUGE MILE MARKERS" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ GO! St. Louis Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 What a difference 7 years can make, I first ran this marathon in 2001 when it was a bare-bones event with around 1,800 participants. I recall struggling through the final desolate miles wondering if the finish line would still be there upon my finish. Seven years later this race has evolved into a spirited first-class event, with 15,000 participants and a beautiful course featuring many St. Louis landmarks. Here is what I like about this marathon.... 1) Organized packet pick up system, and adequate expo, (you can get anything you need as a runner or walker). 2) Attractive long-sleeve tech. shirt, featuring a well designed "Go St. Louis" logo. 3) HUGE finisher's medal (I needed help transporting it back to my hotel). 4) And of course the COURSE, featuring Busch Stadium, Anheuser-Busch Brewery (with the fresh smell of barley and hops lingering in the early morning spring air), Soldiers Memorial, Union Station, Forest Park, SLU, Washington University, Downtown Clayton, and the charming neighborhoods throughout. 5) Rolling hills and wide running lanes. 6) Runners line up at a "pace per mile" rather than a projected time of finish. 7) Energetic spectator support at various locations throughout the course. 8) HUGE mile marker signs (as a middle-aged hack, who is quite often dazed and confused, I truly appreciate these billboard-sized mile markers). 9) Hard-working volunteers at the expo, aid stations, traffic control intersections, and finish line. 10) And of course my FAVORITE, the mile 25 downhill cruise, with a panoramic view of the Gateway Arch, symbolizing the Gateway to the finish!!! This was my 22nd marathon and most enjoyable experience to date. Thank you, ST. LOUIS.

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