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Jul 2, 2024

St. George Marathon Runner Comments

Back to St. George Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.8

Organization 4.8

Spectators 4.3

Number of comments: 216 [displaying comments 101 to 111]

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Rob Klein from Aurora, Colorado (10/8/2008) "A Rainy Day in the Desert" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Simply stated, this marathon event was well done. Starting with packet pickup, it was the typical expo with folks in the back checking IDs and handing out packets. The expo was one of the better ones that I have seen in 33 marathon events. Of course, it was one of the bigger marathon events I have participated in too. When I arrived in the St. George area late Friday afternoon, the outside temperature was about 90 degrees - typical, it seemed, for the desert. The tech T-shirt was a rather unimpressive design with the STG symbol in the lower left side of the front. The bus pickup point was at a local park - near the finish line - where post-race events would take place. Parking was not a problem for me as I arrived early. I expect the latecomers may have had trouble with parking accommodations. Temperature at the park race-day morning was in the low 70's. The buses left from the park, and drove us about 26 miles north. And the buses were not dispatched until every seat was full. En route to the start line, I noticed that the bus driver had the windshield wipers on - interesting, I thought... rain in the desert. As we drove north, you could see the low clouds and fog in the hills, as the rain continued to fall. Finally we arrived. The rain was still falling, and the numerous flags that were posted around the start area were all up straight in the wind - pointing north. I never heard, but I would guess the temperature at the start line was in the mid-40's. Plastic garbage sacks were handed out for runners to cover themselves with - though I brought my own. I have never seen so many runners using the inverted sacks, but I cannot remember another race where the staff actually handed them out. Still, this race organization made bonfires - many of them - to help runners stay warm. There was a sandy area between the road and a row of trees maybe 75 feet-wide, and there were two rows of bonfires about every 20 feet for maybe 100 yards. It was incredible to see (another marathon first for me), and these fires served the runners well. Starbuck's coffee and hot chocolate were available to runners in the starting area as well. The race started with wimpy sounding horn, but once the lead runners took off, everybody else just followed. The first aid station was at mile-post 3, and by then many runners had warmed up sufficiently to shed their garbage bag. Yet the rain and wind continued, though the wind had died down some by the start of the race. The aid stations were quite frequent, and were staffed with friendly volunteers. The aid stations had Gatorade and water, and most stations had an abundance of Clif Shots and Clif Bars. I was simply amazed at the quantity of Clif products that were available for the runners. Bananas were also handed out too. Additionally, there were several medical tents throughout the course, and they handed out Vaseline, and rubbed runner's legs down with Icy-Hot (similar to Ben Gay). The course was mostly downhill, but there was a significant incline around mile-post 8, and a few smaller rises throughout the course. The scenery was desert landscapes, and was quite beautiful. There were not many fans on the course, but at mile 7 there was a small town called Veyo, and folks lined the street there and enthusiastically cheered on the runners. The course finally wound its way into town, and after running along a couple of city streets, there was the finish line. The post-race event was typical. This event was sponsored by Blue Bunny Ice Cream, and the products were great. There was yogurt and sliced melons available too. There was a lot to eat. However, some warm food would have been greatly appreciated too. Temperature at the finish line was 62 degrees - nearly a 30-degree drop from the previous day. Who would have guessed? The weather was more typical of Seattle. Still, the marathon was a great experience, and I highly recommend this race if you can get selected to participate.
G. R. from Canada (10/8/2008) "well organized but not one of the greats" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The organizers do a superb job here - coordinating buses to the start, lighting bonfires to keep the runners warm, and providing lots of porta-potties and Vaseline on the run. They even provided garbage bags and free gloves for the wait at the start. But, on the downside... while I understand that the 2008 weather was unusual, race organizers should always have space blankets ready at the finish. Also, the course is visually dull (or maybe I just couldn't see through all the rain), which would be fine if it was super-fast. I didn't find it as fast as expected... perhaps for runners coming from lower altitudes, what they gain from the downhills, they lose from altitude. One minor note: the expo and race shirt don't compare well to those offered by other races of the same size.
M. V. from Milford, MI (10/7/2008) "What a great experience!" (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a great race. This was my first marathon, and not to be too self-congratulatory, but I crushed it. It's definitely a fast course. The first 7 miles are slightly downhill; miles 8 through 13 are definitely uphill and a real challenge; the last 13 are basically all downhill except for a nasty uphill stretch at about mile 19. I am 43 and qualified for Boston by about 2 minutes (needed a 3:20; ran a 3:17:48). I came from Michigan and the altitude really didn't bother me. I was worried about the dry air, but the constant rain took care of that! I love the landscape of the Southwest, so I think the scenery on the entire route was absolutely beautiful. I recall spectators at just about every mile marker, and thousands when you get into St. George for the final three or four miles when you really need it. They were very supportive and they came out in really bad weather. I ran the second half about five minutes faster than the first, so the downhill does help. All told, it was all I had hoped for and more in a first marathon.
M. K. from Georgia (10/7/2008) "Wonderful race, even with the weather!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Well done, St. George - you really know how to do it right. As the previous posters said, the weather was less than stellar - rain, colder temps and a headwind, but we got off the bus only to receive a garbage bag from one of the many volunteers. Despite the fact that there are not a lot of spectators on the course except for Veyo and then the city itself, I never felt like I needed my iPod for company since there was so much energy in the air. I also know that it is known to be a fast course, and it lived up to my expectations. I ran more than 10 minutes faster than I thought I could with an 8-minute negative split. And to the poster below, the chip is yours to keep as a souvenir. Great race, and if I lived closer, I would run it again.
K. R. from California (10/7/2008) "Great, Like Always" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 4-5 St. George Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 CB from Tucson - there's a reason it's called a "souvenir chip." Enjoy - it's part of the experience! The wind and rain were a little bit of a challenge, but once again, St. George pulled it off. The rain didn't seem to keep the spectators away, support staff was friendly as usual, buses loaded quickly, aid stations were well prepared, refueling resources were plentiful at the end, and the wait for the massages was reasonably short. What a great community. While I'd love to see this race open up and eliminate the lottery so I know I can run every year, I appreciate their commitment to controlling the size so that it runs smoothly.
D. M. from Ogden, UT (10/5/2008) "Fast second half on a beautiful course" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Actually, it's a pretty speedy first half also; but, you can't beat the second half. In 35 marathons, this is only the second negative split I've had. It's a fast course. If you are on the bubble for a Boston time, try this one. I was and it worked. My previous best was 3:44 and I managed a 3:35:33 for a 26-second BQ here.
G. L. from Maryland, USA (10/5/2008) "Fantastic race despite the weather!!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is an excellent race and I highly recommend it. The race organizers did a great job. Packet pick up was easy. The expo had a lot of vendors and plenty of space to walk around. The actual race organization was the best of all the marathons I have run so far. The buses to the start were efficient with plenty of parking nearby. There were plenty of well stocked fluid stations, with food/ gels available at multiple stops. There were also plenty of stops with Vaseline and icy hot. Volunteers and spectators were enthusiastic (and plentiful!) despite the rain! I cannot say enough good things about the course. It was BEAUTIFUL, even in the rain!! The race organizers made several adaptations for the rain, including plenty of hefty bags for everyone at the start, and they also let the baggage trucks stay later so that you could stay in warm clothing for longer. I managed to stay pretty warm with all the bonfires at the start. Overall, a GREAT race that I plan to do again, hopefully with the sun shining. This race is a must-do for the scenery and organization!!
J. P. from Salt Lake City, UT (10/5/2008) "Pray for good weather - nobody prepared for rain!" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I ran this race in 2008, and as luck would have it, there was a steady soaking rain and cold blustery wind for most of the day. Now granted, nobody can control the weather, but there are some obvious things that race directors can do (but did NOT do in this case) to help runners deal with bad weather. First of all, it's a good idea to have a covered area at the start to give runners a dry place to stretch out, lie down, etc. A few tents will suffice. This is especially important when you have to make runners wait at the starting line for several hours before the race gets underway, as is the case for St. George. The campfires were great, but they can't keep you dry. Second, the announcer at the start asked us to turn in our clothing bags for retrieval at the finish line (this is a point-to-point course) over an hour before the race even started. Not the best way to help people stay warm. Apparently somebody realized this at some point, because they kept delaying when the clothing truck was going to leave, but that didn't do any good for those of us who turned in our bags the first time they said they needed them. This is a foolish policy no matter what the weather - give the runners as much time with their warm-up clothes and gear as possible. And last, but not least, it was a borderline dangerous oversight to not hand out the Mylar space blankets that most marathons distribute at the finish line to keep finishers warm. After spending several hours in the cold rain, I saw a lot of runners shivering uncontrollably while they waited in line to pick up their gear. The bottom line is that when people get wet, they get cold (especially marathoners, who tend to have very low body fat), and it's only common sense to have plans in place to deal with rain, even if it's not common in this area of the country. Aside from the weather and lack of preparation for it, everything else about the race was fantastic. I couldn't believe how many volunteers and spectators were willing to spend hours standing in a cold rain to hand out drinks, pick up our discarded trash bags, and cheer us on. They were really incredible. The course was beautiful and had just enough uphills to keep things interesting. And the finisher's medals were fit for Olympians (no exaggeration). The long-sleeve race T-shirts are very nice too. I hope the race directors learn from their mistakes and prepare for bad weather next year. If they do, St. George will continue to earn its reputation as one of the best marathons in the country.
C. B. from Tucson, AZ (10/4/2008) "A+ on Everything Except the Weather" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 First of all, let me be the first to say that it rained the entire morning. The yucky weather was not enough to ruin my race, though. This is a perfect example of a well-done marathon where pretty much everything went smoothly. I got on the bus at about 5:15. The last bus left at 5:30 but there were plenty of empty buses at 5:15. More buses than runners, in fact. We drove from Vegas (left at 1:45 NV time) and really appreciated the A.M. packet pick-up since it meant we could stay in Vegas instead of having to pay to stay in a St. George hotel. It was cold, cold, cold and wet at the start line. I didn't come at all prepared for the rain because there was only a 40% chance of rain so I figured that I would risk it. That's the last time I do that! A million thanks to the guy who loaned me his sweatshirt while in line for the porta-potties, and also to the one who gave me an extra garbage bag. You guys rock. Even though the bonfires were pretty much just piles of embers due to the rain, they still gave off plenty of heat, so I huddled by them until several minutes after the gun went off. This was a mistake because then of course I got trapped behind the slower runners for the first couple miles. I doubt it cost me more than a couple of minutes, but it was mildly annoying, and entirely my fault. :) I really thought about dropping out in Miles 1-3 because of the horrible weather, but I'm so glad I didn't because I ended up getting a decent time, for the first time in the last several marathons. I felt great for almost the entire run. The Veyo hill is hard but tons of spectators at the bottom give a great psychological boost on the way up. And there are so few uphills that the ones there were completely bearable. Despite all of the downhills, I never did have any problems with quads or anything, and I didn't do serious downhill training. I probably should have tried a little harder for a BQ, but I was enjoying the novelty of feeling decent AND getting a decent time, so I didn't feel like pushing hard enough to be miserable. Now the things I cannot say enough about: the spectators, especially the last 3 miles. The whole town comes out and cheers, even with the weather. (It never did stop raining through the whole race, though it was pretty light.) The aid stations: super well-organized, plentiful, and the volunteers, well, what can you say about these people who were willing to stand in the rain for all of these hours just to support runners? All of those people are awesome and hugely appreciated. The beautiful views were super motivating. I am normally bored on courses like this, where it's just a straight shot down one road, but I was NEVER bored here. I really appreciated that the road was closed to traffic. The Tucson Marathon could be similar to this if only the road could be closed. I know, I know, that's impossible, but I can dream, right? The shirt and medal are super cool. I just have one tiny complaint - that they don't have the actual date on them, just 2008. Tiny complaint, like I said. Oh, the one more serious complaint I have is that the chip removers were not easily visible at the finish, and I ended up coming home with my chip, something I have never done in 10 previous marathons. I know this is probably my fault, but I am so used to the chip cutters being immediately across the finish line that I have stopped seeing it as my responsibility to find them. :) I was surprised that a runners marathon like this one would depart from marathon custom by not having the chip cutters right there. (My brother said he saw loads of runners walking around with chips on their shoes at the finish, and wondered why, so I know it wasn't only me.) This is the ONLY marathon I have run that I want to run again. I want to really train for Boston, then come back and qualify. This is definitely the course to do it on if you are OK with downhills. WAY TO GO, ST. GEORGE!!!
J. C. from AZ (7/4/2008) "This was the best organized race I've run!" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 If you're running your first marathon, this one is so well organized. Great help. All water stops were well staffed. Mile marker balloons were easy to see. Great experience!

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