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GO! St. Louis Marathon Runner Comments

Back to GO! St. Louis Marathon Information & Reviews

Course Rating Course 3.9 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 3.9 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.5 
 
 
Number of comments: 357 [displaying comments 171 to 181]
More Comments: [ < 1 .. 16 17 18 19 20 .. 36 > ]

 

l. t. from Lowell, Arkansas (4/16/2007)
"Great race! Appreciate water/Gatorade and fans!" (about: 2007)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


I couldn't believe the fans stretched for the entire last mile; it was like running through a tunnel of cheers. The water/Gatorade stations were perfectly placed too. I'd rather not turn and run back against those behind me - but I loved facing the Arch in the last 3 miles.

 

Lamarr Powell from St.Louis Mo (4/16/2007)
"Great race; will run next year." (about: 2007)

4-5 previous marathons | 2 GO! St. Louis Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


I had a great time this year at the St. Louis Half Marathon! See you next year!

 

L. K. from Cleveland, OH (4/16/2007)
"Well organized urban race with LOTS of hills!" (about: 2007)

50+ previous marathons | 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 2  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 3


This race has a lot of potential. It is well organized, the expo has great sales (rare these days), and the water stops are plentiful and consistent in terms of always putting the Gatorade first and then the water (they even color-coded the cups). The traffic control was well done and the police controlling traffic were very encouraging. The crowds were sparse, but supportive. In terms of possible improvements, the course could use a redesign in order to take in more sights and landmarks. It consists of a 6-mile loop, followed by a straight shot north, followed by another loop, followed by a straight shot south to the finish (you get the picture). You do get to pass right though the Anheuser-Busch brewery and Forest park is awesome, but it seems to be designed more to minimize disruption of traffic rather than to take you through the highlights of the city (we didn't even get to run past the arch that St Louis is so famous for).

Pros: Organization, safety, expo, cool city.

Cons: Sparse crowds, so-so course.

Of note: Lots of hills.

 

Jeff Wang from Humble, Texas (4/16/2007)
"Hills!" (about: 2007)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 4


Boy, that was a hilly marathon.

I honestly did not realize that there were these many hills in St. Louis. In fact, for most of the marathon, we were going up or down. I swore we ran through every single hills in St. Louis area. It also did not help when the guy at the mile marker said "it's all downhill from here" and I pointed out the huge hill right in front of me. Geez, thanks. The saving grace was that the last 6 miles was a bit flatter, going downhill at the last mile. By then, I was too tired to care.

I really think it was a nice marathon. It was a fast marathon for a race with so many hills - at least it was one of my better time. The weather was perfect - starting upper 30's and light breeze and eventually got up to 50's, with sun shining and clear sky. It ran through some of the highlights of St. Louis, including the brewery and Civic Center and Union Station and Washington Universtiy. Too bad it did not run past the Arch - I would have liked that.

The expo was also well done, with plenty of information given. Too bad the race logo items were limited in selection. The tech shirt was nice, and with its long-sleeves, perfect for the weather. The organization was outstanding, from online registration to the results - which is already available online the night of race. Post-race party was also pretty good, with plenty of food. The only advice I have for that was for them to give plastic bags, as runners are typically clumsy after running 13 or 26 miles, and a bag to carry their food would be very helpful.

The crowd was enthusiastic, though some areas have more and others less. The traffic control was also good, even though at certain part of the race, there were only the cones dividing the runners and the traffic.

As for the area of improvement, my biggest complaint is about the race markers. There were a few mile markers missing. Why can't I find a race with ALL of the miles markers clearly shown and accurately positioned? Is it truly that much of a logistic problem to have all mile markers placed? This one missed at least 3-4 markers and had a couple of mispositioned markers. Those mistakes really play with runner's mind. As for the water stations, there were plenty, but a few were badly positioned - there were two stations about 3 minutes apart, and another station was not even read to serve the runners at the middle of the pack. The road condition also was not spectacular, with many uneven roads and even rail tracks.

All in all, it was a good marathon to run if you want a hilly race. I was not ready for the hill, considering the two marathons for me this year thus far were Houston and New Orleans - both flat. However, for the experience, it was a fun race in a fun and beautiful city.

 

Rich Hawkins from Warrenville, IL (4/16/2007)
"Challenging but fun" (about: 2007)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 4


An all around good time if you're looking for a smaller marathon on a course that doesn't apologize for not being flat. There were around 2,200 marathoners starting with about 7,900 half-marathoners. For the most part, runners respected each other's paces at the start. Unfortunately, that was not the case with some of the walkers. I simply don't understand why walkers will line up in front of half the field of runners only to create a logjam at the start that continues on for the next two miles. Anyway, the crowd support was great, especially at the end where it was most welcomed. They advertised water, Gatorade and gel. All three were delivered.

The course was challenging with some pretty long hills but their grades were not unmanageable. I didn't spend much time training on hills and I PR'ed by a little more than three minutes (3:35:40 chip time). My previous PR was on a flat 2006 Quad Cities course, so I was happy with the result. I ran the back half of the course with the 3:40 pace team and the pacer was pretty much on the whole time, picking up a few extra seconds each mile. The real challenge was at about mile 25.5 where there was a set of hills that lasted until mile 26. People really showed what they were made of when they ran that uphill section. Oh yeah, the marathon medal was MASSIVE.

 

M. B. from Fairbury, Illinois (4/15/2007)
"Great Course!" (about: 2007)

2 previous marathons | 2 GO! St. Louis Marathons
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 3


Overall, I thought it was a really fun race and I enjoy it every year. I only RUN half marathons, but that's better than nothing. I thought the expo was wonderful again, and had a lot of great booths filled with information and freebies! I was very pleased with ALL the water/Gatorade stands along the course this year. I also thought the course was awesome; but the only thing I was bummed about was the fact that the spectators that were there, who weren't too numerous, were not very encouraging again! So many just sat there looking unhappy, staring at me. But overall I really enjoyed the race and I would do it again! A wonderful, scenic town to run in. I give this marathon 5 stars.

 

R. G. from Liberty, MO (4/15/2007)
"Soooo Ahhhhsome" (about: 2007)

First Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


This was my first marathon, and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. The course was hilly, but not unbearable. The fans were just great - so many people playing music, offering fruit and pretzels, and just cheering us on. This being my first one, I have nothing to compare it to, but I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat.

 

S. H. from U.S. Midwest (4/15/2007)
"Well-Run Race" (about: 2007)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 4


Course - Nice course, though in parts the area they have coned off for the runners was a bit tight. Not a flat course either, especially from miles 7 through about 22. Some pretty good rolling hills.

Organization - Excellent. Expo was bigger than I expected, and I got in and out without a hitch. I especially liked the way they kept the half-marathon walkers and the marathon runners separated when the 2 courses converged again at mile 23. I feared dodging a bunch of walkers, but it didn't happen.

Spectators: It's not Chicago, New York, or Boston, but pretty comparable to other mid-size marathons.

 

M. B. from Fairbury, Illinois (11/6/2006)
"Awesome Course!" (about: 2006)

4-5 previous marathons | 1 GO! St. Louis Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 2


Overall I thought it was a really fun race and I enjoyed it. I thought the expo was wonderful and had a lot of great booths filled with information and freebies! I also thought the course was awesome; it was great running by the brewery, but I would agree that maybe a few more landmarks would be a bonus. The only thing I was bummed about was the fact that the spectators that were there, which weren't too many, were not very encouraging. So many just sat there looking unhappy, staring at me. But overall I really enjoyed the race and I would do it again!

 

T. W. from Saint Louis, MO (10/24/2006)
"Nice marathon with good view of SL's landmarks" (about: 2003)

2 previous marathons | 2 GO! St. Louis Marathons
COURSE: 3  ORGANIZATION: 4  FANS: 2


This was my first half marathon. I live in Saint Louis and I really like the areas that the marathon passes through.

 

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