GO! St. Louis Marathon Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Kathy D.
San Francisco, CA

  (05-03-2010)

"Pros:
- Full Marathoner Finishers Medal were slightly larger than the Halfers and the Relay Teams.
- Gender-specific tech shirts. Male and female had different color shirts. The shirts were the same regardless of Full, Half, or Relay, except the back of the shirt indicated which race you were running. This made it easier to tell who was running which race, if they wore their race shirt.
- Because it was the 10th Anniversary, every runner received a Go! St. Louis Duffel Bag.
- Lots of porta-potties. For the first time ever, I didn't see any lines. Runners could also use the restrooms in City Hall. Very impressed.
- St. Louis's public transportation system, MetroLink, offered free services to anyone wearing a bib.

Cons:
- Expo was too crowded, and they charge $5 for parking. For people flying in to do this race, the last thing they want to do is spend another $5 just to spend 10 minutes picking up their race packet.
- Too many people at the start of the race. Wished they had the halfers start later because we didn't split off until after Mile 9.
- Hilly and Hot! Even the elite runners were complaining about this, and I was on the race course several hours longer than they were. I was so distracted by the heat that I barely noticed the hills.

Overall:
The weather for this race is too unpredictable. I was considering running the race in 2009, but it rained that year. In 2010, it was miserably hot. I wouldn’t run the full again, but I would run the half."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Ray C.
Chicago, IL

  (05-03-2010)

"The Go! St. Louis Half Marathon was the first race my girlfriend and I participated in. She's not a big runner, but she wanted to experience the thrill of a race with me - plus it was in her hometown!

Other than that, I was disappointed.

Pros:
1) Aid Stations - the aid stations were awesome. The volunteers were so encouraging.

Cons:
1) Start Line - took us 20 minutes to get started
2) Port-o-Potties - there were tremendously long lines! Even when the gun went off, people were still in line because the lines moved soooo slow!
3) Course - the course started beautifully as it took us to the scenic parts of downtown st. louis. The backend of the course was hilly (which I dont mind - if there were nice scenic things to look at - and took the runners to more of the un-developed side of the city.
"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2010

Leslie G.
San Francisco, CA

  (06-08-2009)

"St. Louis was my first race, and while (admittedly) I didn't train in a sophisticated manner, the course didn't make it the most memorable of first marathons. The crowd was sparse throughout, with areas where it barely existed.

There were a few notables: art at every mile, great neighbors in Clayton handing out oranges and other hydrators, and the run through Budweiser's yards.

If you are a local looking for a race - do it.

If you are an out of towner; I'd go to a city with a bit more to offer if you're going to miss out on the crowd."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2005