Back to Bass Pro Shops Marathon Information & Reviews
Connie Schepers from St. Louis, Missouri
(11/4/2009)
"Wonderful course" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon. Despite others' comments about the course, I found it fairly easy. There was only one really big hill. Other than that, it was mostly flat. The spectators and volunteers were wonderful and supportive all throughout the course. I do wish there had been more porta-potties, and at more of the mile markers. All in all, it was an awesome marathon!! :) | |
R. W. from Branson Missouri
(11/4/2009)
"Awesome marathon to set a PR" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 No significant hills. Great support at the intersections from the Springfield Police, and an awesome MC at the finish line. Great awards ceremony. I have run over 15 marathons and I set a PR in Springfield. | |
k. h. from Madison WI
(11/4/2009)
"Need more lines!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 Need more porta-potties on the route! Otherwise, great food and mile markers! This same issue was true in 2007 when I ran the full marathon, and 2008 when I also ran the half. | |
T. R. from St Louis Missouri
(11/4/2009)
"Course quality was poor due to water on the trails" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This race was enjoyable due to the weather, but running on two separate trails and going out and back is not enjoyable - especially in the second half when you had the walkers on the same trail. Some of the water on the trail could have been swept off the trail. It was very annoying to have the runners that plowed through, and did not care if you were trying not to get too wet. There was wet mud to slip on also. A big "thank you" to the volunteers on the streets and the water stations. There are too many turns on the streets, which slow you down, and Mile 25 is uphill (not a good time for that street). The course map needs to have mile markers printed on it since I was from out of town and had no idea of the mile to have my spectators find me. I would not rate this course as flat or fast, since the first trail was winding and on a slight angle. The second trail was flat, but we had to go over the highway to get there. | |
Ben Haynes from Fayetteville, AR
(11/4/2009)
"Great race, and fun to run!" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is my second marathon in nine years, and I was very happy with the Bass Pro Shops. I was very dehydrated after the race and the staff took great care of me to get me back to normal. Recommend to all! | |
V. B. from Arkansas
(11/4/2009)
"Volunteers made it special!!!!" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first out-of-state marathon. Overall, it was GREAT. I encourage every slow runner and walker to do this race. You will get so much encouragement. It's a hard course, but there's beautiful scenery on the trails! Just a few things I would change: There need to be signs telling us which way to go. I turned the wrong way twice, and so did others. The food at the finishing line should be hamburgers or some type of sandwiches - not eggs and biscuits. The volunteers were so, so supportive. Every mile marker I got huge encouragement, as so did the others around me. The St. John's medical team was awesome! They checked on you and made sure you had plenty of water. I was having a tough time and a volunteer biker offered me a big hug. The guardsmen were just as awesome! I just cannot say enough about the support. The band still played until the last person came in. There was a girl on a bike, part of the support system, that made sure every one of us who was lagging behind got in safely. She rode on that bike for hours cheering us on. I would highly recommend this one to everyone who wants a Missouri medal. Plenty of water and snacks! If it had not of been for the wonderful volunteers at the mile markers and the St. John's medical team, I, along with a few others, would not of finished. GREAT JOB, BASS PRO!! What stands out to me the most is that the Bass Pro cares about the few who came in last. Made us all feel special, with lots of cheers and wonderful encouragement - as if we had finished in first place. Thanks, Bass Pro; I will be back. | |
W. B. from Germantown, TN
(11/4/2009)
"Run this to have fun, not to PR." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Positives: It's beautiful in the Ozarks this time of year. Pasta dinner with the Legends was worth the trip alone. There was no crowded finish area. Very organized. Name on bib (even after cut-off date) was great for spectator involvement. Negatives: No excuse this day and age not to have course profile so runners have more accurate expectations for how to pace themselves. We will return when we exceed those expectations, but may not if we don't regardless of finishing time. This course is not a PR course and you need to conserve from the beginning due to how tight it is on greenbelt trails. Too much running on concrete. Remove pedestrian bridge over highway as part of course! No expo to buy fuel, cold weather gear, etc. I hear next year they will remove the trails, so I probably will be back. | |
J. K. from Mississippi
(11/4/2009)
"Nice Weather, Nice People, Hard Course." (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran the half, and my friend ran the full marathon. The volunteers were all lovely people, and the weather was perfect. The course is definitely not flat. The pedestrian bridge is a killer. I had to walk up it on the way back. The course was very accurately marked, which is amazing since they had to re-certify it due to flooding the day before the race. Good job! My biggest complaint about the race was the SUGAR-FREE PowerAde at every water stop except one. I'm sure this was just a mistake, but it was big one. Please make sure to never have sugar-free sport drink on your course. The whole point of sport drink is calorie replenishment for energy. Not to mention the after-effects of ingesting a chemical artificial sweetener during a strenuous race. I just couldn't believe it. There was no expo at all. So be sure to bring what you need, because you won't be buying anything there. Finally, one more complaint: they ran out of small t-shirts even though I registered months in advance. That is really annoying. Overall, I had fun. Enjoyed the run. Beautiful colors and nice weather. | |
Matt Young from Kansas City, MO
(11/3/2009)
"beautiful marathon" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Great run on trails through woods. Beautiful weather. Great breakfast after the run. I ran Kansas City two weeks before and the only food after the run was oranges and bananas. Bass Pro had eggs, biscuits and gravy, muffins and ice cream. A great time! | |
C. W. from Washington State
(11/3/2009)
""Flat, fast, and fun??"" (about: 2009)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Bass Pro Shops Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 Suspect any writeup that says, "Flat" without providing an elevation chart (at least I never saw one). I'd call this one consistently undulating, which I appreciated as it's more fun and easier on the legs than flat... but I appreciate accurate advertising. This run has the BEST mile markers ever, warm staging inside Bass Pro, wonderful people, and outstanding notables (Galloway, Shorter). Consider please: marking the course better in the residential streets, offering food at more stations, and more variety. Some of us like salty stuff, and some sweet. Running at the height of fall colors was a joy, and it was a fine finish festival, though I can't see the gravy and beer after 26.2. It's a local thing it seems. |
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