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☰
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 81 to 91]
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J. R. from Santa Monica, CA
(10/12/2009)
"Gorgeous, Fast, Friendly, Fun" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 St. George Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Truly one of a kind. Unless you crave urban streets and skyscrapers or need constant crowd support, this is the course for you. Almost totally rural/scenic for the first 20+ miles, with vistas from mountains to red rocks to extinct volcanoes. The entire roadway is dedicated to the race - meaning that you almost never feel crowded or need to swerve. As mentioned by others, it has wonderful organization (it's the only race I have ever seen where you not only have a drop bag but can also wear something early in the race and then drop it at bins on miles 1-6 - which is then spread out for retrieval at the finish). Gravity works for you, but to maximize the course, put in some quad-building and downhill training so you can cope with the 6+8% grades coming well into miles 13-23. My only note to the organizers would be to have water more readily available entering the runners' village instead of in small cups at the far side of the area (deceivingly under a "McDonald's" sponsorship sign). But that's a minor quibble - staffers and volunteers were wonderful and you can't beat the So. Utah locale. I'd go on raving some more but that will only increase the number of lottery entrants next year! It's a great race, and even though there's some travel involved in getting there, it's one I'd recommend to anyone. | |
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Richard Ostler from Salt Lake City, Utah
(10/10/2009)
"Great Marathon" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 St. George Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It has been 25 years since I ran this marathon (I'm now age 48; ran it last at age 23). I was able to qualify for Boston by two minutes (amazingly my time was within two seconds of my time 25 years ago!). A few facts: Start temperature: 39 degrees (6:45 a.m.) End temperature: 59 degrees (10:15 a.m.) These temps were a few degrees below seasonal averages. There was a slight tailwind when we started (I think this was a drainage wind) and a slight headwind at one point in the first part of the race (probably another local wind). Overall, there was no wind and low humidity. Typically, there will be no wind this time of day unless a storm is approaching (resulting in a south wind/headwind) or a storm leaving the area (resulting in a north wind/tailwind). I tried to run the "corners," as there are lots of bends. My Garmin indicated 26.24 miles (my brother got even closer to 26.2). You can save time by looking ahead and running the most direct path. The volunteers are amazing. I wish I could go back and individually thank them. They were simply outstanding! The miles were well marked and accurate. However, when I came upon what I thought was mile 25, the marker said 25.2. I didn't think much of it, until I checked my Garmin after finishing and realized this was actually 25.0 (my brother confirmed the same thing). This could have really messed up someone who was very close to their goal thinking they had 1.0 miles left when in reality they had 1.2 left. Training advice: make sure to get in some long downhill runs. It will help you maximize the speed opportunity of St. George without cramping up. It will also improve your recovery. Great job, St. George! You know how to put on a marathon. | |
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G. D. from Mississippi
(10/8/2009)
"Magical Race Day - Awesome!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the best marathon that I have been to so far: Great course, great weather, organized, etc. I used the pace chart that was offered on the St. George forum website. It was excellent. It allowed me to go out a little slow and then I picked up the pace. I set a PR by 10 minutes. I would go back every year if I could, but in 2010, I will be in BOSTON. Yay! | |
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R. D. from Las Vegas, NV.
(10/7/2009)
"Repeat Runner, Highly Recommend!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 St. George Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran this in '05, and now again in '09. I have always wanted to come back; here's why: great organization, fun/fast course to run, beautiful scenery. I love the bonfires at the beginning. They have a great mix of Gatorade and water in every aid station, plus gels, etc. At the end of the race they provide a nice assortment of goodies. Somebody complained about not having solid food; you've got to be kidding. Try running Boston - all you get is a banana. My two favorite parts of the course are the beginning when you run in darkness (first 2-4 miles) and around mile 15-16, when you run downhill through mountains. The crowds overall are very good for the setup, and when you hit the town of St. George the last three or so miles, they are lined up very good. My only disappointment was when I arrived at the expo around 8 p.m.; they ran out of safety pins, various sizes of the shirt and the poster of the race. If you're looking for a fast marathon that will truly be a memorable experience, look into this race. | |
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D. C. from Idaho
(10/7/2009)
"Pretty Close To Perfect!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ St. George Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I've run this race more than 20 times, and every year when I finish I just say, "WOW." Everything about the St. George Marathon runs like a well-oiled machine, a high-performance machine. The organization is flawless. The aid stations are exceptional, and the volunteers are the best I've seen at any marathon. The course is incredibly scenic. It has more uphill than some say it has, and that makes you work, and the downhill is very helpful if you train for it. Where the spectators can reach the course, they are terrific, but most of the course is rural and closed to spectators. If you need spectators to cheer you on the entire way, don't run this race (in fact, is that why you really run, to hear cheers?). The finish line is very well run. There is exceptional support, lots of food and drink, and lots of grass to stretch out on. One-of-a-kind medal too! Yes, I know this race is hard to get into because of the lottery. However, I've yet to meet anyone that was sorry they ran it... or anyone who has complained about any aspect of the event. It's worth going through the lottery process. | |
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D. M. from Denver, CO
(10/6/2009)
"If you want to run Utah, run St. George!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 St. George Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What an outstanding event - from top to bottom they do a fantastic job at the St. George Marathon and you're pretty much guaranteed an enjoyable experience as long as you are well prepared for the challenging (and fast) race course. Without question you should enter the lottery for St. George if you've never done it, and especially if you're searching for a PR/BQ. PROS: * Fast course - perfect for a personal best and Boston qualifying time (train for quad-busting 6-8% downhill grade AND a few short ups). * Great weather. * Great fans - even though they are sparse (the course is closed to fans for most of the course, which is fine by me), when you see the fans, they are loud and supportive. * Good expo. * Great medal. * Good pasta dinner. * Bonfires at the start (very cool and helpful at the start). * Some of the best-staffed and set-up aid stations anywhere (including volunteers who will apply Icy Hot AND give you a quick massage if you need it). * Great, grassy finish area where runners can spread out a lot. * Very efficient gear bag retrieval, race results, and race info areas/staff. * Beautiful scenery! CONS: (And these are SMALL criticisms, as I would run this race again in a heartbeat.) * Clif pacers went out way too fast (although I never use 'em), and probably blew up half of the people running with them. * No "real" food at the finish. The Bomb-Pops, soda and a slice of melon at the finish was nice to boost sugar levels, but something more to sustain runners until a real meal would have helped. * Move the wet/cold washcloths to the finish (instead of having them 0.5M out). | |
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D. H. from Southern Utah
(10/6/2009)
"A great race from start to finish" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 2 St. George Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 There is nothing I could find to complain about at this marathon. It is a beautiful course with a great organization behind it. There aren't a lot of places for spectators to view the race, but they are very enthusiastic when they can get close by. Everything - from the expo/number pickup, to the volunteers helping at the race, to the post-race food - was perfect. I really like that there is a runners' area to keep the crowds out. As mentioned before, there are a number of uphill stretches to go with the downhill, but it's still a good course to set a PR on. | |
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J. R. from Salt Lake City, Utah
(10/5/2009)
"It doesn't get much better than this!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 St. George Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was an absolutely perfect race!! I loved it from start to finish. They know what they're doing in St. George, and they know how to put on a marathon. Plenty of everything - porta-johns, aid stations, and lots of GOOD stuff at the finish. I would highly recommend this race. The lottery is about a 50/50 shot, but well worth the effort to keep trying! | |
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A. T. from Dallas, TX
(10/5/2009)
"The best marathon experience yet!" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 St. George Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was hands-down the best marathon I have ever run. I beat my PR by 20 minutes, and qualified for Boston with nine minutes to spare. The course is beautiful, the race is extremely well-organized, and the caliber of runners participating definitely sets the bar pretty high. Don't let the hype about this being a "downhill" race fool you. This is a challenging course, especially if you're not used to running steep downhills (or up the side of a volcano, for that matter!). This race is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. | |
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C. C. from San Diego, CA
(10/4/2009)
"Fabulous, fast, and beautiful course!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 St. George Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 What a wonderful experience from start to finish! This marathon is very well-organized and the support from the city of St. George is just amazing. Everyone welcomes the runners with a smile! This was my first time running this marathon, and I would definitely return! I ran with a pace group for about 14 miles then took off. I got my BQ with 7 minutes to spare! The Clif pace team is knowledgeable and understand that many runners here are very serious about their qualifying times. The crowd support is not as salient as at other marathons simply because most of this course takes place in the hills and is not easily accessible. Those who do manage to position themselves along the course were enthusiastic and loud! Kudos to the race director for putting together such a seamless event! |
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