Obviously the weather was not ideal, but I think the spectators had it worse -- I was at least warm! The course took us through all the charming neighborhoods of St. Louis and had flat and hilly sections. This race in '03 was my first marathon, and when I line up in '04, it will be my fourth. Fortunately, the course is being altered slightly this year. Half-marathoners will break off at the (roughly) 6 mile mark (vs. 9 mile mark last year), clearing the course out a little. Also, the flat section from downtown through the brewery and Soulard will now constitute the LAST 6 miles, not the first (a welcome relief). Perhaps the organizers heeded the advice of one sign-wielding spectator in Soulard: he stood on his porch with a sign that read 'If you lived here, you'd be home by now.' Can't wait to see you all again!

Things I liked about the Spirit of Saint Louis Marathon....

1) Challenging course
2) Running thru brewery
3) Running thru SLU's (mile 24 up hill) beautiful campus
4) Friendly people
5) Supportive volunteers
6) City landmarks along the course
7) Enthusiastic spectators
8) Convenient downtown hotel settings
9) Convenient expo (small but adequate)
10) Nice downtown restaurants
11) Cool finisher's medal (and large!!!)
12) Mile 25 downhill!!!

Things I disliked....

Can't think of anything, look foward to 2004!!!

Despite the rain, sleet, icicles, etc., had a great time, and recorded my 2nd fastest marathon time on this course. Thanks to all who supported and participated in this event!!!

OK, I know that if running a marathon is the coolest thing I ever did, then I need to get out more.
It was my first one, though: quite an experience.
Keep in mind these comments are from a first-timer.
The expo was smaller than I thought. I signed up for the 5 hour Clif Shots pace team, a very wise move. The start was rough, the rain started about 5 minutes before we took off. The first water station was a bit overwhelmed by the time we got there, but all the rest were fine. The volunteers were the real heroes of the race. I remember seeing an older lady standing in the rain, blocking traffic as we passed. She looked miserable, but still hung in there, as did all the rest. Kudos.
The course was very nice. I have lived in the area my whole life, and apparently haven't seen it all. I had heard the course was hilly and was expecting really bad ones. Really only one that got me near the end of mile 23, through St. Louis U., but was rewarded with a cool fountain at the top. The crowds were very sparse. The Team in Training people were around and cheering for everyone, bless them. One group of guys, somewhere around mile 23 I think, had a 1/4 barrel and were handing out cups of beer. (I passed).
The finish was amazing, the announcer calling out my number as I rounded the final corner. Nice finishers medal.
Super time... 4:57:12. Glad I chose it as my first

This was my 10th marathon and I loved it. I love running in cold weather, and even enjoyed the sleet(something to talk about when sharing war stories!). My biggest complaint was that the t-shirt was rather plain. The official marathon logo is better than the t-shirt art. When your complaint is about the t-shirt, that means your digging deep to even find a complaint. Very scenic course. Hills were not all that challenging, even for an old guy from flat western Tennessee. Hotel near start/finish was convenient on race day. Great fountain to run up to and around, late in the course, on campus. Had some great food the day before 'On the Hill'. Highly recommend this run!

St. Louis is a beautiful city & this was a great way to tour. But I was disappointed in some aspects of it.
WEBSITE: I would have appreciated an elevation chart so I could have been better prepared (mentally) for the hills. As it was, I got a literal pain in the butt from what seemed like a continuous uphill starting at mile 14. Also would have liked a verbal description of the course in addition to the map -- for people who don't do well with maps, reading where the route will go is a huge help!
EXPO: somewhat disorganized (several volunteers poorly informed--had to run to 3-4 different locations to get all my questions answered). Very small. I think the expo in Green Bay was bigger. Not at all what I expected.
BAGGAGE CHECK: very confusing instructions! If you are going to provide a tag, do so. I was so concerned that I just asked my family to hold on to my gear.
START: On arrival, a lot of people were confused about where the start was--after all, the announcer was on the opposite block. And please start on time!
SPLITS: My watch battery died that morning. 'No problem' thought I, 'I'll just count on the splits being called'. Much to my dismay, there were very few mile markers where splits were called. In fact, some of the mile markers were difficult to identify (missing or knocked/fallen/blown over).
WATER STATIONS: Fine in the second half, but several in the first half were a disaster!! One card table for all the runners, with people stopping & standing 5 deep, is hardly satisfactory!!
TRAFFIC CONTROL: There were occasions when the traffic travelling by the runners was a little too close for comfort. And having to stop to allow traffic to proceed through intersections is not a 'welcome rest break'.
SPECTATORS: The fans who were out were terrific. I'm not sure whether it was the weather or poor publicity (my mother-in-law lives in SL & she & others expressed that they didn't even know there was a marathon being conducted until I said I was running), but there were lots of places without spectators.
SPIRIT STATIONS & ENTERTAINMENT: Great! The various bands & the organized spectator were wonderful! (Although the idea of Krispy Kremes & Beer by St. Louis University was a little obnoxious in the 22nd mile!)
OTHER: Thank you for the early walker start--that allowed the runners to begin without the clutter of walkers who line up near the front. Also, the finish area was great.
I think, with a little work, this could become 'world class', but for right now, this was 'small town'.

Take away the rain, sleet, winds and mid-30's temperatures and you've got yourself a pretty nice little marathon. I'd like to assume that the lousy weather is the only reason for poor attendance by spectators. It's a hilly course that is actually quite doable if you have pleasant weather. Kudos to the brave souls who manned the water/aid stations! They were the real studs and studettes of this race!

Ah, rain, sleet, snow, icy conditions-enough said about the weather. We drove two days from NY to reach St. Louis. Important complaint: Pick-up at expo did not go well. We had entered the 5K, half marathon and marathon, pasta dinner from printed web site application sent our money early January. Tired from travel at expo we found we were not registered for our selections. Husband also won age group at Mayor 5K Saturday and the number they assigned at expo was not properly installed into computer... thus from coming in first in his age group his number came in fourth. Stay in downtown accomodations for this race... we stayed at Chase Plaza... swanky hotel but near nothing but Forest Park-our mistake... we did get to see USA Women's Marathon Saturday in Forest Park and pasta dinner was around the corner our hotel. That said, onto marathon. Took early start with about 200 walkers... which I am... husband did half marathon. The police handled the weather related traffic problems with such respect to the drivers and the runners. Spectators were very supportive... one even fitted me with garbage bag which helped me survive the storm and 6:31:19 finish. Terrific Band standing in bus stop shelter coming up the hill just great the sounds of drums Band hung on until late in the race, even for us walkers-slow runners. This is a wonderful marathon-great spirit, wonderful city to visit. I now have Missouri as my 13th state in 50 state marathon club trek and my 20th very wet, soggy marathon accomplished.

What I will remember most about this half-marathon is the cold, rainy weather -- and the wonderful spectators who still came out to cheer us on!

This race was a true test of character! If it had not been for the wonderful woman at mile 16, who gave me her black gloves, I would have never finished. The weather was tough, but the support was unbelievable. I will do this race again!!

Organization was not responsible for the weather, but was for the premature closing down of traffic control- I'm told that police traffic control ceased based upon a 5:00 H pace: give a 'Penguin' a break! Negotiating some intersections was dicey! Volunteers great - St. Louis is an A+ city! Hi Gobins!