Very good marathon. Nice course. Hills are rolling and very gentle, to those that claim it is hilly, well they just don't know what hills are. Part of the enjoyment of running a marathon is to add a bit of challenge to the experience and there was nothing difficult at all about this course.

One very major complaint of mine was the annoying walkers who often blocked the runners. Not at all opposed to walkers, but the course or start of the half marathon needs to be changed to keep them from obstructing the marathon runners. At the very least the race organizers should mention something about race etiquette, encouraging them not to walk four or more abreast, thus requiring runners to weave in and out of them. That really is not on.

Don't want to give the wrong idea becasue this is a very nice marathon, but would also suggest a rerouting of the last six miles. It is discouraging to pass the finish area at mile 20 and still know that you are far from finished.

Overall, kudos to the organizers, the volunteers, spectators and the great City of St. Louis.

More time clocks at the mile markers, only had split times at 5, 10, 13.1 and 20. Need more portable potties, I had to wait 15 min. Mile markers was confusing at the beginning. Should have this marathon in fall, it was hard to train in the winter. It was a fun marathon and I would run this one again

GOOD
-The MLink keeps spectators able to view many portions of the course and the organizers obviously thought about this - makes getting around St. Louis easy

-The changing scenery from downtown to the medical center to forest park to university district to historic homes to downtown to A Busch was well thought out - no boredom here

-Forest Park was the best - thoroughly enjoyed this

-I PRd

-I had no problems locating the mile markers blue numbers on white background which they told us about before the event - to host a completely different course would be a logistical nightmare for those planning the event in a city the size of St. Louis - I got all my splits for this marathon

-Weather was perfect - the wind which I was concerned about the day before only effected me towards the end so I ducked in behind someone - thankfully it wasn't hot or warm

-Free massage after expo - this is fantastic and obviously was a piece of why I recovered so quickly - no limping here

IMPROVEMENTS
-No food at the end of the expo - this is not cool - I was told they had more than expected race entrants the day before. Since the half marathoners finished first the food was gone. They need to have some logistics for acquiring food - bagels and bananas and yogurt on a JIT basis if they want to keep registration open the day before - this is too important to miss and otherwise would have rated this marathon higher. As soon as you write a check for an event it needs to fulfill its obligations. Hopefully there will be no excuses next year.

-Was unprepared for the severity of the hills on the out-and=back on the last 5 miles - it would have been nicer to run on the water front or stay more in downtown where possibly they would have more crowds as well. Those hills at the end are a killer. I do agree, however, with finishing the last 5 in downtown as opposed to starting them in downtown.

-Keep the half marathoners on one side of the street. Early on, the leaders coming back were fighting with a right hand turn the marathoners had to make into Forest Park. General logisitics need improvement about who runs where.

-The expo had none of the speakers advertised, at least while I was there - saw a podium but nobody talking.

I ran the half marathon since I am running Boston in a couple of weeks, but I think my comments are still applicable. I thought the pre-race organization was outstanding -- lots of information on the course, changes, etc. They even sent me an e-mail reminding me of the time change for daylight savings time on Sunday. Water stops were plentiful, but placement was awkward in a couple of places, especially the one on the narrow road going into and out of Forest Park. This is not the only race that does this, but why are walkers not encouraged to start at the back of the pack? They have every right to participate, but why let them start at the front of the pack?

Mile markers were a little confusing at the beginning since the 1/2 and full started at different locations -- wasn't sure which markers were for which race. I live in the area so I was familiar with the course and was ready for the hills, but in general I don't think the hills are too nasty anyway. Overall an enjoyable experience that I would do again.

As noted below, I liked the course, but it is rolling.

My biggest concern as a slow runner/walker is that even though all literature stated the course will be reopened on a 6-hour pace, the police decided to move us all to sidewalks on a 5 1/2 hour pace, and were removing traffic cones and barricades. With volunteers leaving the course and cones removed, we had trouble determining the route. I realize this time limit is plenty for most runners, but do not choose this race if you are a walker. The finish line was open to give out medals, once you found your way there.

2nd time I've run this marathon, and 8th marathon overall. It was a great day weather-wise. Things were, overall, well run.

Points to improve:
1. Better mile markers - was confusing with different markers for 1/2 and full marathon.
2. 1/2 marathon walkers really tied up the water stops and I literally missed three of them due to this.
3. No sports drink until the 3rd water stop!

As I said, great marathon overall. If you like a challenging course, you can't beat it.

Nice job St. Louis.

St. Louis is a beautiful city; the course had some nice neighborhoods that you ran through, like around Washington University - breathtaking. The spectators were nice and very supportive, the water stops were confusing at times, but well manned...but sometimes every quarter-1/2 mile??

The start was somewhat unorganized with the half marathoners starting somewhere else and the relay teams starting 10 minutes later. Relayers seemed confused by that, I saw one start with the marathoners and several wanted to start with us, but we told them they started later. HOWEVER, I was inspired by the singing of the National Anthem, it was only done by the runners, no singers, no band...very motivating, the course director started us off and it actually gave me goose bumps.

The last stretch is killer, very hard, and hilly, it was nice to see the other runners coming the other way - it kept your mind off of that long stretch. If you run this marathon...DO YOUR HILL WORK!!!!

First of all, I don't think the weather could have been more perfect for the 2004 run. The course is hilly, but the hills are gentle and rolling, so they dont make it that difficult. The expo was a flop. Nothing there worth looking at. Toward the end, I did have a few difficult spots dodging walkers (some from the half marathon). Mile markers were hard to see, and I missed several of them. Plus, we only got our time at one split and then the half. My last complaint is that food and water were hard to find at the end! I think most of it was gone!

But, it was my first marathon, and one I will do again! The scenery is great. Very beautiful parks and historic buildings to run by. We even got to run through a brewery. The course does change some every year, so I am not sure how that will affect my view of the marathon. Plus, I need to run some others so I have something to compare it to! I will definitely be back to run it again. Great fun, beautiful city!

I really enjoyed this race. The course was nice - through some beautiful parts of St. Louis, but it certainly seemed liked they went out of their way to find every hill they possibly could! Also, the mile markers were confusing at the beginning, I didn't even see one for Mile 1, and until the half marathoners turned back, all I saw were their mile makers. So that wasn't so great.

But in the later stages, the race was great. The weather was beautiful, the spectators were not that many but enthusiastic, and the medal was kind of cute. I had family and friends running the half marathon so we just enjoyed the day being together. Overall a great run!

This was a very challenging course, lots of hills, (do your hill training!) beautiful neighborhoods, showed off the best of St. Louis. I would reccomend this marathon if you live in the Midwest and want an early spring marathon to keep you motivated through the winter. Not a 'flat, fast' course if you're looking for a PR, but a enjoyable marathon, that is growing every year.

That said, a couple of suggestions for improvement are: make sure the half-marathon walkers stay to the side of the road. Too many times they would be 3 or 4 abreast, walking and chatting away, oblivious to marathoners trying to get around them. Didn't see a mile marker until mile 4, need to gauge pace sooner than that. Finally, thanks to the fans who came out to support the runners, but remember, you are allowed to cheer and encourage. I thought spectators were rather quiet.

As this race matures, it will get better and better. The organizers are on the right track incorporating the 'Family Fitness Weekend'. Just please remember to keep walkers from blocking the way of marathoners striving for an accomplishment of a lifetime.