My first marathon, with only a goal to finish. Fantastic city, great spectators, and a beautiful course.

The race director needs contact those of us who paid for but didn't receive their 'high tech' shirts. They were sold to others even though we pre-paid and pre-registered. They should be reserved if you pre-pay. I hope to hear from the race director by email to send me these shirts.

The Spirit of St. Louis Marathon was my first marathon experience. I thought it was wonderful. The course is beautiful with rolling hills going through different parts of St. Louis. I felt especially privileged to run on part of the same course that the Women's Olympic Trials had been run on just the day before! The weather was perfect and the crowds, though sparse from time to time, were always enthusiastic. With a little planning, my family was able to move to various points along the course via the St. Louis MetroLink and they had a great time. I finished in 4:39 and there was plenty of food and drink available. I would encourage the expo organizers to 'jazz it up a little' and I think for such a great race the T-shirt could use a little work. But, I didn't come for the clothes, I came to see if I could do the distance and I DID!

This was my 3rd marathon -- have done New York & Chicago. I feel bad that BV of Atlanta was upset with so many things and was quite surprised to see his comments.

First, the wind did blow (in both senses of the word) in the last few miles, but no one can control that.
Second, after running huge marathons where I had to jostle and dodge for 26 miles, the walkers and half-marathoners here were no problem at all. Nor were the crowded water stations. I really can't attest to the quality of the expo since they don't interest me at all no matter how great they are. BV was right, it's too bad the organizers didn't limit the food given to relay runners and half-marathoners so there was more left for us. I came away with a cookie and a banana but really wanted a bagel. Then again, I didn't look too hard either.

Otherwise, the marathon was a truly great experience for me. I took 30 minutes off my PR and was so ecstatic that maybe my opinion of everything is colored by that. Also, I'm a native St. Louisan and very proud of the work the organizer Nancy Lieberman has done to turn the race around in 5 years. I would highly recommend this to anyone -- with the caveat that you make sure you do your hill training.

This was my 13th Marathon and one of the more enjoyable ones I have done.

1. The course was great, minimal hills and plenty of water/Gatorade and port-o-lets.
2. Crowd was small, but energetic.
3. Agree about the Omni Majestic Hotel. Service was great and just 2 blocks from the start/finish
4. Run through the brewery was fun and the beer at mile 24 was great!
5. Medal was one of the nicer ones
6 Expo was ok. Like many I have attended.

A few suggestions:

1. The start was a bit confusing with the marathoners and 1/2 folks starting in different locations.
2. With the out-and-back type course, we did have to run around a lot of walkers.
3. Mile markers were confusing to differentiate the 1/2 from the full.

Overall it was worth the 6-hour drive. If I wasn't doing one in every state, I would definitely go back. For a small 1500 or so marathon race, it had a lot of energy. Keep up the good work!

While I only ran the half, I was able to experience some of the more key elements that define any marathon (and yes, I've run many marathons).

The Good:

1. Nice expo: well organized, several interesting booths, great volunteers. (Coming from Kansas City and the joke that is the KC Marathon, it was obvious to me the race director clearly understood runners' needs/desires... not just the expo, but other facets as well.)
2. Decent crowds: not big, by any means, but sincere support that did not go unnoticed.
3. Scenic, semi-challenging course (at least for the half).

The Could-Be-Better:

1. Why oh why would you unleash several hundred (1,000-plus?) walkers an hour before the event? Coupled with the tandem marathon start, within a mile it felt as though we ran into a human wall. Thankfully, the streets were closed, but this did not preclude the need to dodge the sea of people out front... and forget about checking your splits; the mile markers (if you could tell which ones were relevant to the half or the full) were impossible to see.
2. The aid stations were well managed, but at roughly mile eight, on the half marathon return trip from Forest Park, we had to literally jump up onto the grass BEHIND the aid station to avoid all of the congestion still heading out...never got water...was just trying to somehow stay on the course.

I'd run this again (even the marathon) so long as the organizers can address some of these logistical issues, especially walkers, who have absolutely no right to be clogging the course for those of us who actually are trying to run. Walkers are welcome, just put them in the back, please!

Wonderful experience from start to finish - this race was done first-rate. I recommend participating in the St. Louis Marathon to all level of runners. The race keeps getting bigger and better every year. I can?t wait for 2005, to set a new PR.

Registration- 5 stars
Packet pick up- 5 stars
Fitness expo- 4 stars
Course- 5 stars
T-Shirt and medal to all runners- 5 stars
Fans- 4 stars
After-race festivities- Massages, bagels, Gatorade, bananas, oranges, pretzels, and of course you?re in St. Louis: Free Anheuser-Busch products.

The weather was perfect. It was 37 degrees at the start and never got above 55. I really enjoyed the course. There was plenty to look at, and the the hills were long but not too steep. The crowd support was very supportive and loud though there were some parts when you saw no one for a while. I thought the water stops were well stocked and often, but my time of 3:06 had me toward the front so I don't know how some of the mid-pack runners were effected. You do have to start avoiding the half marathon runners/walkers from mile 15-20 as you pass them but I enjoyed the distraction. There were a lot of people at the finish yelling and they said your name and city as you crossed the finish line. I would recommend this race.

I would have to agree with all of the comments that BV from Atlanta made in the last comment. I was able to complete the marathon with a PR beating my best by 7 minutes.

Pluses:
1.The route through Forest Park was absolutely beautiful.

2. The hills were challenging but nothing that should scare anyone away.

Minuses:
1. Even though I finished the race in 3:31, I guess I should have run a little faster to get some food. They had run out of food and could only offer a bottle of water after the race. It seems as though all of the walkers and half-marathon runners cleaned them out. Very poor planning!

2. Getting through the mass of half marathon finishers and the intersecting paths of the marathon made the course and mile markers confusing to follow.\

3. For anyone that tries to drink and run, most marathons offer fluids in paper cups. On this course they served water in plastic cups that were difficult or near impossible to drink from. Out of the 16 aid stations, less than 5 offered water in paper cups.

This was my fifth marathon -- and I was very disappointed in the overall organization. First the good:

1. Course was nice -- hills weren't too challenging and it was scenic.
2. The Omni Hotel was 2 blocks from the start/finish! A terrific hotel and a great location.
3. Closing down the streets was very welcome!
4. Small but enthusiastic crowd.

Now the bad:

1. They changed the course so the loop to the Brewery was the last 5 miles instead of the first 5. By the time I got to the 3 hour mark the wind was brutal going down to the Brewery and back.
2. The half-marathoners got all the food and drink! I finished in 4:07 and there wasn't anything left!!!! Shame on the organizers.
3. The mile markers were very difficult to see -- I missed quite a few. No timers -- and only 1 person calling splits.
4. The marathoners joined the half marathon route at the 14 mile mark -- I was running into half-marathon walkers from 15-20 and having to dodge them!
5. The marathon and half-marathoners started in different places and the beginning was very disorganized. It was hard to determine if the mile markers were for the 1/2 or the full.
6. Very uninspired expo. I spent 15 minutes there.
7. The water stops were plentiful for the marathoners -- but way too small. One table at each stop????? Some folks were having to wait in line for water.
8. The volunteers need more instructions -- I only take in liquid at every 3 or 4 miles and I had volunteers blocking my way to try to hand me water at every stop! I was having to push them away from me.

Although I PR'ed - I would not recommend this race.

Just got done with the 2004 Spirit of St. Louis Marathon. A nice challenging course, some long hills. Organization was good. Spectators were fair in number, but very enthusiastic. It is a surprise that there were not many people around the course, since the weather was just about perfect. Basically, the course is challenging, the organization is good with a lot of written information about the course for the runners and families, and spectators were very enthusiastic. One other thing, if you do this marathon, do your hill training.