Pros: Beautiful course. Goes through downtown, Forest Park, Clayton, and the loop, which are all really cool parts of town. GREAT TECH SHIRT. They also gave duffel bags, which were cool.

Cons: Very hilly. There are hardly any flat parts. The end of the course is almost torture. Also, the marathon isn't really the big event. There were probably 3 half marathoners to every marathoner. Not to mention, the relay was also very popular, and as you are chugging along at your marathon pace, someone will zoom past you with the word "relay" on the back of their shirt. it was almost like there wasn't enough focus on the actual marathon.

There are a lot of positives about the St. Louis Marathon. I'll list my observations (along with a couple negatives) by category:

Course: A good, interesting view of the various areas of the city is capped by running toward the Arch both at the start and at the end (and two nice views of Busch Stadium, for us baseball fans). There aren't really any dramatic hills, but lots of up and down. I kind of liked that because it made for some nice variety. The last several miles run toward the sun, which can be an issue if it is warm and sunny (which it was in 2010). Also, it was quite crowded at the start, which led to under-supplied aid stations (no criticism of the volunteers, who worked super hard). A race that has grown to this size is ready for a wave start, in my opinion.

Organization: This marathon is extremely well organized, and also offers a lot for the entry fee: really nice medal, high-quality tech shirt, and a nice gear bag as an extra. The expo was good, too. Finish line food was so-so (not much variety). Good band at the end, and I appreciated the free massage. Also, it would be nice if the water at the aid stations were cool or cold rather than warm.

Fans: Great support, even in areas I didn't expect, such as along bridges outside of residential areas. More music would be nice, but the people are just great. All in all, this marathon is well worth the price of admission and a trip to the beautiful City of St. Louis.

As others have said, this is decidedly a half-marathon event (and a very good one) with a marathon added, as half participants outnumbered full 4 to 1.

However, I ran the full and enjoyed the spectators while they lasted (first 10 miles). The spectators after that were enthusiastic, but not near as many.

The second half of the marathon has quite a few hills, but nothing truly steep... though I was glad to finish the miles 14-17 hill. : )

I do wish there was a way for organizers to be a little bit more "light on their feet," especially where weather is concerned. For example, last year, rain was forecast and it came hard. And they ran out of mylar blankets. This year, after weeks of nasty weather, rain and temps in the mid-20s to low 40s, Missouri temps jump (during the taper weeks) to 70-80 degrees. The high on Sunday I think reached 80+ degrees. Salt packets (or at least pretzels) along the course would have been a huge help. I think sports drink and some sort of protein in the finish area would have been a good idea as well.

HOWEVER, having said that, I enjoyed the race as it was scenic (until the last 5 miles or so, when all I was really aware of was a blazing sun and no shade) and the volunteers were hard-working and very friendly... though, they were overtaxed until the races split apart (and couldn't keep up at times).

I would recommend the half and the marathon to anyone. Sure, some things could be improved (corrals or waves would be a nice addition as well - that might help those hard working volunteers keep up with the masses), but even though I know I listed a number of things to improve, that's in hopes organizers read through this and take note.

But my overall impression is that it is a great half-marathon, and a good full marathon that could become a great marathon with just a few upgrades.

The course was very hilly. It would have helped to have an elevation chart on the website. Also, bad idea to merge people into one late around 400 yards out. Created a large bottleneck. Same issue just outside the brewery. Did enjoy the city.

Lots to do in the city, but the race needed more organization. My concern, prior to arrival, pertained to the large number of half marathoners running the first 10 miles with the full. Unfortunately, the volume of runners caused many issues at the early water stations (no water at the first stop) and congestion for the first part of the race. Separate the runners! Support for the second half of the course was sparse in places when you really needed it. Hills were abundant, especially in the last few miles, and there was hardly any shade. Probably won't run this one again.

This was my third time running this marathon. I was glad to see the course back to the old one. Last year's course was modified due to the Highway 40 closure and wasn't nearly as good. The volunteers were awesome, as always. Water, sports drink and gel were plentiful.

Packet pick-up was AWFUL. Chaifetz Arena just doesn't have the space to have lots of people standing in line. I was there at 10 a.m. on Friday morning and didn't even pick up my shirt or my goody bag because the lines were so long. The only way to get to Chaifetz is to drive (I thought this was supposed to be a "green" marathon) and there was no street parking available. After paying $70 to run, I don't think I should have to pay $5 to park to pick up my stuff.

Once again the half-marathoners outnumbered the marathoners 2:1, which wouldn't be a problem if people actually lined up in the correct spot. I spent the first 3 miles trying to get around people walking 4 across. I started right at the 11:00 minute/mile sign and NOBODY walks a mile that fast, so I shouldn't have had to pass anybody.

My first time doing the full in STL. Definitely prefer the half. The hills are challenging, but if you train on hills you will be prepared for this course. Route through AB, Soulard, Forest Park, Clayton, Loop and downtown was nice. Fans for the most part were great... even on the full route they were sparse yet cheered us on. Expo was easy to access and made it simple to collect all our gear. T-shirt was acceptable. Liked the email communication leading up to event. Only cons would be water stations on first half of the course were not prepared at all. After reading some other comments, it seems this is an issue that has happened in past. Organizers need to figure out a way to staff and work them better when you have 15,000 on first half of course... I think more tables at each stop with cups stacked up and filled. Hydration once marathon broke off was acceptable, as I thought it would, only gripe was warm fluid at most. On such a warm day for marathon cold fluid when we got it was nice. Did not like the stretch of Forest Park Parkway back - about 21-23; it was desolate and hot, with no shade and no aid. We could have taken Delmar back to Skinker to Lindell back through CWE to downtown. Some volunteers seemed a little confused about what to do when someone needed assistance... a little common sense to get help and not have runners or family trekking to find some aid would have been nice as well. Plenty of food and drinks waiting for marathoners at the finish. I finished around 5 and all was plentiful. Would recommend this marathon. It was challenging with the weather and hills, but a fun experience overall.

This is the first race I've ever done. It was amazing. (Some of my friends and I ran the half-marathon.) The weather was beautiful, the course was wonderful, and St. Louis is the best. Thanks for the experience!

This is a big -city marathon, but the half is the real deal, and the whole is a small event in comparison. The course is beautiful for a city, but is seemed to be uphill about 80% of the time. (I know that is impossible.) The volunteers were overworked on the first half and unable to supple drink to everyone, and it was hot enough to need more. By the second half there was no such trouble and the volunteers were great at the aid stations. It was tough for the first few miles to run well due to the presence of so many people, but again, that was no problem the second half. It did get hotter than usual this year, and several people got into trouble due to the heat. The response seemed to be great by the emergency personnel. This is a great marathon run in a beautiful city that has a lot to offer the visitor and the runner.

It was my first marathon, and I never thought that I would even try to do it. The year before I was a volunteer for this race because my friend was in it. I decided that I can do it too, and wanted to extend my regular running to a totally new level. The first 15 miles went in a breeze; around mile 20, the infamous wall started coming at me, and from mile 23 to the end it was a torturous affair. Nonetheless, when we met with our friends at the finish line, my friend and I weren't looking that bad (besides our knees not bending). Weather was great. We had friends and family along the way, joining us for a few miles, taking pictures, and trying to feed us with sandwiches. Since that day, I run one or two marathons or halfs each year (this comment made in March 2010).