Great course for setting a PR, but don't be fooled. Although much of the course is downhill, you still have pretty good climbs uphill. Train for both and you'll have a great time! Beautiful scenery. The fans were great, but there weren't many places the first 20 miles for spectator viewing.

The course was beautiful as many others have mentioned. There were a lot more ascents than I had expected considering other reviews I've seen and the map of the course shown on the website. The one big climb at about mile 7 was really steep. I had to walk most of it.

I was really happy with the organization and the friendliness of the volunteers. One local runner told me that if you don't sign up a month ahead of time to volunteer you won't get a space. They all went out of their way to make sure that you are having a good experience: this was especially nice for me since I was really slow (7:13:58). It was a pretty hot day and the race started about 15 minutes late so that was disappointing. The bonfires at the start of the race were nice and it was just gorgeous there in the moonlight. Spaghetti dinner the night before was pretty good, too. I used this website and the various reviews quite a bit to help me choose my first marathon and I think that St. George is a great choice for someone that is new or someone that has run several races.

This was my second time running St. George. More challenging than it looks but very rewarding with proper training. Great support, great organization, great technical shirts, cheerful and helpful support. This must be one of the best in the U.S.

I've run more than 20 marathons and this is clearly the best. The only disadvantage: You have to be selected in their lottery to get in. For those who get in, you will love it also.

St. George does a fantastic job with this race!

This is a wonderful marathon, but it should not be attempted without proper training. This is was my 4th marathon and my slowest, but it was my own fault for not training. The weather was plenty hot. The scenery is beautiful on the course. I highly recommend it, but do yourself a favor: train properly with lots of hills, both up and down.

Been running marathons for 30 years. Thank you, St. George. Best course, organization, people and spectators. Truly one for the memories.

Ps. Also qualified for Boston.

This was my first marathon and I absolutely loved it! Great course, the hill comes early enough and then you get a nice downhill course. It was the best race I have ever run. I look forward to running it soon.

I ran my first marathon in St. George in 2000, and ran my 3:58 PR a year later 6 weeks after 9-11. This is a very special place to run a marathon with its beautiful balance of scenery, crowd support & organization. Every marathoner should do St. George. This point-to-point course is undulating and mostly downhill. The small juniper fires in the pre-dawn darkness are wonderful with 5-10 runners huddled around each fire. The white and red castle-like cliffs at mile 14 as you descend into Snow Canyon State Park are as spectacular as you'll see anywhere. Miles 20-25 constitute a moderate descent, so train the quads when you're tired and you'll earn a PR.

The crowd support is minimal until the city limit at mile 23, when it's hot and passing 70F. By mile 23 I move into the mental focus where it feels so good and so hard (you know what I mean). The crowd 'carried' me the final 3 miles as I jubilantly crossed the finish line into the misters.

The sandstone medals are classy and the refreshments in the spacious grassy park are tasty. One tip: share the joy. Find a place on the edge of the park to cheer on runners at the finish line while sipping on your favorite beverage. I enjoyed a very emotional hour as runners stumbled, sprinted and celebrated the completion of their 26.2 miles. Great event, St. George. I'll be back.

This was my first marathon and I am lucky to live only 4 hours away from St. George. I cannot compare it yet, but I loved it.

When you enter the City of St. George after running out in the valley, you see bands multiple bands playing! The WHOLE 4 miles in the city you see fan support. I couldn't believe it. The food after was wonderful, and I even got a free massage. If there weren't hundreds of marathons out there I want to do, then I would run this one every year.

Train for the hills and you can get your PR here. The spectators on the ground were great, but the ones in the ultralight gliders were a pain in the ***! If you run this race, make sure and show them how you feel (use your favorite hand signal).