Incredible marathon, probably the best organized one I have ever done and possibly even the best overall I have ever done.

OK, so the lottery is tough, and finding a hotel is even tougher. But once you are past those hurdles it is fabulous. A great race expo, easy to get in and out, with no lines and a bargain pasta dinner at $8 (other marathons PLEASE take note!).

Getting to the start was easy, and the fires to keep the runners warm were unique and wonderful. Bag drop-off was flawless, as was all of the support along the course. And the course was incredible. After a very casual first half I decided to actually run for real in the second half and enjoyed that nice long downhill (though the quads hated it for days after!). The end was very well run with tons of food and drink (again, other marathons please take note!), ice cups to massage the legs, efficient bag pickup and plenty of grass to stretch out on.

I have almost a strict policy of not repeating marathons, but this is the one that I'll probably break that rule on. Compliments to the organizers, volunteers and the fellow runners.

Absolutely the best!

- Mike

Utah is more beautiful than I could have imagined it to be. The people of this town were amazing; great race to meet people. If you're looking for a fast race, this might be it...'cuz there are a lot of downhills. They started to hurt after awhile - I was hoping to 'drop and roll' at some points.

My biggest disappointment was that my legs hurt too much post-race to enjoy Zion/Bryce Canyon the way I would have liked to. So I will have to make a trip back, 'cuz I love Utah!

One of my best vacations.

The course is superb!!! The post-race food/drink were great. My complaints:

1. The map in the brochure that indicated where the expo was held was not accurate. It took us forever to find the expo.

2. The course elevation map on the website is inaccurate.

3. The motorized hang-gliders were annoying!!!!! They 'buzzed' the runners repeatedly. They wouldn't have been so annoying if they had flown over once or twice, but over and over?

4. The lack of hotel accommodations in St. George for runners--the hour drive to reach St. George from another town was LONG.

All in all, the good things about the race far outweighed the bad things. And thanks to the veteran St. George runner who gave me advice about the hills!!!!

This race was more than I ever expected. The runners' comments on this website had prepared me to expect a good race, but it was incredible. I loved how the race is limited to a manageable number of runners. If it weren't for the lottery, the race would be a nightmare with too many people crowding into that little piece of heaven with the breathtaking scenery.

Everyone in the town of St. George that we met was super nice, from the rental car person, to waiters and waitresses, the runners themselves, and each and every person involved with the race.

The race course was a dream. I trained for hills, and I knew qualifying for Boston was within my reach when I came to mile 19-20.

I appreciated being able to see the finish line from a distance of almost a mile. It really allows you to pace yourself at the end. And a bonus was that the clothing at the expo and the race t-shirt are super-cool!

The bottom line is that if you want a race to feed your runner's soul, go to St. George!

This was #13 for me (including two trips to Boston) and still St. George is the best. The scenery and the moonlit start are great but the finish is fabulous!! The steadying bars for chip removal (always hard after 26.2 to balance on one foot while someone tugs at your other shoe), followed by the misting showers, the nice medal, the moist washcloth, good fun food, and quick access to loved ones in a grassy park were all great. The only thing that bothered me in the past about St. George was the crush to get bags onto the truck at the start of the race. This year I just left my bag on the ground about 50 yards from the truck and... sure enough there is was at the finish line. Congratulations St. George for putting on such a great event. I'll be back (lottery allowing).

I ran this marathon because I heard from a friend it was beautiful, laid-back and all downhill... Well, she was right about the first two. It IS beautiful, and since I am not a big-crowd kind of gal, I'll choose natural beauty over a 'great crowd' any day.

Laid-back... yup. What a great little town is St. George! The people and spectators were so friendly and supportive and welcoming. I get all choked up thinking about how they really roll out the red carpet for us all. The organization is grand, too, without being overbearing or overly officious. Even waiting for the buses to get to the start felt like a high-school track meet... so casual and easygoing... but on-time! The course is beautiful and the people who come out in their sleeping bags and lawn chairs in the rural, sleepy morning made the whole thing seem cheerful and festive and almost... personal. Can't beat the fires at the start, the pink, pearly sunrise, the grandeur of the red rocks, the intermittent breezes...

But there are hills. Ascents and descents. Just one or two 'big' hills, but the ones that come later, while small, are definitely there and it seems like even though for every ascent there is a descent, I could have done with fewer, thanks. I had a very blissful 22 miles. But I think altitude had its way with me, because I was having a very hard time at the end: Thank goodness for the very cool pacer (Clif Bar Team) who kept me 2 minutes ahead almost the whole way.

Toward the end, there is a group of people handing out icy wet washcloths (how cool it THAT!), a band playing (appropriately) 'The Weight' by The Band (one of my favorites), and a LOT of sweet children's faces. I thanked every volunteer I could from the very start, and high-fived everyone I could reach. Thank you to all the wonderful people who really gave a sincere effort at lifting our spirits.

The finish line had showers!! The finish-line area... I saw people eating ice cream, sandwiches, popsicles, etc. So much to choose from... too bad I was totally destroyed and had to go straight back to my hotel and start drinking beer in bed (for 24 hours, mind you). The bags for sweats were readily available and very well organized. I PRd and qualified for Boston. I hope to be back again next year.

Wonderful town. Wonderful race!

As an East Coast runner the endless mountain vistas of the St. George Marathon were spectacular! (Although the horizon seemed to keep moving away.) Starting out running by moonlight was unique. After a long sweaty summer of training in North Carolina, the cool and low humidity was great. The organization was superb with the misters/showers in the last 6 miles a life-saver, as well as the ice packs at mile 24, and cold wash clothes at mile 25.

While I had a PR and qualifed for Boston, I clearly had not trained enough on downhills to exploit them. The 8% downhill grade at mile 21 nearly finished my quads. I'll know better next year.

Wonderful experience in all respects. Great job St. George!

The course, the scenery, the organization, the weather; it's all been raved about here and elsewhere - so I finally had to go see for myself, and I found that it's all fact. This is as good as it gets in the marathon world.

Having that beautiful stretch of highway all to oursleves far outweighs not having cheering crowds for every mile - plus those crowds appear in town for the last 5 miles anyway and you forget that they weren't there during the majority of the first 20 miles. It's a great balance.

Very, very well done marathon all the way around. If you had to come up with a list of the 5 best marathons in North America - St. George just plain has to be on that list. They come bigger, flashier, and faster (yes, even faster), but they don't come better.

I loved the St. George Marathon!

This is a well-run race through a spectacular course. Nice long-sleeved cool-max shirt, a unique and beautiful sandstone finisher's medal. A point-to-point course, so the only way to the starting line is on shuttle buses, running from about 4-5:30am. Rest well two nights before the race! If you're staying in Vegas or Mesquite, Nevada, plan ahead for drive time and remember the hour time difference between Utah/Nevada. Accommodations tend to fill early in St. George, so plan ahead. The 'first-timer' clinic is fun, and a good idea the day before.

The fires at the starting line felt great, temps can be in the 40's to start, and by finish be in the 80's. The plastic bag with your name/number on it to ditch warm-up clothes at the start worked well. After the race, I had my bag back quickly, well organized. If you ditch clothes at the mile markers, you'll be digging in boxes later. Some use a 'throw-away' shirt or gloves. (And if you're one who wears a trash bag to start, throw it away to the SIDE of the road, would ya?)

Beautiful sandstone cliffs, ancient volcanos, and I hope you trained for downhill! A fast course, if you run the first half smart, there are a couple of up-hills that'll test you.

The town really turns out for the race, and may not seem like large numbers if you're used to the bigger races, but they make up for it in enthusiasm. The volunteers are fantastic, some have been on a waiting list for 6 years to run an aid station. The Clif Shot Pacer Teams were great, as well.

Aid stations well stocked and run, with gel, oranges, bananas. Misting stations along the course and at finish were great.

You'll love it! See you at the next one!

Great marathon, especially since I am turning the Big 60 and qualified for Boston. Thank goodness I drove the course the day before because focused on the race on Saturday and missed the scenery.

Race organizers, volunteers, spectators, all did a super job. Only reason for four starts on spectators is the course is isolated, so not too accessible.

Take to heart the advice to train for descents. It's now three days later and still pain, but since I BQ'd, it's a good pain. I had paid my dues on speed, strength, some downhill, but was concerned about long runs, so some concerns about the 20 mile hit. If your legs hold out on the descents, the advantage of the slope should get you to the finish if you have done enough long runs.

One last big plus is the SGM chat area. A lot of great people out there who will help you with your planning.

One last suggestion: if you don't find a room, do a search for condo rentals. A little more expensive, but just make it a family or friend affair and have a great time in a beautiful area.