This was my 8th marathon and I have to say this is now my favorite! Incredible in every way - the course, the organization, the support from St. George. Despite being from South Florida, I survived the hills well, and found them not only challenging but fun! The scenery is beautiful. I hope to be back in the lottery next year so that I can continue to run this wonderful marathon. A big high-five for the organizers and all of the people from St. George!

Despite the SGM's first rainy day in 25 years, it still ROCKED!! My friend and I came from Florida, met up with some other friends who live in Salt Lake City, and totally enjoyed our marathon experience in St. George!

A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to the hundreds of volunteers at the water stops and med tents, and those who dispensed Vaseline and icy hot, etc.... We could not have done it without you!! The rain was not too bad if you were running, but I can't imagine having to stand in one spot for hours on end, with no cover or break from the rain. Thousands of runners finished, some with a BQ, because of you all!

The start line folks were great - thanks for delaying the departure of the bag truck! For the early birds, they had drinks, gloves, and trash bags. No waiting at the porta-lets, which were plentiful at both the start and along the course.

Spectators were much appreciated, and more numerous than I expected with the adverse weather conditions.
The course was beautiful, closed to traffic, and well marked. On a side note, I did as much hill training as I could, being from Florida. The altitude didn't affect me at all, but the combination of uphill and downhill was tough. If you're used to running on flat terrain, raise the incline on the treadmill, or run some parking garages or overpasses... whatever it takes to get in some hill-work. You will not be sorry, because despite the drop in elevation, it may not be what you expect. I would also recommend driving the course if at all possible.

Great organization at the finish, beautiful medal, and thanks for the souvenir chip!!

I agree with previous comments that there should have been Mylar blankets at the finish line. We stayed only a few blocks from the finish, but it was a cold walk home, especially with the strong wind. If you stood in line for food, pictures, or a massage, it would have been much worse. Please rethink this for future years.

Again, a big THANKS to the race organizers, volunteers, police officers, and all the support personnel!! It was a GREAT marathon experience!!

This was my first full marathon; however, I can confidently state from my 24 years of military service that it was as well organized and managed as you will find. The logistics, support, and community involvement were exceptional. St. George definitely has its act together. As stated by others, they weren't ready for the rain, but given that it had been 25 years since the last time it rained on the race, I can't find much fault there. The hill from mile 7-11 wasn't as bad as I had feared from reading about it, but I definitely recommend including some hill training if you plan to run in the SGM. Overall, I highly recommend this marathon and the weekend stay in St. George.

I've run marathons around the U.S., and this is the best organized, hands-down. The beauty of the course is incredible if you choose to enjoy it. With the downhill course, you can run a fast time if you train for it. For a mostly rural marathon, the spectators are plentiful and supportive.

For those who complained about the weather and lack of luxury items (Mylar blankets, tents at the start, etc.), I want to remind you that you were running a marathon, not staying at a luxury hotel. If you want the easy life, don't run marathons. And most of all, quit whining when you don't plan well enough to stay warm or dry (or are silly enough to put your clothes bag in the truck an hour early). If you are cold at the finish, pick up your clothes bag (what a simple solution) and put something on!

This is a great race in every respect. I plan to keep running it until I die.

Please consider providing space blankets in the future, especially for beautiful, rainy days like this one. We shall be back!

What a gem! I've run most of the majors and no race exceeds this one's organization. They really take care of their racers. The course is beautiful (though the rain kept my head down most of the time), and most of the many aid stations offered about every type of product, aid and assistance anyone could want. The fans and volunteers deserve all the accolades. Groups of fans were standing out in the rain at sunrise in the middle of NOWHERE screaming and cheering us on.... Unbelievable! The start area is worth the trip alone... waiting in the pre-dawn around approximately 62 bonfires in the middle of the desert with thousands of runners is an experience I won't soon forget. This area is uniquely beautiful and the race is first-class. Don't think it's easy and all downhill; it's not!

Simply stated, this marathon event was well done. Starting with packet pickup, it was the typical expo with folks in the back checking IDs and handing out packets. The expo was one of the better ones that I have seen in 33 marathon events. Of course, it was one of the bigger marathon events I have participated in too. When I arrived in the St. George area late Friday afternoon, the outside temperature was about 90 degrees - typical, it seemed, for the desert. The tech T-shirt was a rather unimpressive design with the STG symbol in the lower left side of the front.

The bus pickup point was at a local park - near the finish line - where post-race events would take place. Parking was not a problem for me as I arrived early. I expect the latecomers may have had trouble with parking accommodations. Temperature at the park race-day morning was in the low 70's.

The buses left from the park, and drove us about 26 miles north. And the buses were not dispatched until every seat was full. En route to the start line, I noticed that the bus driver had the windshield wipers on - interesting, I thought... rain in the desert. As we drove north, you could see the low clouds and fog in the hills, as the rain continued to fall. Finally we arrived. The rain was still falling, and the numerous flags that were posted around the start area were all up straight in the wind - pointing north. I never heard, but I would guess the temperature at the start line was in the mid-40's. Plastic garbage sacks were handed out for runners to cover themselves with - though I brought my own. I have never seen so many runners using the inverted sacks, but I cannot remember another race where the staff actually handed them out. Still, this race organization made bonfires - many of them - to help runners stay warm. There was a sandy area between the road and a row of trees maybe 75 feet-wide, and there were two rows of bonfires about every 20 feet for maybe 100 yards. It was incredible to see (another marathon first for me), and these fires served the runners well. Starbuck's coffee and hot chocolate were available to runners in the starting area as well.

The race started with wimpy sounding horn, but once the lead runners took off, everybody else just followed. The first aid station was at mile-post 3, and by then many runners had warmed up sufficiently to shed their garbage bag. Yet the rain and wind continued, though the wind had died down some by the start of the race. The aid stations were quite frequent, and were staffed with friendly volunteers. The aid stations had Gatorade and water, and most stations had an abundance of Clif Shots and Clif Bars. I was simply amazed at the quantity of Clif products that were available for the runners. Bananas were also handed out too. Additionally, there were several medical tents throughout the course, and they handed out Vaseline, and rubbed runner's legs down with Icy-Hot (similar to Ben Gay).

The course was mostly downhill, but there was a significant incline around mile-post 8, and a few smaller rises throughout the course. The scenery was desert landscapes, and was quite beautiful. There were not many fans on the course, but at mile 7 there was a small town called Veyo, and folks lined the street there and enthusiastically cheered on the runners. The course finally wound its way into town, and after running along a couple of city streets, there was the finish line.

The post-race event was typical. This event was sponsored by Blue Bunny Ice Cream, and the products were great. There was yogurt and sliced melons available too. There was a lot to eat. However, some warm food would have been greatly appreciated too. Temperature at the finish line was 62 degrees - nearly a 30-degree drop from the previous day. Who would have guessed? The weather was more typical of Seattle. Still, the marathon was a great experience, and I highly recommend this race if you can get selected to participate.

The organizers do a superb job here - coordinating buses to the start, lighting bonfires to keep the runners warm, and providing lots of porta-potties and Vaseline on the run. They even provided garbage bags and free gloves for the wait at the start. But, on the downside... while I understand that the 2008 weather was unusual, race organizers should always have space blankets ready at the finish. Also, the course is visually dull (or maybe I just couldn't see through all the rain), which would be fine if it was super-fast. I didn't find it as fast as expected... perhaps for runners coming from lower altitudes, what they gain from the downhills, they lose from altitude. One minor note: the expo and race shirt don't compare well to those offered by other races of the same size.

This is a great race. This was my first marathon, and not to be too self-congratulatory, but I crushed it. It's definitely a fast course. The first 7 miles are slightly downhill; miles 8 through 13 are definitely uphill and a real challenge; the last 13 are basically all downhill except for a nasty uphill stretch at about mile 19. I am 43 and qualified for Boston by about 2 minutes (needed a 3:20; ran a 3:17:48). I came from Michigan and the altitude really didn't bother me. I was worried about the dry air, but the constant rain took care of that! I love the landscape of the Southwest, so I think the scenery on the entire route was absolutely beautiful. I recall spectators at just about every mile marker, and thousands when you get into St. George for the final three or four miles when you really need it. They were very supportive and they came out in really bad weather. I ran the second half about five minutes faster than the first, so the downhill does help. All told, it was all I had hoped for and more in a first marathon.

Well done, St. George - you really know how to do it right. As the previous posters said, the weather was less than stellar - rain, colder temps and a headwind, but we got off the bus only to receive a garbage bag from one of the many volunteers. Despite the fact that there are not a lot of spectators on the course except for Veyo and then the city itself, I never felt like I needed my iPod for company since there was so much energy in the air.

I also know that it is known to be a fast course, and it lived up to my expectations. I ran more than 10 minutes faster than I thought I could with an 8-minute negative split. And to the poster below, the chip is yours to keep as a souvenir.

Great race, and if I lived closer, I would run it again.