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St. George Marathon Runner Comments
Back to St. George Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.8 
Organization 4.8 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 216 [displaying comments 171 to 181]
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L. A. from Raleigh, NC
(10/10/2004)
 "Spectacular Course and Organization" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 St. George Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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! | |
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J. W. from Oregon
(10/8/2004)
"Near Perfection" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 St. George Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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. | |
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M. M. from Utah
(10/6/2004)
"Way to go, St. George! Awesome!" (about: 2004)
3 previous marathons
| 1 St. George Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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! | |
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D. D. from Austin, Tx
(10/5/2004)
 "Trying for Boston, go to SGM. " (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 St. George Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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. | |
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M. C. from Mesa, Arizona
(10/5/2004)
 "Best Marathon Ever!!!!!" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ St. George Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 I salute you all! Everyone that had anything to do with the 2004 St. George Marathon... It couldn't have been any more perfect! The huge variety at the expo, the inexpensive but delicious spaghetti dinner, the organized bus ride up the hill, the motivating music and helpful items supplied to us at start line, the perfect running course with tons of refreshments, sprinklers, and lots of encouraging fans, AND... the absolutely wonderful finish line with everything a runner could ask for. Thank you so much for a life time memory. It was truly a wonderful experience! | |
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D. C. from Orem, Utah
(10/4/2004)
"Great Experience On A Beautiful Course" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ St. George Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've run St. George many times and keep coming back. There's not much else to be done to make this race better. The course is hard, despite the 2,600 foot drop, and the weather is often warm (like this year), but the scenery and support are better than any other marathon I've run. The organization is great, volunteers superb, and the race is a terrific experience. If you are considering this race, don't expect it to be an easy, fast course. By my estimation, there are about 8 miles of uphill, with at least that much steep downhill. My legs always take a beating and recovery is slow. | |
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T. L. from California
(6/25/2004)
"Picked by the lottery system but..." (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I was so pleased to be selected by the lottery. But I am, so far, unable to book any hotel rooms in St. George or nearby towns. All sold out!! I will keep trying, but I am pretty discouraged by the responses so far. Looks like I'll just have to run a local race in CA. So much for winning the Lottery...:O) | |
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L. T. from Fruit Heights Utah
(4/26/2004)
"I'M HOOKED" (about: 2003)
2 previous marathons
| 2 St. George Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The St. George Marathon is great. I told myself after my first time that I would never do this again, and now here I am awaiting the lotto pick for 2004 my third time. I love the marathon - I'm now aiming for a new PR and it's the feeling at that time of the year to know that training is upon me. The marathon is great. I am not much of a morning person, but I awake the morning of the marathon excited and jittery. It's a little cold out and the nerves in my stomach go crazy. Then, on the bus ride to the starting line I try to sleep and relax knowing that in a little while the gun goes off. Then one of my favorite things is the playing of the National Anthem; that get's my blood boiling, hearing the words and seeing all the flags blowing in the morning breeze - it's awesome. Then the race begins and I am off ready to face the challenge in my mind. I tell myself that miles 7, 8 and 9 are not far off, but that a beautiful sunrise over veyo will take your breath away. There is then a little more climbing before you hit the descent into town. That is one view I look for. Once I see St. George, I feel I can finish, and when I do there is a smile on my face despite the pain I feel. I thank the many kind people who cheer the runners on - you all make a difference, especially the ones who stay out late. I am a straggler, being a new marathon runner. While I go each year trying for a new PR, I am only at the stage where finishing is still a major goal. I appreciate those that stay out and cheer me on. The good thing about the St. George Marathon is that I have a new hobby and I am hooked. Three years ago I was not a runner - one time around a track was a joke. But now that I have the marathon, I love to run. When training time comes around, I am out buying a new pair of running shoes to break in for the marathon. For anyone who wants to set a new goal, try a marathon. The feeling of finishing is one of great accomplishments, even if you walk funny the next day. It is a great thing to do. I am awaiting the lotto for 2004 with excitement - hopefully a few years down the line it will be ten years. Thank you to the people of St. George; you put on an awesome event. I love the feeling of entering the city the day before being one of the runners. Your people make us feel so special. I look forward to 2004 and encourage others to enjoy the same experience I have had the past two years. | |
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A. A. from Ames, Iowa
(3/10/2004)
"SUPERB! The city of St. George is wonderful!" (about: 2003)
2 previous marathons
| 2 St. George Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Running up the old volcano (miles 7-9) at Veyo Canyon was quite the unique experience. The scenery is absolutely breath-taking - you get a real run for your money at mile 15 when the red cliffs and canyons pop out of nowhere. The city of St. George is unbelievable - there were so many volunteers along the course - there was always a fan to cheer the runners on. I especially enjoyed the rancher who blasted 'Eye of the Tiger' from his garage at the beginning of the race. The food during and after the race was great, especially since I was starving before I got to the food stations (with bananas, Clif Bars, other fruit.) Eating Clif Bars was more sustaining than just eating gel, and it helped me through the race. A very emotional run. I felt the love and camaraderie of all the other runners. You get a pretty sweet medal at the end of the race made of red sandstone (from the cliffs!) | |
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M. L. from California
(1/7/2004)
"I loved it... again!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd SGM and I enjoyed it even more than the first. This year I ran the whole thing with my wife, so that was great. The people are wonderful. Even though it's a fairly small setting, the town comes to life for the marathon. Be careful, if you choose this one as your first (like I did a year ago). You'll be hooked! |
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