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Apr 29, 2024

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 31 to 41]

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P. D. from Utah (10/9/2013) "Fantastic organization and fan support" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was easily the best organized marathon that I have run. Everything about it was top notch. Perfect running weather this year although I can see that some years it will be hot for the slower runners. Last several miles flew by with all the fan support. Would love to do this one again.
k. m. from East (10/7/2013) "Another fabulous year at St. George" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ St. George Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This is a wonderfully organized race along a beautiful course with the fist turn at ~ mile 23! Perfect weather this year. Still of my over 30 marathons this is my favorite finish line: misting spray, moist washcloths, chocolate, milk, BLUE BUNNY ice cream (my favorite), fresh fruit, fresh bread - spread with as much butter as you can coax out of the volunteers, and a nice park with GRASS to stretch out on. Thank you St. George. Now if you could just fix that fact that the finisher shirt sizing is completely erratic, at times unwearably small (2011), and this year unwearably huge.
D. F. from Los Angeles, CA (10/6/2013) "My favorite marathon so far!" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Awesome Marathon! Of the 9 that I've run, this was probably my favorite. You don't get all the bells and whistles of a big-city marathon (i.e. big crowds of spectators, bands along the course, finish line entertainment), but what you do get is an amazingly fast course (straight and downhill! I can see why so many people get their BQs here), excellent organization, and excellent support from volunteers and aid stations. Be prepared to run on little sleep, though... this one starts EARLY, and the busses to the starting line start loading at 4am! And bring layers, it's freezing at the start. But a great race, highly recommended!
R. G. from Kettering, OH (5/25/2013) "Awesome! Love the St. George Marathon!" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 St. George Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the St. George Marathon in both 2011 and 2012. 2011 was tough due to training injuries - finished in 4:21. Lots of cramping in the heat, and walking! 2012 was AWESOME! It is my favorite and best marathon. Finally ran a BQ (17 minutes to spare) and a PR bonus 3:38 at age 45 (3 minutes faster than previous PR at age 32)! I am still smiling! We made it into a mini family vacation both years - Grand Canyon & Zion in 2011, and Hoover Dam, Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon, Park City and Salt Lake City in 2012. My advice - just do it! The downhills are sweet, but there are some big, long uphills and rollers - so train on every big hill you can find. It is not like big city marathons, so be prepared for minimal crowd support for most of the race. (I used headphones and a playlist with fun fast music in 2012) Enjoy the scenery! It was motivating to run a point to point race and actually be running to a destination. If you are traveling from a more eastern time zone, just stay on your own time - it makes getting up early for the bus ride easy. Be prepared for heat - 80 at 2011 finish and 70 in 2012. Daytime highs reached 96 and 85 respectively. If you are mentally and physically prepared you could have the run of your life! Go for it and have fun!
S. W. from Boise, ID (10/18/2012) "Fantastic Race" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I had been nervous about this race because I didn't have a lot of experience running hills, but IMO the hills were just not that bad. I did this course 14 minutes faster than any of my previous marathons (all in the flat midwest). The second half of the course is faster than the first, so as long as you pace yourself and prepare for that, you shouldn't have any problems. It's hard to wake-up so early for a long busride to the top, but the organization was great. Loved the bonfires at the top just wished more were going right away. This is a big marathon (15th largest), so it took me 7 minutes to cross the start line different from my past races (2-3 minutes). The scenery was really nice, so I didn't mind the lack of spectators (until the last 4 miles). The volunteers and organizers were great. There seems to be a lot of love for this race. Everyone is happy to be there. Hope I can do this one again!
J. B. from Washington, D.C. (10/17/2012) "I can see why it's a lottery." (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've known about the St. George Marathon as long as I'd been doing this sport (more than 15 years). I finally bit the bullet and have to say that the race exceeded all expectations. I understood there was a 2,500 ft. drop, had studied the elevation chart, and read several detailed race reports, BUT nothing quite prepared me for what 2,500 ft. drop would look like. My jaw dropped as we were riding the bus from the finish area to the start. Even though it was dark, I was stunned by the downhill. I knew it was either going to be a disaster or a fast time. I was leaning toward the latter and was correct. It was a BQ by more than 11 mins., my second fastest marathon, and fastest in ten years - and I'm not getting any younger. The downhill didn't hurt much at all as I was running it, but I was definitely VERY sore the next day. It was worth it though. Running this course does require some strategy. A couple of the people I traveled with were surprised by the uphill during the first ten miles, but I didn't think it was that bad. In other words, it's not all downhill. The course itself was beautiful in parts, but can't be compared to something like Big Sur. As for the organization, I thought it was as close to flawless as any marathon I've done. I was grateful for the extra water stops during the second half because it does tend to get warm during the second half of this race. The post-race was great, medal was unique, and I loved the shirt (although I realize there were complaints about the men's shirts). My giving the spectators five stars because they were very numerous and enthusiastic once we got into town. I was surprised by the number of spectators during those last few miles. My complaints are minor: The bus loading was a little chaotic. Also, we attended the pasta dinner the night before and unfortunately it was pretty bad. The people couldn't have been nicer, but the food was barely edible (cold pasta, soggy salad). I certainly wasn't expecting a gourmet meal, but this was really bad. I waited on the porta john line about 15 mins. at the start, which I think is standard 45 minutes before the gun goes off in a decent-size marathon. I think every marathoner should do this race once, especially if he/she likes to travel. We went to Zion the next day and loved it.
R. M. from CA (10/10/2012) "Very Good Marathon..." (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 St. George Marathon was my 100th lifetime marathon and I was happy to have the opportunity to be doing my 100th in St. George, as I didn't enter the lottery but was offered a sponsor entry a month before the race. The course was very nice, although not quite 5 stars, but did get nicer and nicer as the marathon progressed. The race organization was top notch from the race expo to race day to the finishers area with all kinds of good treats for runners. Only complaint was not enough porta potties at the start (thank heavens for the cover of darkness and some nearby bushes). I'd repeat this race again and loved the 2,500' net elevation drop that helped me to an 8 minute PR (3:33 finish).
Kami K. from Corpus Christi, TX (10/10/2012) "Community pride at its best!" (about: 2012) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 St. George Marathon Saturday, October 6, 2012, 6:45 AM St. George, Utah St. George, founded by Brigham Young in 1861, is located in southwestern part of Utah, about 120 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Its population is approximately 73,000. I flew into St. George, via Salt Lake City, on Thursday night, picked up the rental car, & checked into Days Inn (a few blocks from the finish line). The packet pick-up on Friday was from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM at Dixie Center. There was also a health & fitness expo with several speakers & a large number of vendors. Each runner received a technical long-sleeved shirt, a race poster, & a few food items. The pasta dinner was from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, the food was good, & the cost was $10. At 4:00 AM, buses began transporting the runners from the finish line area at Worthen Park to the start line at the small town of Central. It was chilly & windy up there. Bonfires, coffee, & hot chocolates kept the runners warm while we were waiting for the start of the run at 6:45 AM. Our clothing bags were transported to the finish area. We ran the first hour of the marathon in the dark. Temperature ranged from low 50s to low 80s. It was a beautiful sunny day & we also enjoyed some tail winds. We ran north to south on SR-18, which was closed to traffic. At about mile 23, we entered the town. Elevation at the start was 5240 feet & 2680 feet at the finish line. Due to downhill nature of the course, it is regarded as a fast marathon. There were two lengthy climbs between miles 7 & 11, though. The course was scenic & I made several stops to take photos. There were pacers. Splits were displayed digitally. There were spectators in a few locations. There were a few school bands after mile 24. There were 15 water/sports drink stations in the course; some also offered sports gels, fruits, Vaseline, & to my surprise, leg massages! The finishers medal was nice & there were plenty of recovery drinks & food items at the finish line. The race volunteers were amazing. In short, it was a professionally organized running event which demonstrated community pride & involvement at their best. No wonder so many want to run this marathon & entry is by lottery drawing! There were 5696 (3106 males, 2590 females) finishers in the average time of 4:19:30. The winning times were 2:21:14 (overall male) & 2:43:00 (overall female). This was my 96th marathon & I truly enjoyed it.
B. G. from Cupertino, CA (10/9/2012) "Beautiful course; tough on the legs" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my first time running St. George. I didn't think the hill from mile 7 to 12 was very difficult; it looks more imposing as you see it ahead. I had been worried about the altitude (I train at sea level), but I didnt notice any issues with that. My key learnings were that I should not have worn racing flats, and I probably shouldn't have woken up so early (for one of the first buses). I wore very light 6oz racing flats (NB MRC1600). I have used these on my long runs, but they did not have enough cushioning for the pounding of the downhills. As to the early buses, they really encourage this as they use all of the buses in the county and have to make multiple trips to get everyone up to the top. This year the weather was nice at the top, so it wasn't so bad (and the bonfires were nice). But, I'd think an hour extra sleep would have been better. Those both are minor nits; I loved the course, the people were great, and I set a PR (3:04). I will certainly try to run this race again (though wearing regular trainers next time)
M. A. from Niskayuna, NY (10/8/2012) "Jaw-Dropping Scenery" (about: 2012) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 St. George Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Wow, what a stunning course! You start in cold, windy darkness as you make your way down Rt. 18. The extensive downhills were not only a great way to pick up time, but also an opportunity to see the stunning Red rock backdrop of Southern Utah. The hills from 7-12 are tough but approach them cautiously and you can set yourself up for negative splits in the second half. Being a runner who frequently walks extended portions of the latter part of the race, the downhills after mile 16 can help make up some of the lost time due to walking. A big shout out to all who served the aid stations, quickly providing liquids and first aid cheerfully. More moderate weather than previous years definitely helped as well. I've loved the experience of all 8 of the marathons I've run, but I don't know how any other race can top this one if you can deal with more modest (but still bring it) fan support and a curvy course

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