This was an awesome marathon! It was lively and active the first 10 miles with half marathoners outnumbering the full marathoners by 5 to 1. It was like cattle in the first 5 to 7 miles. The first 10 miles until the half split off were so full of activity, cheers, spectators, and energy. Then it was like a switch went off at mile 10 and the second half of the race for the full marathon was much more calm as it ran outside the downtown area and through residential neighborhoods, an arts and culture district, a gulf course and some parks. It was like 2 different races in one (an urban race for the start and a pleasant suburban run for the second). I wouldn't change a thing! I needed the energy in the beginning and the focus in the end. It was just right! Tons of water stations and every one fully stocked with water, Gatorade, most had oranges or something else too. Plenty of port-a-potties, some without hand sanitizer :( I was so so so happy to finish at nearly 6 hours and still there was a complete setup at the finish and plenty of food, including ice cream sandwiches that weren't melted! Cheers to the race organizers for the best end of race for end of pack finishers ever. Holy hill was fun! The priest with the holy water really made it work. The entrance inflatable arch was a great addition. The race tee and medal were great! Really nice quality and detail in the medal. There were more hills than I would have liked, than I would have assumed for Missouri, and most in the early part of the race, but still manageable. Overall, it was a great race and I highly recommend it.

After 12 years away from marathon running this course and the warm conditions (in the 70's at the finish) provided a good test of my fitness level. This race is a half (15,000 runners) with a marathon (1,600 individual finishers) tacked on but that didn't subtract from the experience. There was plenty of support and aid stations especially on the second half of the course including 3 Gu stations. Crowd support was enthusiastic with neighborhood themed 'cheer zones'. I liked that my first name was on the Bib as people used it while shouting encouragement which (surprisingly) really mattered especially during those tough patches. This is not the race you run to attempt to qualify for Boston as it is a rolling course t/o and the weather varies widely year to year. Only 4 people out of 90 in my age group ran qualifying times. I got the VIP package which was well worth the additional fee. VIP provides a separate tented area for potties, changing area, post race massage, bag check, nice buffet pre and post race with parking near the start. The expo was lacking as I saw no retail vendors. Expo location and number pick up was easy. Everyone I encountered was so helpful and friendly t/o the race and while visiting St.Louis. This is a race I will likely return to in the future.

It was unseasonably warm on this day and the course was certainly not flat containing many inclines but not really steep hills. And while it was lopsided toward half marathon entrants, the course itself was wide and could accommodate a much larger field.

I chose to stay a little away from downtown in an area called The Hill which allowed a short, easy drive on surface streets down to plentiful, inexpensive parking on race morning. It also looked like a metro rail strategy could work for this race but I drove, so I had a car.

The Expo was so-so but probably good enough considering the size of the race; however, it was on the St Louis University campus away from downtown (and not right on the metro line). Crowd support was pretty good but admittedly much better where the course coincided with the half.

Leave extra time if you can. I managed a Blues game on Friday night but couldnt stay for opening day with the Cardinals on Monday. The park with the Gateway Arch and nearby Lacledes Landing are a must see but its too bad the actual race course doesnt go through either; aside from that, the views on the course are quite good.

The wave start was helpful as there is a sharp right only a few blocks into the race. I found the water stops and traffic control to be acceptable. There was a local flavor to some of the post race food; the frozen yogurt sandwich hit the spot on a hot day but I took a pass on the toasted ravioli.

Nice shirt, solid medal; this race was well organized and had a big race feel even though there were only ~1,600 marathon finishers. I would recommend it, but honestly I didnt scope out other Missouri races since this one was in the date range I was seeking.

I chose this marathon to do as my 3rd. I was searching for a marathon near my home state (Kentucky) and around this date.
I would recommend some changes be made to increase marathon support. I have passed this along in the form of a written letter and review to the organization.
I was quite disappointed with the race.
- Restrooms at the start were not easily found.
- Water stations throughout the course should have been marked that they were ahead. Early stations really slowed down my pace because runners would stop when they saw the station.
- I would have preferred water first then gaterade (just a silly preference i have).
- support was lacking drastically for the full. This is a HUGE half marathon and it was obvious that its geared toward a half runner and not a full runner. Support fell off drastically when we split.
- Expo was lacking some interesting booths. I love to get a fun tshirt (not necessarily a running shirt) for the city I race in. They didn't have much merchandise advertising the city -which i would recommend they add.
- Post race was one of the worst I've experienced. No chocolate milk, no bagels, nothing that runners are used to having post race. Very disappointed.
- Roads were NOT shut down! I was shocked to have to wait for cars to pass. I'm a 4:25 marathoner and roads were running throughout the marathon course. I was shocked.

Positive:
Wave start was smooth. The first half was greatly supported and had interesting views.
Very residential for the second half, which i don't mind.
St. Louis is a really interesting city, but I might recommend another marathon instead of the Go St. Louis for the marathon runner.

For a slow runner like me it was somewhat hot, finished in 4:58. The sun was out and it was pushing near 80. The course is fair in the first half but when you leave Forrest Park and hit the Clayton area is where you realy hit the teeth of the course. It is very hilly in this six mile stretch. Overall I would run the race again in fact I have completed the full Marathon three times on this course.

Don't let anyone tell you this is an easy course. There were a lot of hills, it was hot, and several miles were on concrete. The crowd was great until the half marathoners split off. There was virtually no spectator support after that.

I'm proud to call this my hometown race!I think it continues to get better every year, from the large crowd support to the great event medal, I will continue to support this race. Really enjoyed the neighborhood cheering areas. Organizers do a good job at the things that matter most - providing a safe event, having a good start & finish area. I'll be back in 2013!

If you're looking for an early season urban marathon without a huge crowd and no-frills (which I like), this is a good one. Also has some decent climb challenges, but not killer. Good for early season hill training. If you're a flat lander who likes big crowds, lots of attention and are obsessed with your pace, then probably not a good one for you.
There are a few boring sections, but would say that 80% has good scenery and fan support. Some neat old neighborhoods along the route.
The middle sections through Forest Park are particularly nice and uncrowded. But hilly, which as a trail runner I liked. Everyone has their likes and dislikes.
There are also a lot of things to see and do in St. Louis at a reasonable price. In particular check out the awesome zoo. There are also a lot of reasonable lodging places.

The course was hilly... not steep hilly just rolling long hills the entire course. After the split from 1/2 to full, there was much less entertainment and several sections became severely boring. The worst was miles 21-25 which became windy and ran on a section of road with a large concrete wall on the side, no entertainment and direct sun beating on you.

I needed this race to get my 50 states this was my 36th marathon.