GO! St. Louis Marathon - Race Reviews

My comments are primarily for the race I competed in, the half-marathon. I have run the STL Go three times but 2025 was the first time since 2009. The Good: Solid crowds at start and finish and along the course, especially in Soulard and Lafayette Park. Very good finish area with food and beverages. Though give out more than one beer ticket! :) Not Good: Certain sections of the course were horrible, pothole city!! Really, really bad reflection on how the city of St. Louis is doing. As a runner I was very disappointed in the condition of most of the course. Need mile markers throughout the course, not just randomly. I get many run with a watch that tells them what mile they are on, but some runners do not. Put mile markers throughout the course. Course organization. My son, who placed top 5 in the full marathon, ran 27.3 due to poor course directions and staffing. He would not have won but he ended up running 27.3 miles, I know because I saw this on his watch. For a runner who placed in the overall top 5, that is horrible.

This was a very well-organized event in a really pretty city. However, I wasn't thrilled that the bulk of the course was a double loop. While it's quite an achievement to pull off a marathon, half-marathon, 10K and 5K simultaneously, it made for quite a crowd in the early stages of the course. Things eased up when we split from the half-marathoners, many of whom appear to be addicted to their phones. There were plenty of water stops and volunteers. Temperatures ranged from 54-64 in the 3:30 that I spent on the course, although the wind was tough and took its toll. The start corrals were pretty exposed, so keeping an old sweatshirt to toss just before the gun could have really helped. My main complaint was a lot of bad road surface, which had me looking down more than I usually do in a marathon. There are also a lot of long grades, although the hill at mile 3 and again at mile 17 was steep. The medal and long sleeve tech shirt were fine. There were abundant hotels within walking distance for any out of towner. Post-race food seemed okay, although I can't eat for a few hours after a race, so don't hold me to it.

This used to be a 'must run' for me. Cute, featured the city, host hotel, a historic train station, could spend one night, walk to the start and from finish, and the course included great sites, churches, and campuses that loved to come out and make the course fun. NOT ANYMORE. First, no dedicated run expo - tacked it on to an outdoor festival. I pity the first time racer who thinks this is how expos treat Runners. Then lets change to a point to point race to make it extra inconvenient for runners and spectators. To show more of the city? Not at all. Such a heinous course remodel. It's not really the Go! anymore - just a race that happens to take place in St. louis. No churches singing, no brewery, no college campuses, last year they forgot THE ARCH. They took away all the hills that made the course challenging and unique. The second half on the river walk is flat, sunny, boring, and smells like cadavers then finishes straight uphill to a lackluster finish line with no fanfare - to go find your car you paid $23 to park 5 hours ago to catch an overheated shuttle nearly late for the start. I do it every year in the hope it'll be the race it was.

I'm doing states and am very, very glad I chose St. Louis as my Missouri marathon. I particularly look for great organization and this one fit the bill. Outstanding volunteer support, plenty of aid stations. The one improvement that could be made is a greater number of portopotties on the course (thus 4 stars). There were people standing in lines for them, and I added a few minutes to my time waiting for one at the 6 mile point. Plenty in the start area. The course is scenic, starting in Forest Park, through a beautiful college campus, and around areas of town. The half finishes, the full marathon runners go out & back on a bike trail that parallels the Missippi river. There is some industrial stuff (shipping activities, after all), but eventually gets more scenic. Very short uphill to finish, but not bad. Good finish area, this was a surprisingly fast course. Nice size too. Recommended race (this was my 47th).

I have been waiting for the construction at the arch to be completed before running the race. The arch was completely open for 2019 and then the race organizers completely re-design the course. The double river crossing and Budweiser brewery were removed and now there are a series of out and backs to take up the 26.2 miles along with visiting 2 parks. They also removed the finish at the arch due to the recent rains. The expo was pretty small for a race this size. My only plus for this race was the food and beer at the end along with the ease of transportation to the start or from the finish. I hope the organizers go back to the old course and hit the highlights of the city.

The race was well organized with water stations every 2 miles in the first 12 miles and every mile there after. Enthusiastic volunteers at every stop. There were LOTS of hills! Some seemed endless! The temps hit 80 F at the end so I took it slow and finished before the cutoff. The race kit pick up was easy and the parking was cheap (a quarter for 15 minutes!). Won't do it again but St. Louis is a great town with lots to see. Should stay for 3 days after to take it all in. Saw the movie US at the Chase hotel/theatre. Got in for free! highly recommended people to check out this cool theatre in a historic upscale hotel.

Pros: Best part of the course was running in Forest Park. What an amazing place. Expo was average and difficult to find a parking spot. The volunteers were amazing and water stops were perfect. No problem finding a porta potty before and during the run. Cons: There were a ton of 'ankle breakers' on the course. I saw many people around me tripping or tumbling into dips in the road. While I enjoyed parts of the course I really like it when events like this show off their city. The course never went downtown so you miss out on some of the highlights of St. Louis. Food was decent at the end; seen worse and seen better.

Pros: In spite of quite a few out and back stretches and some not very enjoyable highway running, I really enjoyed this course, which went through Forest and Tower Parks, past Washington University and St. Louis University, and through a number of St. Louis neighborhoods. The course is closed, and volunteers directing traffic were great. Plenty of water/gatorade stops with enthusiastic volunteers. There was also one Gu stop. It was nice to have the visitor center at the start to be warm, have access to a water fountain, etc. There were also plenty of porta potties at the start and on course. Nice medal. The expo wasn't very big, but it was easy to navigate and do packet pickup when we were there on Friday. We stayed downtown and it was easy to take the Metrolink to the start. Cons: Temperatures were less than optimal this year - 60s at the start - 70 by the time I finished. On the plus side, the t-storms never did materialize. This was a very hilly course - not much in the way of really steep hills, but rolling up and down throughout the race. There were hardly any flat stretches. Depending on how you feel about hills, this could be a pro. There were not a ton of spectators or entertainment on course. Food at the end was OK, but not amazing - just some fruit cups, potato chips, toasted ravioli and Ted Drewes ice cream sandwiches. I didn't see the promised Chocolate Crown station on course, which was disappointing. I was looking forward to it! Overall, a nice marathon with lots more people running the half - and maybe also the marathon relay? - then the full.

Nice race, especially for a city not well known for being a running hub. Expo was small but efficient for getting what I needed to get. The corral system worked great, and the course was open enough that I never felt like I was having to weave/bob through packs of folks to get some open space. The course itself was nicer than I was expecting. I was expecting it to be much hillier and 'industrial' based on earlier descriptions. Other than the handful of bridges and the one decent hill around Mile 7-8 it didn't seem all that bad. The hills provided a nice chance to break up the wear and tear of 26.22 miles. My only real negative take away from the race were the placement (or lack thereof) of the mile markers. Sometimes we'd go stretches without them (like 8, 9, and 10) and sometimes they were horribly far off (16, 17, and 18). As with all races nothing is guaranteed, so either run with a GPS watch or be very confident in your own pacing ability.

There were lots of volunteers to help you out at the expo. The expo itself was limited in the amount of vendors available. The location of the expo was not easy to find for someone not familiar with the area, due to parking and traffic restrictions. The course was nice, though the weather (2018) was horrible. 28 degrees at the start and compounded by a late start and wind chill. Having port-a-potties closer to corral A and B could have been helpful, especially with the early corral times. Crossing the bridge to East St Louis was interesting, though I wish there were some port-a-potties available after crossing the bridge. There were a handful of volunteers in E. STL to offer drinks at mile 3(ish) and the first sign of port-a-johns. Not sure that is the best impression of East STL. Cruising back through STL was nice, chocolate at mile 6 was frozen, and turning up towards the Groves and onto Forest Park the weather soon worsened. Fighting the cold was tough this year. The finish area was good, though they ran out of Raviolis quickly. Once you leave the chute, you cannot re-enter to get more water. The 'beer tent' was bit of walk away from the arch and not very entertaining for post race party. Overall, this marathon was OK. Very cold; Low support by the public; Excellent water and hydration stops; very good volunteer group; horrible weather; good climbs and descents; good course; average expo; less than average post race food activities; hard for spectators to move around; parking at 7th street parking garage was perfect to start and finish, but cost about $16 - did not need shuttle.

PROS -fun course over the bridges, through soulard and tower grove, and beautiful forest park. sure, there are some industrial areas, but overall I enjoyed the variety of the scenery. bridges were a highlight - especially with almost no wind on race morning. -organized start / good energy / good announcer. J-J-K at the start was AMAZING -VERY NICE support teams at water stations and street crossings --- water stations FULLY STAFFED and energetic and street teams / police were very encouraging. KUDOS TO THESE VERY FRIENDLY FOLKS WHO REALLY HELP MAKE THIS RACE POSSIBLE AND SAFE FOR THE RUNNERS. -plenty of restroom facilities -despite half, full and relay races all starting at same time, start was staggered perfectly and course NEVER felt bogged down - plenty of room to run despite the large crowd -expo very small, but friendly, efficient volunteers. PLENTY OF VOLUNTEERS TO GET YOU IN/OUT AND OFF YOUR FEET. Convenient shuttle from downtown to the expo which was a plus -pacers with whom I ran with for a while were really energetic and really did an amazing job keeping us on pace and adding value to the race. CONS -not many spectators, and roughly 1000 marathon participants, so back half can get a bit lonely at times, but course is out and back much of the 2nd half so you still see other runners for support -multiple long inclines and a few hills which will get your attention. personally I like a few challenges to mix up the course a bit. I would simply say that SOME hill training would be helpful if you plan to run this race -weather in st Louis is unpredictable with temps in 70s in 2017 and starting at 26 degrees in 2018. be prepared for both. Overall, I had a really good time. A more relaxed, low-key feel than some of the larger urban marathons I have run. A really positive vibe with an army of friendly volunteers. KUDOS, ST LOUIS-GO TEAM

Expo was small but packet pickup was easy and seamless. Good quality shirt. Course: The marathon definitely takes you through the highlights of the city. Some parts were not the prettiest looking areas but that's to be expected at time in a city marathon. Running through forest park and the grove was great. All of the volunteers were great. Now for the negatives. There was almost no course support. Even at the end the race just felt empty. The finishing miles were boring. I finished the race around 4:30 which was way before the course cut off and some of the food had already run out. Overall it was an ok marathon. I probably wouldn't recommend it unless you live near by.

I did the 'Doubler,' where on Saturday one runs the 5K in Forest Park, then the marathon on Sunday. The marathon starts and ends along the Mississippi riverfront by the Arch. Doing the Doubler entitles one to an extra set of bling and a zip-up hoodie. The only downer to it all was finding the tent to pick up the medal for doubling. It was located far away from the finish area out of sight in the opposite direction from the finish. I enjoyed the course, which has some short rolling hills and occasional long stretches of low-grade inclines. One piece of advise. Be careful if you chose to stay at The City Place Hotel. It is very close to the start/finish area and the price is low comparatively for downtown hotels. The hotel is slightly rundown and in need of renovation, but comfortable. However, checkout time is 11 AM, and they were not allowing any of us a late checkout!

I liked the course a lot. But I live here, so please excuse the bias. :) Sure, there were were a fair amount of industrial areas, but those were just gateways to some of our great neighborhoods.Volunteers were great, as always. Fan support is about what to expect from a midsized marathon. We're not NY or Chicago, so you shouldn't expect that level of crowd support. This year's finish line may have been the best ever with the Arch on the right and the Mississippi River on the left.

This is my third full and the other two were small-town races with <200 marathon finishers, so I can't compare this race to the really big ones like Chicago. That being said, on the whole I liked the race. The weather was not ideal but not quite as bad as others are mentioning (the temp was 59 at the start and 67 at the 3 hour point, and overcast for most of that time. Not ideal, but not brutal either). The course is rolling in places but nothing I would call a substantial climb. Parts of the course are through not-very-scenic industrial areas, but you also start on Laclede's Landing, go over the river twice, past Busch Stadium, Soulard Market and the AB Brewery and through Tower Grove and Forest Park. I think it is a pleasant variety of scenery. The course was not too crowded at least coming out of the first corral, and even though the large majority of runners were doing the half, there were still plenty of full runners so that you never felt alone. Logistics were decent - the expo and packet pickup were smooth, race-day logistics seemed to flow well, and there were plenty of aid stations. Volunteers were a highlight - very enthusiastic. There were one or two spots where the course marking could have been clearer, but basically a well-marked course. The finish area was somewhat disorganized, and it wasn't clear where results/awards were being done (turned out to be at the post-race party area, which was a bit removed from the finish line). I would have liked there to be soda in the finish area, as that is what I most crave after a race of that length. In some ways, the race encapsulates St. Louis as a town - a sort of small entity with bigger visions of itself, marked by earnestness and hospitality. It probably doesn't run as smoothly as some of the races that are at this point well-oiled machines, but it is charming and fun. I'd run it again.

Loved that it started and finished near the Arch. However a psychological killer when your gassed at mile 21 and the arch looks pocket sized off in the distance. Weather sucked as temps skipped thru 60's and into high 70's and sun burned off cloud cover. Organizers held race start to check course but, in my opinion did nothing to address climbing temps....like add additional water stops. I finished race with a mt dew purchased on course at BP, and a sunburned forehead. Loved the fact that Busch stadium was close and Cards had a home stand. Overall a good race but nothing mind blowing.

I have run over 50 marathons. I was doing this one with friends. The weather was definitely challenging, but obviously there was nothing that could be done about that. The expo was fine for a small race. The volunteers were great. The organization was great. The course was hilly and for the most part boring with minimal spectators. The over and back on the bridges was wasted miles with no good reason to include. The downtown part was ok, the run by the Ballpark and through AB Brewery were the highlights. Really, after that, the course was dismal. Too much industrial areas and continual rolling hills. The finish line was good, the food at the end was good-custard ice cream sandwiches were fantastic. Overall nothing remarkable about this race, it was not worth traveling to St. Louis to complete. There has to be better areas of St. Louis to include in the course!

Overall, a very well organized race with plenty of friendly volunteers handing out plenty of drinks and gel. I didn't see any bananas or orange slices, but the Gatorade and gel made up for it. The first half of the race is fairly flat, but the second half has plenty of long and gradual hills. Nothing that would make you run out of breath, but they're just loooong and frequent. The number of spectators was not too impressive, but better that some other races. This year, the weather sadly did not cooperate too much and it got really hot about 3 or so hours into the race. Temps were in the high 70s - low 80s, which made it even more challenging. However, overall, I highly recommend this race.

This race crosses the Mississippi twice (after a short loop in East St Louis, IL), runs you past Busch Stadium, lets you see the Clydesdales at the Budweiser Brewery, and runs you through two large city parks before finishing right at the base of the Arch. The organizers have apparently worked to make the course less hilly, but it is still far from flat. None of the hills are steep, but several are long enough to feel the next day. You share the first nine miles with the more-numerous half-marathoners, but it was never crowded because many of the asphalt streets you run on are two or three lanes wide and you don't share the road with cars. Gatorade stations were plentiful, the volunteers were nothing short of excellent, and the finish line food was abundant and diverse. Be warned that port-a-potties were in short supply during the first half of the race (I saw seven people waiting in line to use some at about mile 5), but that improved in the last half. Crowd support is thin throughout the race, but the volunteers at the frequent water stops quickly become your friends - calling out your name printed on your race bib. Parking in the ramps a few blocks west of the Arch was easier than anticipated ($5 for Sunday parking).

First time running this race in 2017. The day was over 70º by 8:30AM and had 10-15 mph winds throughout, I've tried to not let the poor conditions influence my comments, and I did set a PR by 8 minutes. The registration was fine. Packet pickup was painless, expo was the smallest I have ever seen in about 20 big races. I used the MetroLink train and didn't have to worry about parking - the train stop was about a 3 minute walk to the start line. Porta-potties were randomly located, but the lines weren't terrible. Race start was delayed for unknown reason by ~5 minutes. Initial 10 miles were good, a few hills here and there. Miles 10-23 (about 1/2 marathon separation) were very hilly and not especially scenic with lots of 4 lane road running. At mile 25.75 there was a steep downhill for about 200 feet that was impossible to run down at that point. Crowds were best from miles 4-10, then sparse after that. Gel stations were oddly spaced and I did not prefer the brand they used (especially the banana) nor the pre-opening of said gel done for me as I usually put them in my pocket until I want to eat it (made a sticky mess). Finish line treats were very poor. A fruit cup, bottle of water, frozen custard sandwich, toasted ravioli, and some graham cracker thing did not hit the spot for run recovery. I would have preferred additional fluids, fresh fruit, and pretzels/simple carbs. Post-race party had a very nice band and a few places to grab a drink. Overall, I would recommend the half-marathon portion of this race, but not the marathon. The sparse crowds, small field (1,100 finishers in '17), and challenging course make for a frustrating race.

Since I have family in St. Louis and I was going to be there on marathon weekend anyway, I chose this as my spring marathon for 2016. It wasn't a goal marathon for me and I didn't expect great things of it, but I was still hoping to be more impressed than I was. The most important thing about a marathon is the course. The course was the right length, was properly marked, and wasn't too confusing. It's surprisingly hilly though - about 200 feet more uphill than Boston and nearly as much downhill, according to my tracks of each. Unlike Boston, the hills are continuous, from start to finish, so they sneak up on you. I normally don't mind hills - I signed up for this looking forward to the challenge - but with a recently-pulled calf muscle the hills were harder for me than normal, so I noticed them more. The first half of the course is okay - the bridges across the river are interesting, and the stretch down past Soulard Market to the A-B brewery and back is fun and energetic. East St. Louis is pretty ugly but it's just a short segment between the bridges. The worst part of the course is the long, boring slog out from downtown to Forest Park and back. On this dull and frustrating part of the course, many of the minor hills are completely unnecessary - they're the result of running on a quasi-highway, which dips down under the street grid for each major cross street to pass overhead on a bridge, then rises back right after. The course would be dramatically improved if they could find another way to get runners from downtown to Forest Park and back; heck, I'd give up Forest Park altogether and just do the first half twice if it was the only way to get rid of the long highway-like slog on Forest Park Ave and Market Street. A real bright spot for this race is the volunteers, who were cheerful, friendly, often called my name (it was on the bib), called out what they had at aid stations, and really provided a nice boost of energy everywhere they were, especially through the difficult parts of Forest Park. The aid stations were well organized, with just about all of them having Gatorade first and water second (my preferred arrangement as it allows me to wash out my mouth after the Gatorade). In the second half the aid stations were quite short however, so one had to be alert to be sure to get one's preferred drink. The finish line volunteers were very friendly and supportive; I was given my medal by a very cheerful woman who called me out by name as I finished. For me a crucial assist was from the massage tent, where before the race a helpful physical therapist kinesiotaped my left calf to help stabilize it since I was running this one with a pulled calf muscle. I thanked him at the end of the race for his help; he and his crew were working hard all day so I appreciated his efforts. The non-volunteer spectators who were out were energetic but there were very few of them, especially in the second half. Too many marathons suffer from a large half that leaves the marathoners feeling lonely and stranded in the second half, and this was definitely the case in St. Louis. Other details: the expo was about on par for a 1300-person marathon, and was pretty quick and easy to get to. It's not right by the starting line though, so out-of-town runners will need to make a bit of effort to get to and from it. The post-race amenities were pretty good for a smaller race - all the usual snacks and water, plus a couple toasted ravioli (a local favorite) and some free 'beer' (Michelob Ultra). I finished as the last half-marathoners were straggling in and it didn't look to me like anything was in short supply, though social media indicates that some of the post-race amenities were shut down when a rain storm hit about an hour after I finished. All in all, it was a fine marathon but I would have been disappointed if I'd set this up as a goal marathon and I was traveling just for it. Many elements of it reminded me of the Detroit Free Press Marathon, but on every one of those comparisons the Detroit race was better. If you're in St. Louis anyway or just want the challenge of a hilly race that's in the midwest, you'll enjoy it enough, but this event has a lot of things that prevent it from being great.

Great organization for a pretty large race. Hotels close by to start. Course is a mixed bag. The initial 6-7 miles are on a patch work of pothole filled streets. The stretch to the Bud brewery is a good change in scenery. Mile 17-22 are in a park and give a blend of lake and greenery views. The finish is in downtown. Cons: The hills (even though small) were not planned well. Why do a hill on Mile 25? (Seriously). Even though the course seems flat for a mid west town, there are several up hills and downhills. Additionally there was a thunderstorm that started 4 hours into the race. Not sure the organizers had clear instruction to the volunteers on what to do. Some asked us to stop, others turned a blind eye. Something to improve. However if you are interested in a reasonably sized, well organized race, this is a good one to run. Ticket prices into St. Louis are reasonable. It's easy to get to downtown on the Metro ($2.50) form the airport.

Course: there are some hills, but nothing unreasonable. However, the width of the course waxes and wanes from three lanes to one and back with little warning. Roads have a lot of flaws/potholes. It's not terribly scenic at all, either. Crowds: Lots of enthusiasm. Organization: When you could find information, no problem. BUT. Go St Louis is terribly lacking in communication. Don't count on emails race week to give you parking/expo/bib details, because there was no email. Final race instructions? Hunt for it on the website. Even the social media presence was hit or miss. I saw a lot of FB questions go unanswered. For a race that's been running this long, this lack of attention to detail is inexcusable. Bottom line: if you want a MO race with a great course and stellar organization? Not this race. Try Mo Cowbell in the fall.

2015 was the first time I ran the GO St. Louis Marathon, so I'm not experienced in the 'Holy Hills' of past years. I had read about the 2015 course being better, and I was reasonably satisfied with the layout. The bridges and the journey into East St. Louis was a nice start, and organization and fan support was great. The race suffered from the usual loneliness of a crowded half-marathon course that splits into a sparse marathon field, but some of the earlier comments complain about the hills in the course. There are a couple of grades that in my opinion make it interesting, but it is by no means a 'hilly' course like you might encounter in Atlanta, or elsewhere. The organizers did a great job, the course was decent, and it was fun.

I ran this race for the second time this year after running it in 2010. For its 15th anniversary this year, the organizers changed the course so that we ran across the Mississippi into Illinois and then back into Missouri (on two different bridges). I find bridge crossings to be unique and fun, and these were no different. Moreover, the bridge crossings made up a race within a race, wherein the speediest runners over both bridges received separate awards. This new course still has a tremendous number of hills, but after having done it in the past, I was ready for them. Some highlights are the hills, running through the Anheuser-Busch complex and seeing one of the famous Clydesdales brought out for the runners, the bridge crossings, and the beautiful Forest Park (a very hilly section from miles 17-22). The course is well-marked, the aid stations were plentiful, and organizers had Gu gel available throughout the course. Post-race food is plentiful, and the bag check volunteers saw me walking up and had my bag to me by the time I reached the door. The only downside to the race was a bit of a bottleneck at bag check. Because of the hills, this is still the most difficult road marathon I have run, but if you crave this type of challenge, Go! St. Louis is a good choice.

Certainly by my standards this was a big marathon  1,322 in the full, 12,000 in the half. I was in corral F and was across the start line in about 8 minutes. Plenty of aid stations, which were well organized and the volunteers were supportive. Crossing two Missouri River bridges was neat. Running a mile (maybe) in East St. Louis was culturally interesting. Forest Park made a nice place to visit for five miles. Part of the course is out and back, so it's good to be able to encourage others on the route. Well organized on all aspects. My only complaint would be the food area. You could not re-enter, which meant grab what you wanted and then go visit your family. That took away from the social aspect after the race. Water, beer and warm cups of Gatorade were the only post-race beverages. While some cold Muscle Milk or chocolate milk would have been great, that certainly didn't ruin a good experience. Plenty of supporters throughout the race, even on the second half of the marathon, where things thinned out considerably. Downtown St. Louis is a lively place. A good place to stage an event.

Wide streets mean this race provides an unusually non-claustrophobic experience for an event of its size. The course has very few sharp turns and isn't very hilly; I ran three or four minutes faster than expected. There are plenty of water and GU stops (they advertised three GU stops, but one was one an out-and-back and fueled me in both directions). There weren't many spectators, but the priest sprinkling runners with holy water at about mile 6 was fun. You see a lot of downtown, cross the Mississippi twice, visit the Budweiser brewery (of course) and spend a few miles in beautiful Forest Park. Different shirts for marathoners and half-marathoners. Expo is very efficient. One very, very minor quibble: although the water stations were plentiful and the volunteers friendly, it would be even better if there were consistent use of white cups for water and green for Gatorade. I've run 26 marathons and highly recommend this race.

This is a well-organized and well-supported run. It was advertised as 'flatter.' It is not a flat marathon along the lines of Chicago - I would compare it more to Boston. Lots of gradual ups and downs. No crazy hills, but many 1-2% gradients that last more than 4-6 blocks. However, it has great views of the city, you run in two states and you tour a beautiful park (Forest Park). It probably isn't your PR marathon, but worth the trip if your looking for an April race.

I have been an avid but loyal hater of the GO STL marathon. So I was very happy to hear that the course had changed, and would not be as hilly. This was not the case if you ran the full marathon. The first half was wonderful, I enjoyed the bridges, especially the crowds waiting at the end. It was relatively flat. But the second half was just as hilly as previous years. My only question is, why do you reward a runner who has just run 20miles, with an onslaught of rolling hills for the last 6 miles? I am not one to shy away from a challenge, but this is like a slap in the face.

INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:15:45. The GO! St. Louis Marathon was my twenty-ninth 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was the perfect day for a marathon: a cool 41 degrees with no wind to speak of at the dawn start. With four corrals to separate us, we started three minutes apart with half-marathoners of equal ability. The two-lane-width start chute on Market Street near the intersection of 15th Street provided for a congested beginning. Heading east gave us our initial view of the Saint Louis skyline accentuated by the Gateway Arch towering in the background. Our view of the 630-foot architectural wonder was short lived; one block later, we turned right on Tucker Boulevard and headed south. The six-lane Tucker Boulevard did not provide sufficient width to relieve the congestion, and turning left onto the four-lane Choteau Avenue just before mile 1 did not help. The problem was further exacerbated when the traffic was narrowed down to two lanes as we headed south on Broadway toward the gigantic Budweiser sign that identified the home of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Mind you, we were able to keep pace, but it took some effort getting around some of the slower runners. Only after two miles were we able to set our own course. We were given our first test as we started up the incline provided by Victor Avenue which upon successful completion, we turned south on 12th Street. We reached the brewery at mile 3, where upon departing the source of Buds creation, we returned north toward downtown on Broadway which afforded us a second, this time profile, view of Eero Saarinens stainless steel structure. Just past mile 5, we traversed past Busch Stadium, home of the Saint Louis Cardinals baseball club. Following a succession of turns onto Market Street and Tucker Boulevard at mile 6, we turned onto Olive Street heading west, which was to commence our effort up Holy Hill. Holy Hill was the marathons two mile-race within a race, where prizes were awarded to the fastest three participants in each division. While noteworthy, the incline was not made of the same stuff as, say, Big Surs Hurricane Point. Nor was it entirely uphill: there was a downward interlude before proceeding toward the second incline, where we ran alongside Saint Louis University. At mile 9, we continued outbound from city center on Forest Park Parkway. Just before mile 10, we parted ways with the half-marathoners and continued west. Given we were outnumbered by over four to one, all of a sudden it became a solitary affair as we headed into Forest Park. Some may claim the three miles set in Forest Park to be most pleasant part of the course, and who could blame them? The winding course through the rolling grasslands and the absence of sound gave pause for relative relaxation as we meandered our way past mile markers 11 through 14. The lack of any foliage on the trees gave indication the difficult winter St. Louisans endured this year. Departing Forest Park and continuing west on Forsyth Boulevard, we passed along side Washington University on our right, at around mile 15, there was a sign noting the site of the third Olympiad held in 1904. Leaving Wash U, we entered into Claytons residential area and at mile 16, the commercial heart of the city. At mile 17, we turned north and later entered into University City, where at mile 18 we reached the westernmost extreme of the marathon route. Turning right on Delmar Boulevard, we stayed on the same street, heading east, for three miles, initially through residential areas (and rolling hills) before passing through the lion gates into the Delmar Loop, home of cafes and clubs. At mile 21, we turned right onto DeBaliviere Avenue and headed south before returning to Forest Park Parkway, this time heading back to city center. We would remain on the same road for the rest of the way, albeit under a different name, Market Street, after passing by SLU at mile 24, where we would encounter a notable incline. At Jefferson Street, with seven-tenths of a mile to go, we ascended our final peak, and it was all downhill to the finish line. Temperature at the finish line was 54 degrees, with a refreshing easterly breeze of 8 mph. ORGANIZATION: Average sized expo for a marathon of this size with a limited selection of marathon-logoed merchandise: technical tees, caps, and a coffee mug. For the most part, the event itself was well-organized. Hats off to the very well-equipped and responsive personnel at the water stops, the best I have seen in recent memory. Within the City of Saint Louis, we had the road to ourselves, but in Clayton and University City, we shared the streets with vehicular traffic while the police controlled the flow of automobiles trying to cross our path. No mishaps to report. FANS: Average for an event of this size with enthusiastic and supportive crowd. Of note was the parish priest sprinkling (more like dousing) holy water on willing participants on the right side of Olive Street just after turning from Tucker Avenue near mile 6. The number of bands on hand was sparse, I counted only three. CONCLUSION: The perfect weather and relatively easy course made this a very enjoyable race. Well done, Saint Louis. POSTSCRIPT: Race-walkers are few and far between in events such as these, and rarer still is to find one of similar ability. Gene, a national-class race-walker who participated in the half marathon, was instrumental in keeping me on pace between miles 2 and 10, which I was able to maintain for the rest of the race. While not the fastest, it was the smartest marathon race I ever participated in. My thanks to you, fellow pedestrian!

Coming from Florida, the hills were a bit of a surprise. Everyone talks about Holy Hill and Clayton. They are nothing compared to the mile 22-26.2...all uphill to the finish. The weather was a cold 38 degrees at the start (again, I'm from Florida!) but turned out to be absolutely beautiful in the 60s. Everyone from the fellow runners, spectators, and volunteers, were so nice. My only disappointment was that the finish area seemed to cater half-marathoners. I finished in less than 5 hours at the middle of the pack, and they were already packing up the music stage. Other than that, I had a great time.

Go! St. Louis is a pretty good marathon, but not great. The course is nice overall, with a challenging amount of hills. Holy Hill was probably the highlight of the race, as there was a priest sprinkling holy water as runners passed. There were some lonely stretches, but that's the case with a lot of marathons. The biggest complaint I have is that the course was too long. When I crossed the finish line, my GPS had 26.43 for the total distance. I talked to another guy who finished near me, and his GPS watch had 26.47. I think all the mile markers were slightly off because my watch hit one mile well before I reached any of the actual markers. This is a significant error that needs to be addressed. Two tenths of a mile is too big of a difference to be ignored. The last thing you want in a marathon is a course that's long. Another complaint is that the expo was subpar with hardly any freebies available. Also, Nike could vary its shirts a bit. The light blue/orange color scheme is identical to the shirts given out at the Columbus Marathon that I ran in 2012. It's practically the same shirt. And why not a long-sleeve tech tee, given that race fees have increased exponentially over the years. Finally, I don't understand why Go! St. Louis awards prize money to half marathoners only. Yes, it's become the more popular event, but why diminish the importance of the marathon? Anyway, despite these complaints I did enjoy the race. I just see some aspects that could use improvement to make it a top-notch event in the future.

I found the course to be a little challenging with more hills than expected but they probably seemed a little tougher due to many missed runs in my training from an injury. There was plenty of water stations and gu. It seemed a little more low-key along the course in comparison to other large marathons that I have run but overall it was a great race.

Really enjoyed the Go! St. Louis Marathon. Everything seemed well organized from the expo and packet pickup, to race start, on course aid stations, and post race festivities. Overall the course was quite good. A few highlights included the Anheiser Busch brewery, Busch stadium and Forest Lawn Park. A lot of small, rolling hills. No monster hills but felt like you were going either up or down pretty much the whole race. A few of the roads had some treacherous potholes and manhole covers. There were a couple boring stretches, but nothing terrible. I'd prefer a course with fewer turns and fewer sharp turns especially but that's a minor complaint. Gatorade, water, and gu were adequately available. Finisher medal was good. Bananas, chocolate milk, fruit cups, bottled water all available at the finish. Pretty much everything you'd want. Weather was absolutely perfect. Special shout out to 3:25 pace group leader Jordan who got me in under my BQ.

While I had a great race, running easily and exactly as planned, I didn't like the race itself. With about 10,000 half marathon finishers and about 1300 marathon finishers this is a race clearly geared towards half marathoners - and - as a marathoner, it felt like it. I am a 5 hour marathoner - with 19 marathons under my belt and from the beginning felt a bit like a 2nd class citizen. Pros: 1. Nice course. Not really as hilly as everyone says. At least not to me. Holy Hill is barely an incline. Park section was lovely. (gave 3 stars due to long section on concrete) 2. Great volunteers. 3.Frequent aid stations. Lots of GU choices. 4.Nice finish line area. Announcer called out each finisher by name which is fun. Good medal, lots of food left (a rarity for a 5 hour marathoner), even got a massage without waiting in line. 5. Easy logistics between airport to downtown hotels, shuttle to expo, and getting to and from start/finish line (if you don't mind a little walking) Cons 1.All the announcements at the start line were inaudible from my Coral (D) which was the 2nd from the end. Missed everything that was said. 2. LOTS of walking before the start just to get to the corals and then to the actual start. 3. Bogged down bag check. No way to attach ID number to provided bag. I brought my own zip tie as this often happens but it slows down the line at bag check. 4. As a 5 plus hour marathoner felt secondary on the course in the later hours - chocolate station - saw the signs but there was no chocolate. Police stopped US to allow traffic to go by - this happened at one intersection after mile 18 - and they stopped a lot of runners and let about 2 dozen cars go past. I have NEVER encountered this in 19 marathons. Police said not one word to us - not an apology or an explanation. And other runners I have told were shocked to hear that this had happened. Understandable for emergency vehicles - which these were not. 5. Lots of hoopla about Holy Hill - even a video on the website of the priest who would be sprinkling Holy water on us - There was no Priest. Kind of disappointing not to get the whole experience. 6. Three sections on concrete. Two were relatively short but one was very long and after mile 20. 7. Gear check was gone when I went to pick up my bag. And there were no signs or anything telling where to find my bag. Fortunately, I was feeling good and able to handle all the walking required to find my bag. Website said the bags would be moved at 1pm. It was 12:50 when I went to find my bag. Should have had volunteers at the finish line telling people where to find bags. This was a good race for me, personally. Ran well and have recovered well. I expected a LOT from this race since it has been run for so long but I think it's a 'half-marathoners' race. Side note: I spent the afternoon exploring the Gateway Arch which is a beautiful and magnificent monument. Also, the metro link makes it cheap and simple to get around.

Last year I ran the half, and this year the full. The course was virtually the same. Starts in downtown, runs you out through Forest Park, through Clayton & University City, and back to finish the last 3-4 miles on the half course. This last is significant because the dedicated full course had water stops roughly every mile. The half course was roughly every 2. There were some spots, particularly between 10-12.5, where water would have been very welcome. But the race runs well. Expo is small, and lacks any other race portion. Pick up was extremely smooth. Shirt looks about the same as last year's, but the medal is waaaay better. I like GO! alot. The events they put on are well run, and this race was no exception. Were I going to be in the area, next year, I'd run it again.

I know it wasn't smart but this was a last minute decision. I gave myself three weeks to train for it and I think overall I did pretty well.