GO! St. Louis Marathon

I ran this marathon in 3:38:xx earlier today to complete my 50^th marathon distance race. Packet pickup the day before was at the Chaifez Arena and was fairly quick and easy. If you couldn’t find street parking there was a lot across the street that cost $ 5. The expo itself was held on the floor of the arena and seemed to have a decent number of vendors. There also seemed to be tons of space of the floor of the arena but at the same time it felt rather crowded with the number of strollers and children running around. The race itself did a good job of introducing you to St. Louis taking you across the Mississippi into IL and back before showing you some of the sites of St Louis like the Anheuser-​Busch brewery and Forest Park. Crowds along the course were rather sparse and don’t jump into this race thinking it will be flat. A quick look at the profile of the course may deceive you as well but there are plenty of rolling hills, especially during the second half whenever you are constantly going up or down. The finish line of the course was decent and once you made it through you got some toasted ravioli and an oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich, both of which I eagerly scarfed down.
The bottom line for me is that I might do this marathon again in the future. Overall I enjoyed the course and the view of the city that it provided.

Where do you go to get your couch potato inspiration? Some people watch Biggest Loser. Some people post pictures of fat chicks on their refrigidaires.
And some people go watch people run marathons.
I’ve been to a bazillion marathons. They are the most inspirational thing ever, and for at least 2 days after watching one, I vow that I’m going to run one before completely giving in again to dying alone on my couch covered in Cheeto dust.
They made everyone who ran this race feel like fricking Michael Phelps or something. Like everyone got medals, high fives, t-​shirts, etc. etc. It was such a jovial, happy, supportive place. Other marathons do not have that happy, Midwestern vibe. They had tons of cool little touches, like calling out the names of people as they crossed the finish line, etc. etc.
SO well organized. SUCH a gift to this community.
Don’t stop.

I’m all about this race!
Good Job Go! Marathon and half!!! The new route this year was phenomenal. In the past, it has been kind of boring, but this year, we went across a bridge, ran a little bit through East STL (the only time in my life I’ll ever run there I’m sure), went back across yet another bridge and then toured downtown, Soulard, and even ran through the Anheuser-​Busch Brewery property. The course was relatively flat (gone are the days of the «Holy Hill»). The second half of the course (miles 13 – 26) are pretty much the same as any 26.2 in STL — forest park ave and forest park. The best scenery is definitely in the first half of the race.
I’d recommend this race because:
— cheap entrance fees, especially if you’re one of the first 2,000 people to sign up (in September)
— good shirts! (Ladies, for the last few years, the sizes have run slightly large as far as running apparel goes. So if you normally wear a medium running shirt like me, the small shirt is a good choice).
— you get to see a lot of the neat old architecture of STL, but while running: P
— street parking is relatively easy to find and FREE (Marathon and half are always on a Sunday)

I have ran the Go! Half Marathon 3 years in a row. I absolutely love this race. Yes, many people will complain about the hills. I guess it’s a pretty big deal when they have to name a 2 mile section that is almost all uphill (The Holy Hill). However, being from St. Louis and being accustomed to the elevation, I don’t mind the hills in this race. I might be kind of weird, but I like long rolling hills. This race is organized by the city of St. Louis and they do a superb job year after year. Everything is so nicely organized, from the Expo to the corrals, to the incredible post race food. Um, yeah, the food… Oh my goodness, I think that is why I PR every year at this race. It is because I am picturing the Ted Drew’s ice cream sandwich, the toasted ravioli, the fresh pretzels and those awesome little PB&J graham crackers they hand out after the race! If you are thinking about running this race, don’t hesitate. Just do it! The electric atmosphere will spur you on to one of your best races.

I’ve been to a lot of races in the Midwest and this was probably my least favorite. The course was uneventful but was somewhat planned.
It definitely has the potential to become a really major race like others I have been to.
Some benefits include a lot of local support which helps when running and to keep you going!

I’m gonna have to give this one 5 stars. 5 stars for the course, for the fans, for the expo and just plain because I had a great time. Oh, let me not forget the great women’s cut Brooks sports t-​shirt. In a turquoisey-​green color. Water tables were stocked and plentiful. I did not think this was a hilly course. I thought it was going to be much worse. This was definitely one of the most fun ½s I have ever run, although it could be because I was with my buddy, Maureen M and damn, she’s fun!

Might be a decent half marathon. They are not prepared for full marathoners. Ran out of Gu, warm water, crowd control was awful, corrals were a mess. The day before at the 5k and kids runs they didn’t have medals. I could go on and on, but I have run in many marathons, this was by far the most unorganized and they were not prepared. The half was huge and they seem to really gear everything toward them. Would def. not recommend to do this full.

Great race. Beautiful course. Full of hills. Very well organized. Great volunteers. Very good expo.
Would like to see better balance between amount of runners doing the half vs the full (lots more do the half).

This was my second half marathon, and BOY was it a doozy!
First off, I’d like to say that for the most part, the race was really organized. From the packet pickup and expo at Chaifetz arena to the race day itself, it was pretty flawless. The volunteers are AMAZING, and their cheerfulness and words of encouragement really meant a lot.
The course itself is SUPER hilly, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! I ran the half, and it took us through downtown, Soulard, and Midtown/​SLU. There were tons of water and gatorade stations (and even a GU station at mile 9!). There are pacers for the race, so if you have a specific time in mind, that’s a good option.
I slogged through the miles (and with the heat + humidity + hills, it was a challenge!), but I did it.
Post-​race was fairly organized; or at least as organized as you can expect for a race with 18,000 participants. Everyone received a finisher’s medal, a goody bag with snacks, bananas, and ice cold BEER. Oh yum! There was also a band at the end (or did I imagine that in my near heat-​exhausted state?)
With that said, I did have a few complaints:
— the corral system was not very good. I couldn’t believe how many walkers I had to weave around during the first few miles of the race. Why weren’t they ALL placed into the last corral? I don’t get it.
— I didn’t run the full marathon (and bless the poor souls who did!), but I know there were a lot of complaints about the disorganized way in which the full marathon was shut down (due to the heat). I feel bad for the marathoners and marathon relay teams who didn’t receive much direction after the course shut down.
Other than that, this is a pretty good course for a half marathoner! I don’t think this would be a good full marathon for a lot of people.

Fourth year in a row… go ME!
I love GO’s marathon weekend of events! For all the following reasons I love GO!:
–I love how easy the packet pick up is. The expo is very well organized and there is plenty of parking near by.
–I love how the starting line is corralled by running pace so the faster runners get out of the gate first… less bottlenecking.
–I love how there are pace runners. I couldn’t have ran the best race of my life today without that 1:55 guy… even if I did fall behind him half way through the race.
–I love the volunteers and those that cheer us runners on rain or shine… it helps more than you know.
–I love how you run past some of STL best sights; the Arch, the Stadium, Soulard, the Brewery… and those crazy marathoners who run through Forest Park and beyond. Nothing puts a smile on a runners face more than Soulard residents coming out to cheer you on wearing their most obnoxious pajamas. Especially that guy in a womans nightgown with night cream on his face!
–I love the feeling of getting that metal around my neck.
–I love a cold beer after I run and a goody bag of food to refuel.
For as much as I love GO… just a few sour words of wisdom:
–The entire course is VERY hilly. The last 3 miles or so of the race are mostly up hill… pace yourself and save some energy because it is the hardest leg of the race on tired legs.
–The weather is VERY unpredictable this time of year. I have ran in everything from cold and rainy to hot and humid.
–The entrance fee is going up and up. The half and the full were only a difference of $ 5 this year! Take advantage of the lowest registration fee by registering early, the fee increases as the race date nears.

This was my first half marathon, and I can’t wait to do it again next year! The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because I have nothing to compare it to to say it is the best. It was very well organized, really fun, and a great course. And like Joselyn H. said, the gym bag (and the rest of the swag) is awesome!

For the past 3 years injury or sickness made my races quite miserable but i still had a great time! Here’s why:
–Extremely well organized. the website tells you everything you need to know, but when things change they always send email notices which is great.
–easy access to race, parking is a breeze
–i like that they moved the packet pickup from a hotel downtown to the Chafiz Arena, less of a headache
— tons of spectators, always people cheering you on
— friendly volunteers
— no matter your fitness level, you WILL be running/​walking with others. i was worried that with my injury i would be all alone in the back of the back. not the case! they’re are so many people… you are bound to find people your pace. or of course, you can always join a pace group.
— i really liked this years route. start off facing the arch… i have some amazing pictures of this view. you get to run through the brewery which is neat.
— also, i LOVE my Go! St. Louis duffel bag they gave out this year. i use it to transport my gym gear!

This was my very first half marathon, and I had a blast! They changed the course this year, so there were a lot more hills than in the past, but I still had a great time nonetheless.
I love the general atmosphere… there were over 17,000 participants in this year’s race so you can just imagine how many people were there to also cheer the runners on. There’s a marathon, a half marathon, and a team marathon relay on Sunday morning (along with various other events during the weekend). The course starts in Downtown St Louis, passes by the Anheuser Busch brewery, loops back around to Forest Park, and then back to Downtown. Overall, great run. Would definitely do it again!