St. George Marathon
St. George Marathon race day weather
Warm finish, conserve energy early
Runners will face a steady temperature rise from 62°F at the start to 78°F at the finish, with low humidity at 37%. There will be light crosswinds up to 6 mph, but they will not significantly impact pace. The course features a warm descent from mile 20, where headwinds will challenge runners, making it crucial to conserve energy early and adjust hydration strategies as temperatures increase.
This course drops 2,549 ft from start to finish, so we forecast it at 3 points, not just the start line. At 9:00/mi, you start at 62° and finish around 10:55 AM in 75°.
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St. George Marathon route and elevation
The St. George Marathon course has about 428 ft (130 m) of climbing and 2,988 ft (911 m) of descent, a net drop of about 2,560 ft (780 m). It drops more than it climbs, and its terrain is faster than 99% of the marathon courses racecast.io has mapped, measured by what the hills cost in time. The hardest mile is mile 8, with 144 ft (44 m) of climbing and a 1.9% average grade.
Biggest climbs
- Miles 7.4 to 8.5: climbs about 215 ft (66 m).
- Miles 9.5 to 11.2: climbs about 125 ft (38 m).
What the hills cost
- 3:30 on a flat course is about 3:23 here (7 minutes faster).
- 4:00 on a flat course is about 3:52 here (8 minutes faster).
- 4:30 on a flat course is about 4:21 here (9 minutes faster).
Hills only, priced mile by mile on the course map. The pace calculator above adds the race-day weather.
Even-effort splits for a 3:30, 4:00 or 4:30 finish
| Mile | Climb | Descent | 3:30 | 4:00 | 4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 ft | 89 ft | 7:59 | 9:08 | 10:16 |
| 2 | 35 ft | 46 ft | 8:15 | 9:26 | 10:37 |
| 3 | 0 ft | 120 ft | 7:52 | 8:59 | 10:06 |
| 4 | 0 ft | 113 ft | 7:53 | 9:00 | 10:08 |
| 5 | 7 ft | 88 ft | 7:59 | 9:07 | 10:16 |
| 6 | 0 ft | 188 ft | 7:40 | 8:46 | 9:51 |
| 7 | 0 ft | 201 ft | 7:38 | 8:43 | 9:49 |
| 8 | 144 ft | 45 ft | 9:10 | 10:30 | 11:48 |
| 9 | 73 ft | 30 ft | 8:41 | 9:55 | 11:09 |
| 10 | 49 ft | 15 ft | 8:36 | 9:49 | 11:03 |
| 11 | 69 ft | 0 ft | 8:54 | 10:11 | 11:28 |
| 12 | 13 ft | 24 ft | 8:15 | 9:26 | 10:36 |
| 13 | 0 ft | 87 ft | 7:58 | 9:06 | 10:15 |
| 14 | 0 ft | 58 ft | 8:05 | 9:14 | 10:23 |
| 15 | 0 ft | 206 ft | 7:37 | 8:42 | 9:47 |
| 16 | 0 ft | 254 ft | 7:31 | 8:36 | 9:40 |
| 17 | 0 ft | 141 ft | 7:47 | 8:54 | 10:02 |
| 18 | 0 ft | 155 ft | 7:46 | 8:52 | 9:58 |
| 19 | 32 ft | 56 ft | 8:12 | 9:22 | 10:32 |
| 20 | 2 ft | 126 ft | 7:50 | 8:58 | 10:05 |
| 21 | 0 ft | 255 ft | 7:31 | 8:35 | 9:40 |
| 22 | 1 ft | 127 ft | 7:50 | 8:58 | 10:05 |
| 23 | 11 ft | 206 ft | 7:39 | 8:44 | 9:50 |
| 24 | 1 ft | 169 ft | 7:43 | 8:49 | 9:55 |
| 25 | 0 ft | 125 ft | 7:51 | 8:58 | 10:05 |
| 26 | 5 ft | 77 ft | 8:01 | 9:10 | 10:18 |
| Last 0.2 | 0 ft | 10 ft | 1:47 | 2:02 | 2:18 |
Explore the St. George Marathon course with the weather and your pace along the route, or compare it with other races.
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About the St. George Marathon
The St. George Marathon runs annually on the first Saturday in October in St. George, Utah. It was founded in November 1977 by Sherm Miller of the city's Parks and Recreation Department, with 58 starters and 38 finishers in the first race. The point-to-point course starts in the Pine Valley Mountains and finishes downtown at Vernon Worthen Park, dropping about 2,600 feet net. It is now the 16th-largest marathon in the United States. Wikipedia
Race weekend
Tips from Runners
From 12 race reports by runners: what worked for them, not official race information.
Keep the first seven miles relaxed and let your pace drop on Veyo hill and the climb that follows to about mile 11. Don't try to hold your downhill effort on it.
In the finish park, find the bread tent. Several runners got a thick slice of local bread with butter there.
The start sits a little over 5,000 feet up. If you live low, a few runners came to Utah days early to adjust to the thinner air.
You ride a race bus up into the mountains to the start, then wait there. A 2023 runner says the start was pushed back 30 minutes for a late bus.
Put long downhill runs into your training. A couple of runners say the net drop from the mountains is harder on the legs than it sounds.
Keep some strength for the rise at the start of mile 19. One runner began cramping there and another needed far more effort than planned.
- Keep the first seven miles relaxed and let your pace drop on Veyo hill and the climb that follows to about mile 11. Don't try to hold your downhill effort on it.
- Put long downhill runs into your training. A couple of runners say the net drop from the mountains is harder on the legs than it sounds.
- In the finish park, find the bread tent. Several runners got a thick slice of local bread with butter there.
- You ride a race bus up into the mountains to the start, then wait there. A 2023 runner says the start was pushed back 30 minutes for a late bus.
- The start sits a little over 5,000 feet up. If you live low, a few runners came to Utah days early to adjust to the thinner air.
- Keep some strength for the rise at the start of mile 19. One runner began cramping there and another needed far more effort than planned.
St. George Marathon FAQ
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St. George Marathon reviews and race reports
A net-downhill point-to-point with a real climb at Veyo. The long descent into St. George punishes quads late.
Veyo hill and the Dammeron Valley climb — The race sells itself as downhill, but most runners hit a steep climb at Veyo around mile 7 or 8. Rolling uphill follows through about mile 11. One runner called the all-downhill billing a big fat lie.
The drop toward Snow Canyon — Near mile 14 the course crests a hill with a wide red rock view and heads down toward Snow Canyon. One runner says miles 15 and 16 are the steepest downhills.
The descent's toll on the quads — Several runners say the long drop into St. George wrecked their quads in the last 10K. A couple were also surprised by an uphill around mile 19.
Veyo cowbells and the St. George crowds — Spectators are sparse out in the canyons, apart from cowbells in the town of Veyo. The crowds thicken in the last miles into St. George, with kids holding power-up signs.
Felt sick from over-eating, but still hit my B goal!
The race started at a comically easy pace, as I was determined to run around 8:30ish for my first mile. I figured I could pick it up after that, and see how I felt. Kinda warm up into it. It was a very hot day, and I was drinking a lot of fluids.
Cramps hit hard after mile 20, but I pushed through to a PR.
The difference from mile 20 to mile 21 was astronomical. My right calf had cramped and each step just pain. Knowing that if I stopped to stretch I would never regain my pace I mentally blocked that out. The downhill profile of the course had really lost its luster here as I realized only my downhill muscles were dying.
Fought through cold rain and elevation for a BQ attempt
The race starts at Central, UT. The elevation is a little over 5,000 feet, so you can definitely feel the thinner air. The gun goes off at 6:45 am, but this year it was pushed back 30 min as we were waiting for a late bus to get to the start line. This would be normally be ok, but the temp was in the low 40s and a slight drizzle made it feel much colder.
Hydropak disaster at mile 18, but finished strong with family support
The first seven miles flew by without a problem as the sun came up. I tried to pace myself because I knew that a huge hill was coming at mile 8, but ended up going faster than I anticipated. My wife drove out to the little town of Veyo, Utah to cheer me on before the infamous “Veyo hill,” but unfortunately, we missed each other by just a few minutes! I was ready for the hill, but the rolling hills of Dammeron Valley (miles 9-13ish) were killer.
Stopped to help a collapsed runner, lost time but still PR'd.
Race start was 7am while the sun was still making it's way up over the Utah mountains. The course is beautiful as you run out of the canyons downhill to the city of St George, with the sun rising behind us in the early miles reflecting off the scenic natural landscape surrounding us. A really lovely setting for a race. I'd find out over the next 26.2 miles that those stunning downhills will be as much of a challenge as there were an asset though.