St. Louis Marathon 2015: Route, Course Map, Times, Event Details
There are actually people who willingly choose to run 26.2 consecutive miles on a Sunday morning instead of sleeping in and gorging on pancakes at brunch.
Thousands of those people will descend on the streets of downtown St. Louis April 12 for the 2015 St. Louis Marathon. While the argument can be made that their sanity should be tested, it truly is an incredible athletic accomplishment, and St. Louis is set to make the entire process a rewarding experience.
Here is a look at the race details for the 2015 edition of the annual event.
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Route Details
The GO! St. Louis organization is a nonprofit organization that presents a number of fitness events in St. Louis every year. This will be the 15-year anniversary for GO! St. Louis with the marathon, and it unveiled a new route in celebration.
The course was specifically designed to highlight the Mississippi River on both the Missouri and Illinois sides, especially as the runners go over the Eads and Martin Luther King bridges. What’s more, runners will get the opportunity to take in landmarks that defined the old course, including the Gateway Arch, city skyline, Saint Louis University and Forest Park.
GO! St. Louis President Nancy Lieberman discussed the changes, per GoStLouis.org:
"A new course has been something that we wanted to offer the community for many years, so after planning started for our 15-year anniversary, we decided it was a great time to start the process to make it a reality. A project of this magnitude, extending over 26 miles, is a true collaborative effort from our staff, board members, city and state officials, community and corporate partners, which all play a vital part in planning and approving a safe, and scenic course that will create lasting memories to be cherished by thousands of participants.
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It won’t be a completely different look since the start and finish area are both still near Soldier’s Memorial and will remain unchanged.
Perhaps the best news for runners is the organizers rescaled the elevation for a flatter race without as many physically grueling hills. Look for faster finishing times, especially from the elite athletes who train year-round and see the St. Louis Marathon as yet another opportunity to make their marks on the marathon circuit.
A unique aspect of the route is the “Bridge Challenge 3.5” along the 3.5-mile portion of the course between the Eads Bridge and MLK Bridge. Runners’ times will be recorded in that stretch, and the top age-group winners receive a medal and commemorative chocolate bar.
Course Map
The new map and the ever-important elevation levels for the 2015 race can be found here, courtesy of GoStLouis.org.
Given the rescaling of the elevation, the first 10 miles are net downhill. Michele Munz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch pointed out why it is important for the course to be relatively flat:
"With race participants coming from 45 different states and a handful of countries, the marathon course is an opportunity to show off 26.2 miles of the city’s neighborhoods and attractions. And when you’re crazy enough to endure those miles on foot, you not only want the route to be as flat (or downhill) as possible, but interesting.
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Times and Event Details
The marathon kicks off April 12 at 7 a.m. local time.
The St. Louis Marathon, like so many others, utilizes a corral and wave starting system based on the participants’ estimated finishing times. The corral start will ideally create more space for everyone involved and minimize any potential bottleneck effect with so many runners.
Here is a look at the prize money for the winners:
| 1 | $1,500 |
| 2 | $1,000 |
| 3 | $300 |
The race is about more than just earning prize money for the top runners, though. The St. Louis Marathon is an official Boston Marathon qualifier race.
While most participants will not be collecting prize money, there will be St. Louis-themed food waiting at the finish line for everyone, including Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, Pasta House Toasted Ravioli and Crown Candy Kitchen. Runners will also receive commemorative 15-year anniversary medals and shirts.
One important note—the marathon course will reopen to traffic according to a 6.5-hour marathon pace.
*More information can be found at GoStLouis.org.
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