St. George's Marathon is this weekend. Just remember that's not actually your real PR.

this one is easy wrote:

Wouldn't the higher altitude cancel out the effect of the net elevation drop?

Altitude doesn't affect you as much running downhill as uphill. Going uphill, it'll spike your HR. Going downhlil you don't notice the lack of oxygen that much because you're usually not maxing out your aerobic systems running downhill, unless you're at like 10,000' or something.

Live to run wrote:

Bring Back the 880 wrote:

If people count PRs from Boston, why wouldn't other net downhill courses count as marathon PRs?

LMAO. There's net downhill and then there's all downhill.

St George is not "all downhill". It is flat the first seven miles or so, then spends three miles getting up over Veyo Hill then it drops.

almostbq wrote:

Live to run wrote:

LMAO. There's net downhill and then there's all downhill.

St George is not "all downhill". It is flat the first seven miles or so, then spends three miles getting up over Veyo Hill then it drops.

The Veyo Hill is a minor speed bump. The course drops a vertical half mile.

High Tide wrote:

sbeefyk1 wrote:

I have a friend who ran the "world's fastest half marathon course" in 71 minutes. Then he wasn't able to break 80 minutes ever again and he was confused...

He didn't realize the Fontana Days course starts at over 2100 feet and finishes at sea level.

LOL ... Fontana is 50 miles from sea level. That is some half marathon.

This guy can't be that stupid.

Agree. St. George, Steamtown, Peek to Creek. If it's not a WR-eligible course, your "PR" on it has an asterisk next to it.

Rono-Kip wrote:

Agree. St. George, Steamtown, Peek to Creek. If it's not a WR-eligible course, your "PR" on it has an asterisk next to it.

So no point to point races are allowed to count as a real PR?

Just so we're all sticking to facts here, this is the St. George elevation profile:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ymyJn6IDSbU/VXn2IdqCR1I/AAAAAAAADa0/D0nybpO4mF8/s1600/st-george-elevation.jpg

Still a beautiful running race with the sunrise over desert/redrock landscape. Great experience. I support the op's complaint about it being a BQ.

Just curious, how much do you run?

to scoop or not to scoop wrote:

Just curious, how much do you run?

I run until the hate disappears.

Calling it wrote:

to scoop or not to scoop wrote:

Just curious, how much do you run?

I run until the hate disappears.

It never disappears. N E V E R.

I have similar sentiments, and I've run 39 minutes and change faster than the BQ time.

Here is a list of guys who have run sub-2:20 at St. George and their PRs on legitimate marathon courses:

Aaron Metler - 2:19:06 (SJ 2014) - 2:30:39 (2011 Boston Marathon)

Bryant Jensen - 2:15:56 (SJ 2013) - 2:20:49 (2015 Monumental Marathon)

Sean Sundwall - 2:18:55 (SJ 2007) - 2:26:00 (2010 Monumental Marathon)

Running at St. George is about the same as running a 40K on a fast sea level course.

The " speed bump" is something like 600 - 700 ft high. The race starts at 5200' & the course is near that altitude for much of it's length. Most of the drop occurs after mile 16 & especially in the final 10K. The course record is - or was- held by a very good runner - Paul Cummings in only 2:15.

Downhill runner wrote:

The " speed bump" is something like 600 - 700 ft high. The race starts at 5200' & the course is near that altitude for much of it's length. Most of the drop occurs after mile 16 & especially in the final 10K. The course record is - or was- held by a very good runner - Paul Cummings in only 2:15.

Bollocks. It's 450'.

450' is nothing when you're skydiving 2600' vertical feet on that course. Basically, St George drops over 3000' vertical feet, with 450' of uphill.

The exaggerations that St George runners spew are laughable.

Fwiw, I've run the race. But I don't kid myself as if my time on that course was legit. And fwiw, I've also run up the course.

Three times US Olympic Trials

Marathon: 2:17:54 (Grandma's) - 2014)

Marathon: 2:19:47 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2013)

Marathon: 2:19:49 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2010)

Aided PR's:

Marathon: 2:18:09 (St George - 2007)

Marathon: 2:17:35 (Boston - 2011)

What's your story bro?

Those were the good old days... Sundwall qualified for the 2008 OTM with this outstanding downhill run. He ran 2:30:41.

Real Running wrote:

Three times US Olympic Trials

Marathon: 2:17:54 (Grandma's) - 2014)

Marathon: 2:19:47 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2013)

Marathon: 2:19:49 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2010)

Aided PR's:

Marathon: 2:18:09 (St George - 2007)

Marathon: 2:17:35 (Boston - 2011)

What's your story bro?

But...what would you have run at St. George in 2014, as opposed to what appears to be your first marathon 7 years prior?

I've done the race a couple of times. I like it. It's not a hard course though. You will PR on it if you are in reasonable shape.

Two other people I know have run it (from our running club), for the male it is his PR by 7 minutes, for the female, it's a PR by 18 minutes. Each of them have run more than 10 marathons in their life. Veyo hill is a joke. It has a "serious" part in the beginning and for not very long. After that it's almost like a false flat (looks flat but is slightly up hill). After mile 13 you get a screaming fast 5k.

Real Running wrote:

Three times US Olympic Trials

Marathon: 2:17:54 (Grandma's) - 2014)

Marathon: 2:19:47 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2013)

Marathon: 2:19:49 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2010)

Aided PR's:

Marathon: 2:18:09 (St George - 2007)

Marathon: 2:17:35 (Boston - 2011)

What's your story bro?

So you ran St George in 2007 and then are comparing it to marathons you ran 3 or more years later?