St. George 2009

[allie]

For those interested...although I am sure most of you have seen this...but just in case.

2009 ST. GEORGE MARATHON
ST GEORGE MARATHON
 
 marathon
 
Attention Runners:

Mark your calendars...on Wednesday April 1st online registration begins for the 2009 St George Marathon.  Registration will close Monday May 4th at 12:00 Midnight...NO EXCEPTIONS.  A printable registration form will also be available online which can be mailed in or hand delivered to:
86 South Main Street
St George, UT 84770

We look forward to providing you with another quality experience in 2009.  As we are making preparations for this year we would like to personally inform you of some changes being made and some prospects for improvement.

We have increased our runner cap to 7200.  This is the largest number of participants entered into the St George Marathon in its 33 year history.  We hope to continue to grow our race as accommodations become available.  With our struggling economy we are pleased to announce that The St George Marathon is still one of the lowest costing marathons in the nation with a price increase this year to $65.  We will continue to accommodate our runners as long as we can meet our financial responsibilities.

This year we will not be accepting cancellations with a guarantee for the 2010 race.  This will allow for a higher number of lottery participants in the upcoming years.
Also we have set a goal to become 100% electronic by next year which means Registration forms, Runner's Guide, as well as the Results Booklet and all other material will all be made into printable documents online and will no longer be mailed to each participant.

Currently we are designing this year's marathon shirt with the help of the SUU design department and hope to have it posted by registration.  We are also in the process of selecting photos to use for our 2009 Runner Poster.  We are accepting photographs taken this last year as well as previous years preferably landscape, large group shots on course or any shot that brings life to the marathon .  If you are interested in submitting a photo please contact
Kami Ellsworth
Race Operations Manager
Kami.ellsworth@sgcity.org
435-627-4503

Finally, in our attempt to improve your overall 2009 experience, we are currently seeking exclusive sponsors for events such as the 10 Year Club, pasta Dinner, Early-Bird Program, etc.  Interested Companies and /or vendors, again contact Kami Ellsworth at the above number.

Our staff is eager to get 2009 on its way as we continue to prepare for another enjoyable (hopefully rain-free) year!
See you soon!

Sincerely,
St. George Marathon Staff
    

[James Moore]

So what are the odds of getting into this marathon? I'd love to do it one year that I'm in Utah, does it just make sense to sign up every year?

[AndyBrowning]

If you don't have guaranteed entry it used to be about a 50% chance of getting in.  Now that they are taking away the guaranteed entry if you withdraw from the previous year the odds are probably around 7/10.  It's worth entering the lottery every year because if your name is not drawn 2 years in a row then you are guaranteed entry the 3rd year.  Your entry fee will be refunded but you lose the service fee that Active.com charges.

[allie]

i didn't get in the past two years, but since i signed up each time i now have my guaranteed "third time's a charm" entry. so yes, it's a good idea to sign up every year. funny thing though...i'm finally in but i am not running it this year.

[Paul Petersen]

...if you've run under 3:00 (women) or 2:40 (men), you would have a very good chance of petitioning the race directors directly to get in and bypassing the lottery. You might even get a free entry. Every race is a little different in how they hand out "extra" entries, but there is never anything to lose by picking up the phone or sending a quick email to the race director...for any race.

Just thought I would throw that out there, since a lot of people that post here fit that category.

[Jon Allen]

Last year they said they only give discounted entry for men running under 2:22.  Not sure if they live to that always, but that was the answer.  Not sure for women.  But they were willing to bypass the lottery for some people (i.e. the ones who got elite water bottles).

[Paul Petersen]

Yeah, I wasn't talking about comps or discounts, just getting into races. Although that said, the year I did the Grand Slam, I got comps for all 5 marathons just by writing the race directors and asking for one. My PR at the time was 2:35, good but certainly not "elite". I suppose with the tighter economy, things might have changed since then. But most race directors are quite happy to add another sub-2:40 person to the field, even if it's last-minute. Just be very polite when asking, and gracious when you receive something. Faster runners certainly are NOT entitled to anything, but it's a fact that more doors are open to them.

[Jose Jimenez]

i didn't get in the past two years, but since i signed up each time i now have my guaranteed "third time's a charm" entry. so yes, it's a good idea to sign up every year. funny thing though...i'm finally in but i am not running it this year.

Allie,  can you transfer an entry at St. George?  If I don't get in through the lottery this year I will be looking at other options such as entry transfer, if you can do that...

[Burt McCumber]

I thought there was a certain number of races you could do in Utah that would guarantee you an entry.  Is that not true?

[Craig Green]

There is a St George race series you can sign up for. It is limited to something like 250 entrants and becomes available around Nov 1. I am doing that this year, but I'm fuzzy on the details because a friend of mine signed me up. It costs $10 and you have to run 2 races down in St George before the marathon (i.e. Painters 1/2, Spectrum 10k, Lake to Lake relay, etc). If you do that, you get a guaranteed entry into the St George Marathon. So that's an option to keep in mind for next year. I think the race series fills up in a day.

[Maurine Lee]

My first four years I signed up for St. George I was pulled in the lottery. Last year I was not and took advantage of paying for an entry through a friend that is a sponsor.  This year I am running the Grand Slam in order to guarantee a spot. (You have to finish three other marathons and have signed up for St. George and then can get a guaranteed entry if you are not chosen in the lottery).