Greater St. Louis Marathon: Let’s #RallyTheLou!
Greater St. Louis Marathon: Let’s Rally the Lou!
New features, course will welcome 12,000+ runners through the heart of the St. Louis metro
Friday, February 2, 2024 [St. Louis] –– The Greater St. Louis Marathon, the region’s premiere running event, has been reimagined for 2024 with fresh courses, historic sights, vibrant after-parties, and a brand-new National Running Club Championship & Rally. The event attracts runners of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities from around the world.
This is the marathon’s 24th year. The planning team is expecting 12,000+ runners to lace up their shoes and Rally the Lou.
“We’ve reimagined the Greater St. Louis Marathon to be a celebration of what makes our city special: history, architecture, community, food, music, and the hospitality of its people. Our race shows why we’re the Gateway to the Best,” said Mona Vespa, president of GO! St. Louis, the nonprofit organization that coordinates the event. “We’re honored to have everyone from corporate community leaders to citizens in each neighborhood come together as part of our planning, which will allow St. Louis to put its best foot forward when the marathon draws thousands of people to the city.”
“In partnering to produce the Greater St. Louis Marathon, we wanted to make sure the race highlighted the resurgence taking place across our bi-state metro,” said Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc. “From historic neighborhoods like Old North St. Louis, Soulard, and the Central West End and iconic views of the Arch and Downtown skyline from East St. Louis to our world-class universities and research institutions and our rejuvenated Downtown, runners will get to see what a great city St. Louis is and feel the momentum that is building here.”
What’s new this year:
New Date Saturday, April 27, 2024
New Venue and Course The event will begin and end in the heart of Downtown St. Louis, with a course that runs through the city’s historic neighborhoods. The finish line festival will be at CITYPARK.
New Experience The Saturday after-party will feature live music and great local food. New Club Championship A brand-new, one-of-a-kind team competition that makes race weekend more inclusive and exciting for runners of all abilities.
New Partnerships GO! St. Louis and Greater St. Louis, Inc. are proud to partner on producing Greater St. Louis Marathon. Other new partners include Washington University in St. Louis, SSM Health, Emerson, NISA Investment Advisors. GO! Is thankful for the ongoing support of long-time partners PNC Bank and Lockton Companies.
A Race Course To Lift Your Spirits
Celebrating the one-of-a-kind treasures in the Greater St. Louis region was both a goal and a no- brainer for planners. “Our city has so many sources of civic pride,” said Vespa. “You really get to appreciate them when you’re taking them in at a runner’s pace.”
A few highlights:
- The course begins by heading east on Market Street, where participants will enjoy watchingthe sun come up behind the Arch.
- Participants always enjoy running across the Mississippi River, so this marathon does ittwice! Once on the MLK Bridge, and once on the Eads Bridge.
- Runners will enjoy the region’s most beautiful view of the skyline in Malcolm W. MartinMemorial Park from the Illinois side of the Greater St. Louis region.
- The St. Louis Marathon is one of the few in the nation to run through National Park grounds,at the Gateway Arch National Park.
- The course will wind through St. Louis past, present, and future as runners experiencebeautiful historic neighborhoods like Soulard, the Central West End, and Old North alongwith the Cortex District.
- The course runs past three local universities: Washington University, Harris-Stowe StateUniversity, and St. Louis University.
- Planners made sure to include the major sporting venues on the route, including BallparkVillage, The Dome at Americas Center, and CITYPARK.
- Runners can expect to see crowds cheering for them in each section of the route asneighborhood residents, associations, and businesses come out to show their support and excitement for the event.The Greater St. Louis Marathon offers a full 26-mile course as well as a half marathon, marathon relay, 10k, 5k, 1-mile family fun run, and a virtual option.Visit GoStLouis.org to see the full marathon course map and full event details.
“There’s no greater feeling than when St. Louis comes together to celebrate and experience what makes our city so remarkable,” said Ryan McClure, Executive Director of Gateway Arch Park Foundation, the nonprofit conservancy and official philanthropic partner of Gateway Arch National Park. “We’re thrilled to join in the festivities and see marathoners and their supporters on the grounds of Gateway Arch National Park, where we hope all will take in its stunning beauty.”
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About GO! St. Louis
GO! St. Louis is a non-profit organization that encourages individuals and families in the St. Louis region to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle year round. The organization accomplishes this through community collaborations, school based programming and the creation of new and fun fitness events.
About Greater St. Louis, Inc.
Greater St. Louis, Inc. brings together business and civic leaders to create jobs, expand inclusive economic growth, and improve St. Louis’ global competitiveness. We speak with a unified voice, lead with a bold agenda, and act as one metro anchored by a vibrant urban core. Learn more about Greater St. Louis, Inc.
Media Contact:
Amanda Galloway 314-598-0544 amanda@amandacookpr.com
