Beijing Int'l Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 3.0

Organization 2.5

Spectators 3.6

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Number of comments: 41 [displaying comments 41 to 41]

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A Runner from Beijing, China (11/1/2001)

"Closing time IS closing time" (about: 2001)

COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3

The Beijing marathon is not the most scenic you can imagine, although the marathon organization tries to make you believe this. Basically it is all third ring road - a highway not even closed properly. In some places only one lane is closed and you just smell the exhaust-fumes. 5 K, 10 K, half and full marathons start at the same time, so the first 5-10 K is quite crowded with people that run in a ?different way?. China does not have a real running tradition, so even some of the full marathon runners seem to have just signed up to see what it is like and you can see that from the way they are running. The highlight of the marathon is the start at Tian?anmen Square, accompanied by march music, you run along the entrance to the Forbidden City on a road you normally can only cross by going through a tunnel. The cut-off time is 5 hours for this marathon and you better be on time, as even with my 4 and half-hours, four of the two last water-points were already closed. If you are on time, there are really enough water-points though. Along the route are quite a lot of people and they do support, although my feeling is they were not there just for the marathon, but just wanted to cross the street and met the marathon by surprise. All in all a typical marathon, not the most scenic and well-organized, but still fun.

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