Rotterdam Marathon

This was by far one of the best and most organized marathons I have ever run and I've done 74 of them. The course is flat like pancake and the energy from the spectators is unbelievable. Plenty of water and energy drinks on the course but no sign of Gue or Gel. I highly recommend this race, especially if you wish to do an international marathon

I have to say I have high expectation to this marathon, yet higher expectation means higher disappointment. There are a few things that non-local runners should be aware of: 1) Bag drop service is NOT free and has to pre-register. Maybe it's only me who got it wrong. I have never been to any sizeable marathon that runners have to pay for bag drop. They did have that extra option comes with changing facility when registered, but I got a wrong impression that it is only applicable if you use the changing facility. When I realised, it is already too late to add the option. Anyway it is very inconvenient for me as a non-local. I had to walk for a while (without sunlight) to take tram back to hotel with only my short sleeves shirt. And because of that I caught a cold and still not recovered when I am typing this piece of comment. 2) Drinking stations obviously not enough. They have one station for every 5km, which I think is insufficient, especially under a temp. of 20c in the mid day. 3) No food provided. I just wonder how come the organiser not even provide bananas or chocolates in the station. Obviously this is just an easy thing to do. As a result of 2) and 3), if you do not have local supporters to supply you with extra water and food, it's gonna be a tough race. I believe nearly all good comments are contributed from the cheering crowds but I would say the organization has to definitely improve otherwise it will not attract international runners. Anyway this race does not make me want to it again.

Ran Rotterdam marathon in 2017. Approx. 15 thousand participants in the marathon and many of them are quite fast, so either you are shooting for sub 2:30 or for over 5h marathon, you will have lots of company. The course is in the shape of number 8 with a couple of sections repeating. It is almost completely flat, except when crossing the bridge at km 1 and then back again at km 27. But the climb is almost not worth of mentioning. Very fast and also crowded with spectators, who are quite loud and awesome. Weather in 2017 was quite hot (23C) and very sunny, which bothered me a bit, but it influenced very little on my finishing time. In the days before and after the marathon, weather was much more favorable (approx. 13C), which is also the average temperature in Rotterdam at the beginning of April. Organization was excellent, expo quite big, which made the whole experience even better. I absolutely recommend running the Rotterdam marathon, it is not considered a major marathon, but still has everythig on the same level or even better as the major European marathons do.