Leave it to the Swiss to organise an efficient, smooth race! Lausanne is the epitome of Swiss mentality! Bib pick-up is simple - the location of the expo incredible easy to find and in a great spot (very close to the finish as well). The expo is small, and the goody bag consists of a saline nose spray! The race starts at the odd time of 10:10... no idea why, but hey! The weather this year was not the greatest, temperatures hovered around 10C, and for the first 90 minutes it rained. The course is an Out-And-Back: 21 km towards Vevey, and then after turning in the middle of the town, straight back. The course does not contain steep climbs but is also not flat. The road undulates/ovulates continuously and it does wear you down... but the toughest part of the race was the strong head-on wind once you turned in Vevey! 21km straight into the wind! Being 6'3 (1.93m) I found myself leading a train of runners all using me to shield from the wind! Knowing the area I know there are some stunning views - however, in this edition most of those were obscured by the clouds, rain and fog! The aid stations are terrific - already from the first one there is ample water, isotonic drinks, oranges, bananas and gels! The volunteers are extremely helpful and friendly - and judging by how you were handed your cups you can tell they were experienced! Not a lot of spectators along the course - given the weather this wasn't a big surprise... although seeing a small group of people having a cheese fondue in their vineyard did give things a sense of comfort! In Vevey there were no crowds: the half marathon starts from there a few hours after the marathon comes through. Great medal and a good long sleeved tech shirt (albeit in an awfully visible grapefruit colour!). Loads of refreshments at the finish - and the finish video which was on-line almost immediately was a great touch! All in all, an excellent race, not an easy one, which suffered a little due to the weather. Lausanne itself is the capital of sports (the IOC seats there, and has a fabulous museum) and is within easy reach of all the Western European countries through the Zurich and Geneva airports...

Back after 4 years, and it's still a neat little race. Breathtaking scenery (even though the skies were heavy this year), and really well supplied refreshments: Copious gels, PowerBars, fruit and glucose tablets every 5K. I must say that I really do not think this is as hilly as others have commented. What is wonderful is the small field, the efficient organization and the traffic-free lakeside course. You will not be disappointed.

I only do a couple of marathons a year and this turned out to be a great choice for an autumn marathon. The course is hilly, so this wasn't a fast one for me; but it was very scenic. The crowds and bands in the towns along the way were great. The organization at the expo and along the course was efficient. The finish line video was a nice addition afterward. Running along the lake edge a few days prior to the race was very pleasant as well. There were plenty of other distances offered in addition to the marathon, which worked out well for my wife (who did the 10 KM walk). A few things were a little disappointing: no runner-specific race photos afterward, a very misleading course profile on the race website, so-so shirts, and almost no race-related merchandise for sale at the expo. These points were minor, and I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an international marathon in an interesting town on a well organized and scenic course.