This was a full marathon with which the 10K race commenced simultaneously, which is not a plus for full-race runners who need to break away from the start line expediently and without incident. Pre-race communication about parking and general information for the runner/participant were mediocre at best, i.e. an addendum to the local Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper's weekend edition. I'm curious how any visitors from out of the country were supposed to read that paper because it wasn't printed in English. Expo was more mediocre than other European race expos, i.e. non-eventful and uninteresting. True, the course is flat, but by the end of the full race we circled Atlas Arena three times which was the ultimate bore of my racing life. I appreciated the spectators who were present and cheering in the uncomfortable drizzle. And kudos to the many volunteers who also braved the moisture for many hours for the slower runners. Another positive for this race is that Atlas Arena and the start/finish are very close to the train station, so with the race starting at 9:00 (which is a relatively late hour) on Sunday it was possible for participants to ride into Kaliska train station from far away and simply walk from the station to start line. The finish line was unique, I admit, but I didn't like running immediately from broad daylight into pitch black darkness of the arena's interior where discotheque lasers were insufficient to light the runner's way (down a ramp) for even the few meters to the ultimate finish line. That was one of the more dangerous finish lines and I had to brake my finishing stride to prevent falling over my own feet or bumping potentially into any runner in front of me who may have braked for similar reasons. That finish was just not safe/good and due to the darkness inside the arena and loud announcing emcee the runners were unable to congregate and chat with one another about the previous few hours of activity. In summary, the Lodz Marathon may be great for Lodz and surrounding area residents, but doesn't deserve a listing on Marathonguide.com. The communication and organization is highly non-conducive to visitors from outside the country as well as non-English speakers (save for elite Africans who apparently were escorted around by marathon organizers). Post-race food was weak at best. Lastly there were no race photo organizations taking pictures for sale over the internet several weeks/months after the event. I won't run this event again unless I find myself living in Lodz in the future.

In the early morning, the weather was not ideal for either the fans or the competitors. A cloudy sky, a chilly rain, and a strong wind did not breed optimism. Fortunately, the weather and disposition of the participants improved considerably. By 9:00 runners began competing in more-or-less ideal conditions. The course of the marathon through the streets of Lodz was full of fans gathered in sectioned fan zones. The Lodz Marathon Dbam o Zdrowie was supposed to be, in accordance with the expectations of the organizers, one of the fastest marathon runs in the history of Poland. This was achieved partly due to the strong group of runners from Africa, who ensured the high competitive standard of the race. After the emotional battle of the elite runners, the amateurs enjoyed the most spectacular finish of any marathon in Poland. The lights, noise, and heated cheering of the fans in Atlas Arena impressed even the most seasoned of marathon fans and runners.