2006 - Over all, brilliant Swiss organization all round except for the 'start' and the weather! (the former is in your control the latter not) Categories at the start should be marked either by lines or flags so that runners can identify and join their respective groups. The 'Start' was disappointing and badly organised in this respect.
Also the pacers lost their balloons after 8 & 20 minutes and got swallowed up in the crowd. Perhaps the pacer should run with a flag or balloon attached to his waist all the way.
I personally climbed over a gate to get in line at the start - where were the openings?!
Water and food stations were well managed and plentiful. Well done!
Music from live bands on the way was inspiring and supportive.Fans plentiful despite the rain.
After the finish, handing out medals, removing chips, giving out T shirts, food and drink was fantastic; after which I was supposed to get a hot free drink somewhere...couldn't find where! Would have been nice considering the weather conditions!!
Would I do the Zurich marathon again? Yes most definitely!

Zurich was my 6th marathon. I've run a small one (Loch Ness, its 1st year) and 4 larger ones (London, Berlin, Boston, and Dublin). The scenery in Zurich is lovely, but as another runner mentioned, it's not a focal point if you're trying to make a strong effort for time. I was mentally disheartened by the needless zig-zagging of the final 12km of the course. It left me feeling disoriented and tired. There must be a way for the organizers to extend the straight stretches of the course. Perhaps a simple out-and-back instead?

The crowds were good for a fairly new marathon.

The expo was disappointing, in both scale and content. There were no t-shirts for purchase that just said Zurich Marathon. I like to have the option to purchase one in a size that fits me, because the finisher's shirts are often sized for men, and produced in limited quantities. At the finish, the smallest size available was a men's medium; it was also an unattractive dull orange color. Having options to purchase even hats or jackets would be good.

Also, some expos have a stand set up and allow you to have your race number silkscreened onto your race shirt. You pick up your number & race day package, and turn it in at the stand (so no one can sneak in). Then there are no pins to worry about.

One great idea at this marathon was the 3-day public transportation pass. It was an opportunity to see the city free in the two days before the race. That was much appreciated.

There is not much to add to the other comments - perfect weather, not too cold or too hot, water stations every 3.5 km, and great bands along the lake. I wished they had had an extra 'energy goo' early on, but I had taken two gel packs with me, which was all I needed in addition to the food provided.

This time, there was also enough room in the start/finish area, unlike last year.

This was my third marathon. The 2003 and 2004 in Barcelona. Our local politicians didn't want a new 2005 edition in BCN, so I decided to run the marathon of my best Swiss marathoning girl friend's city, Zurich.

I ran it yesterday, and now I'm still dreaming. Perfect weather, incredible landscape, besides the lake and the snow-covered Alps in the background... Lots of wonderful people and music bands supporting us - I was very surprised about that. I had never seen anything similar in my country. In my opinion, the Swiss people were the best of the race... The organization was superb and the web page very is complete too.

If it's possible, I will be in the Zurich Marathon in 2006.

This is the third year of the Zurich Marathon and my all accounts the best event they've held yet. It featured Swiss precision in all respects. From registration (maximum 7,000 runners - sells out early), to number pick-up, start location, bag check, start grouping and marshaling, race routing, pedestrian control and race finish and festivities, it was a well-run race.

The race starts at 8:30AM on the west side of Lake Zurich (Zurich-see) in Wollishofen (right next to the train station), proceeds downtown across the head of the lake, and goes down the east side to Meilen. It then reverses route heading back to downtown, goes through a series of loops through the old downtown area and finally ends up back where it started. The route is relatively flat with a couple small hills but no more than 30-meter rise or drop. The first 30KM of the race are relatively serene with beautiful lake views, lots of Ompa, jazz and even steel drum bands.

The water breaks are generous (every 5K) with bottled water, Powerbars and bananas - and the crowds were both warm and supportive with lots of calls to 'Pull, Pull, Pull' and ringing of big cow bells. Oh, and the weather was perfect with clear sky (the route is largely shaded) and temperatures ranging from 8C (46F) to 22C (72F) at 2PM, all with a cool alpine wind. The last 10K of the race works its way through the downtown area which can be quite a maze.

This is the only complaint I have about the race as this is a relatively tough part of the race to be wandering the city streets with no real coordinates of how you are doing except the occasional KM marker flag. While this is a very nice area with traditional old European streets, it's largely lost when your muscles are screaming to stop and your pace group is passing you by - at least the crowds were great.

I ran with the 3:29 pace group which helped immensely to keep a good time. The lesson learned, however, was to run in front of the pace group, not behind it where there is a gaggle of runners all trying to keep pace. All-in-all, a highly-recommended race with all the right organization, wonderful geography and great people!

Hello all you marathon buffs. I just wanted to give my experience about the Zurich Marathon. The greatest part is the views and scenery. Most of the race was along Lake Zurich with snow-covered mountains in the background. The weather was perfect, overcast and cool. The course was flat and had a fair share of spectators, bands, and water/food stations.

I know that others have already said this, but one major thing they need to improve before next year is the storage holding areas. There was too little space for the amount of people trying to check their gear. One idea is to have it in the big park on the other side of the race course. Also, at the finish line there was hardly enough room to slow down and cool off a little bit. Other than that it was a great first marathon. I will surely do it again in the future.

The course was very flat and fast. 80% of the time you are running by the Lake of Zürich, which is very beautiful. You can see mountains with snow. The last part of the course is within the city of Zürich and the streets are small and with a lot of turns. The organization has to improve - after the finish there was no space and too many people. No space for sitting down and enjoying the feeling. It took too long time to deliver the changing clothes before the race. Otherwise if you want to improve your PR, Zürich is the one! Be in the starting area at least an hour before start.

Delightful city and people now has its very own superb marathon. Course fairly flat and never boring. Support terrific (lots of hopp hopps!!). Marshalls and water/food stations very good. Expect fairly cool weather. Nice medal/tee - expo laid back. You get a free public transport ticket for the weekend; most useful. Bit of a bottle neck at chip recovery at end, but sure to be sorted for next year. Get registered sharp, as I can see max numbers being achieved very early for 2005.

Pros:
-Very flat, fast course (30m total height climb)
-Finish through the city; much more enjoyable & inspiring than running through midtown first, and then ending with a loop through the hinterlands (as many city marathons do so that they can open up to traffic again)
-Great medal and finisher's t-shirt
-Enthusiastic and energetic crowds. I can still hear the cowbells.
-A very scenic course along the Lake of Zurich with the alps in the background. If the run doesn't take your breath away, the views will.
-Very professional volunteers at the water stations. They knew what they were doing, were always ready, and never ran out.

Cons:
-Not enough porta-potties on course (but isn't that always the case?)
-Traffic flow between baggage area and start could've been better. Baggage area was beyond the start, so there was congestion in trying to get back into the starting field.

Hope to see you there next year!

Pros and Cons:
Pros: Stunningly beautiful city and course following the shores of Lake Zurich with snow-covered Alps in the backround. Flat couse that almost makes you wish for a few hills. Three-day expo that takes the pain out of picking up your number. Wonderful crowd support, the Europeans know how to support their marathons!

Cons: The great organization stopped abruptly at the finish line. After crossing the chip mat, runners found themselves immediately herded into a small fenced area similar to a livestock corral. The purpose was to channel everyone through a tent so timing chips could be removed, medals and tee shirts presented, and food and water picked up. Makes sense in theory. But the wait time was twenty minutes packed in a slow moving herd of hundreds of exhausted runners. No water, no food, no toilets, no shade or shelter, NO PLACE TO SIT DOWN. Two runners in the crowd dropped to the ground with medical problems, and medical staff could not reach them due to the crowded conditions.

When we finally were given a bag with food and water, it was an apple and a couple of sports bars. Once runners emerged from this nightmare, we were on the opposite side of the crowd, cut off by fences and the finishing strech of the race. Meeting friends and family was confusing and physically difficult. Most of the Euro runners seemed to accept the end with stoic resignation - I made it a point to bitch to one of the organizers about the dangerous situation. The look on his face said, 'arrogant American'. Despite my negative ranting, the race itself was beautiful.