I echo many of the comments already posted. An excellently organised race, and fast flat course. The spectators were especially friendly and supportive. I have done Boston and would compare Koln spectators very favourably with the famed Boston support. The course was also more aesthetically pleasing than expected. The range of free food and drink at the end was the best I have ever seen. Post-race shower and change facilities are also included. General atmosphere was excellent and achieved without recourse to the annoying gimmickry you increasingly see at many events.

Firstly, the course - it's not nearly as flat as Berlin, but the profile's level enough for a decent time with adequate training. The course was really quite nice as well, and nowhere nearly as bad as some have suggested. Yes, it does have its quiet parts, but unless you want to have your eardrums blown away as in London, you won't feel dispirited. Plus, running past the cathedral was amazing - not quite like climbing the tower, but still a blast anyhow.

Cologne's such a small and pretty place that I walked to the expo from where I was staying, and there wasn't any of the hassle with having your rental chip registered - it was already done for you and placed in your packet.

The atmosphere was electric, with drummers and sound systems, but what I really loved were the locals and supporters hemmed close to the runners along various parts of the course. There weren't any barriers as such, but everyone just seemed to have lots of consideration for the runners out on a warm day, all the while cheering us on.

Compared to Berlin, Edinburgh, and London, the food provision in Cologne at the finish was amazing. Included - as in "help yourself" after several hours of struggle - were bananas, crisps, plain bread, meaty sandwiches, cheesy sandwiches, deep fried dough balls, waffles, apples, fruit medley, muesli bars, cola, beer, and probably a few more I didn't get around to.

Frankly, this is the real thing if you want a pleasant running experience.

This was my first time in Germany and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Cologne is such a lovely city. It was a great cultural experience for me. The cathedral is magnificent. The race is really well organized. I really enjoyed all of the bananas, and even some Coke. It made such a difference to me and gave me lots of energy. It was great at the start to see the Kenyans warming up. The spectators are magnificent, especially around halfway, where the atmosphere was incredible and inspiring. I ran my quickest ever time in Cologne this year 3:39. I could not fault this race, especially since you can relax after the finish with a few beers! Well done, Cologne.

Plus:
Very flat course with elevation only at the beginning and end (Rhein Bridge), so very fine for a PR. The start is well organized, with several starting blocks. Lots of drinks along the way. Finish area is fine with a lot of food and beverage stands. But most of all, GREAT spectators!

Minus:
City is a bit boring. Only nice scenery near Rhein River and the Dom Cathedral. Collecting of the starting number in the Messe is too crowded and warm, and could be better organized. After the finish, the rental chip must be returned at the Messe and this is quite a distance from the finish. There are also more exits at the finish, so be prepared for where you're going to meet your friends/family. I missed mine and we searched each other for over half an hour.

But total up the pluses and the minuses, and I would surely recommend this marathon to everyone!

It was my first marathon, and besides not being used to a rainy cold weather, it was a wonderful experience. It was well organized and the course was almost totally flat, but the amazing crowd is something to remember. There was plenty of water, and near the end, they also had Coke and Red Bull. I do not regret traveling all the way to Germany.

Cologne is a great city to run in, with a flat course and high numbers of spectators. The expo has a large selection of stalls. The city is compact and easy to travel around, with excellent transport links and cheap weekend accommodation. An excellent marathon venue.

I'll start with the negatives to get them out of the way before I go on to say how good this race is:

There are insufficient water stations, and they give out small cups rather than anything that you can drink out of on the move (or that actually hold any liquid). In this respect I thought they were very poor indeed.

The mile from about 23.5 to 24.5 is possibly the least well supported of any equivalent stage in any of the dozen races I've done. It also adds a demoralizing loop in the course, taking you out of the center onto some unimpressive, dirty narrow streets. It is the worst bit of the course, and comes at just the wrong time (when you want inspiring by crowds or impressive buildings), and taints your enjoyment of the final quarter of the race.

With those out of the way, I will go on to say that this race is excellent. It is well organized from start to finish (although the walk from the finish to your bags is quite long). The course is almost entirely excellent (excluding mile 24ish, mentioned above) - consistently scenic and almost pancake flat. The last mile and a half rivals any race in the world for sights and sounds and crowd support (it doesn't beat London, New York or Berlin, but it can be put in the same category). Crowd support varies from good to outstanding, almost without exception. The food afterwards is plentiful (although a little odd). The pre-race expo is very good. It is an excellent course for supporters as it loops to a central location on at least three occasions, and the metro system covers the rest.

In summary, if they could iron out the faults, this could be one of the biggest and best races in Europe. As it is, it is still very good indeed (just be careful you don't get dehydrated).

This was my 1st marathon and overall it was an enjoyable one. The course was very flat and scenic for the most part. There were spectators lining almost the entire thing with huge crowds in almost all of the downtown areas and finish lines. The bad thing was lack of food or energy drinks on the course. There was plenty of water or tea but I only saw bananas and they seemed sporadic. Luckily I had brought my own energy gels so I was fine but it would have been a tough run without them. There were also no toilets along the course for the runners. Being male, I had no problem finding a bush, but I could just imagine being a female or having any other type of emergency would not have been good. Overall, I definitely recommends this race. Very good atmosphere and pretty good organization for a 14,000-runner marathon.

The support for this race is incredible. The course is flat and scenic in some parts. The late start meant that it was hot towards the latter part of the race and there were no energy drinks on the course. It was hard to get your deposit back for the chip, and it helps to know a bit of German.

My first marathon. A wonderful experience, good organization (but a grasp of German is helpful). Cologne is the party city of Germany and there was a really good atmosphere in the supporters - at times it felt like a mountain stage in the Tour De France. The crowds were really pressed in tight at times and I found it difficult to maintain the pace I wanted to run at. The course didn't seem to make the most of the tourist sites and my only real complaint is that I did not see a single energy drink in the whole race. Maybe I missed them, but it's supposed to obvious right?