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Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 49 [displaying comments 31 to 41]
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Simon Cox from London,England
(4/29/2008)
 "Hot, hilly & humid!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Madrid's a great place to visit, but not to run a marathon! Having said that,the race is well organized and well supported, with a nice finish in the Retiro Park. Just don't expect a PB! | |
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P. B. from England
(4/27/2008)
 "tough but enjoyable" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Tough trip around Madrid, some nice sights on the way, and only a few dull spots on the course. The reviews all said, "Hot and hilly" - and they were not lying. But there were plenty of water and hydration stops, and we received attentive care, with spray and extra Vaseline at various points. It was a bit confusing getting about at the expo, and the finish was tricky for me, as a non-Spanish speaker, but that's my problem, and not the course organizers'. Spectators lined the course from start to finish and cheered everyone on. If only I knew what they were saying! | |
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Duque Luis from Lisbon, Portugal
(8/18/2007)
"Hot and hilly, but a FANTASTIC event!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Madrid is hot city and hilly too - no way to escape from it. The organization is by far the best I've known so far. Very nice, noisy pasta party, and they offered to let us take some pasta away from the dinner. There was a very good runner bag and a great expo. The course is hilly but the support of the spectators is AMAZING! They never stop pushing for each marathoner - they yell and cheer. Unbelievable!!! No lack of water or health care during the entire race course. I´ll be there in 2008!!! | |
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Simon Saunders from Budapest, Hungary
(5/7/2007)
"Hot, Hilly but up there with the best!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Excellent race, good course and pleasant atmosphere. I saw plenty of the architecture and the city which is strikingly clean and green. The course does have hills but from reading prior reviews I'd expected mountains! Best tactic would to run an easy first half and be prepared for the later hills just prior to 21km, the final 10km and gathering heat. Water stations are good and plentiful. Good shade due to high buildings and trees. Lack of loos on the course may be off putting for female competitors. Actually not enough female competitors and surprisingly few international runners. Good laugh at the start when the 3hr.30 pace balloon floated away and everyone sighed also the guy next to me who kept shouting out for 'Pedro' and 'Jose'! Web-site needs major improvements. Stay on and party for a few days. Thanks Madrid!!! | |
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Garry GRANT from Howwood, Scotland
(4/28/2007)
"As warned, hot and hilly, but still a great day" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and, after training through a cold, wet, windy Scottish winter, was looking forward to running, but, after reading previous reports of the heat, with some trepidation. The day turned out be be a real buzz and I'm still on a high from it. My regimen got me through to the end just four minutes off my training time. Armed with my own electrolyte drink and energy gels and topped up with the regular bottled water and course energy drinks I got to the end relatively unscathed. The Spanish competitors and spectators made it a noisy and colorful affair, with both sets constantly shouting back and forth, and all the while I was concentrating on breathing in the hot air. Perhaps it is because it was my first marathon I had a great time and found the course hilly but enjoyable. I am a bit disappointed about the comments from the previous correspondent about loos, etc., feeling that he might be looking for an over-sanitized race. The "get on with it" spirit was great throughout the field. I have nothing to judge this race aginst but had a great trip to Madrid and would recommend it - train for hills and load up with food and water throughout the race for the heat. Back to cold Scottish/British races until I can get away again. | |
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B. N. from Barnstaple, South West England
(4/28/2007)
 "Spanish Sunshine, a GREAT Crowd and some Hills..." (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What a GREAT marathon! This was only my second marathon and I was running together with my husband. Despite the challenging course we both got a PB (by 10 minutes as targeted). The hills made this race certainly interesting but the nice thing was that after a climb there was always a decline.... The course was very versatile: modern parts of the city, old town, major sites, residential areas and, of course, the excellent finish in the relaxing Retiro Park - what a great place to do your stretches and refuel after the race! The crowd was the best I have ever experienced. Of course it helped to be one of only a few women (450 out of 8200 finishers) - and with all the cheers I got I felt like a superstar! There were plenty of water stops and medical facilities on the way, but a lack of porta-loos (probably because the majority of runners were men...). An amazing goodie bag before the race and a great refueling bag afterwards - there were even fresh watermelons and beer available (I stuck to the watermelons...). My only criticism is the lack of pre-race information (exact location where to pick up your race number etc.). To sum it up: what a memorable day in a beautiful city, and I would certainly recommend this marathon! A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped to make this event so spectacular! | |
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Dean Diefendorf from New York, New York
(4/24/2007)
 "Beautiful City, but Just an OK Run" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Love Spain, love Madrid, but honestly this is a mediocre event. Communication on the website regarding packet pick-up could be much clearer (i.e. give an addess, metro stop, etc.). There was a serious lack of porta-potties on the route. Make sure you bring your own food, as there was none on the course. The water stops were plentiful. Madrid is a beautiful city with lots of great architecture, but the marathon course seems to avoid all this. All in all, it was just an "ok" run. This could be a significantly more interesting run, but it failed. I'm looking forward to running Barcelona next year. | |
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M. B. from New York, NY
(8/28/2006)
"Roll through the hills of Madrid into Retiro Park" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Madrid knows how to throw a party, and not just an all-night-sangria bash. The course was a tough one, the back half being extremely hilly (beware of 39KM to 41KM and 24KM). I am used to measuring my pace in miles, so converting to KM was a bit concerning, or so I thought. It was FANTASTIC having KM markings instead of miles. It was a constant confidence booster! The weather was perfect - only getting pretty hot by the end of the race (53 to 61 degrees over the course of the race). This was my first marathon, and such a great way to start. It was my girlfriend's 6th marathon, and she said it was her best experience. The course was beautiful; it went through both downtown Madrid and through neighborhood-like streets. The overall organization was top-notch (except for getting to the expo which was confusing). The fans were amazing, leaving very few areas unattended. During the race every 3-5KM they gave out 1/2-liter water bottles (not cups), sports drink, orange slices, SPONGES, and some kind of anti-chafing lotion. The final 1.5KM was in Retiro Park (which is like New York's Central Park), and there was truly nothing more exciting! I don't think I have ever seen more give-aways at the end of a race before, as they had everything from beer to water to yogurt, fruits, bread, and anything else you can think of in between! I would highly recommend this race, especially to those who like to travel internationally! | |
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Y. F. from US
(5/23/2006)
"Tough Course and warm people" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Of the six marathons I ran so far, this was the toughest as the course has so many hills and the race starts at 9:30am. Madrid is clean and beautiful but the hills in the course seemed endless. This is definitely not for first time marathon runners. But if you want a real challenge, and a memorable event, it's for you! Spanish people may consider 9:30am a civilized time to get up and run a few hours, but for us foreigners we prefer to go to dinner and get the marathon going early. I was surprised at how few women in the run, maybe they were intimidated by the muscled men in corporate logo splashed tank tops. The spectators were extremely supportive, and the music bands in tractor trailors were very interesting. The medical stations staff worked hard--in contract to other marathons where such stations serve only as emergency shelters--they held anesthetic sprays to help runners. Wet sponges and fresh organges are nice touches. But the website needs improving with larger fonts, better information and timely updates. It should allow one to print the elevation chart. The climate of Madrid really allows a change of marathon to March or even Feb. | |
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A. W. from Guernsey
(5/7/2006)
 "Hilly and hot!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Fancy a tough, hot challenge? Try the Madrid Marathon - a rollercoaster ride that swelters in the latter stages. But don`t let that put you off! Great run - wide, traffic-free roads; superbly marshaled and tons of bottles of water and sponges. Excellent support from the locals who are most hospitable. Very generous goodie bag (2 t-shirts and a polo shirt included) and a nice post-run food bag. Event takes place on a holiday weekend, so there is a relaxed (but busy) atmosphere in the city, which is stuffed full of art galleries and museums, etc. to peruse. Things to be aware of: get to the pasta party early, as queues were very long in the sun: no proper corrals at the start. Look for pace balloons to help you. A 9:30 start will mean a high sun finish that is very sapping. |
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