I ran the half marathon. The weather was very good; not too hot for my liking, although some thought otherwise. Lots of nice things to see.

Not so flat for a race in 'le plat pays' (the flat country). I read a lot of bad comments on last year's marathon; I think that there must have been substantial improvements.

The 2005 Brussels Marathon was an enormous success. Compared to 2004, the course has been completely changed and the race goes through very nice and green areas. This is not an easy one: two very steep hills at KM 15 and 36.

Organization was top-notch from packet pick-up to the finish. Water stations every 3 km or so: this is unusual in Europe. The weather was just great. Field was about 1000 runners for the marathon and 2500 for the half (separate start). I would definitely recommend this one: it is worth the trip to Brussels.

The 2004 course was not so nice but the organizers will change the route in 2005. I agree with most of the comments made here before, but I would give this marathon a second chance. In 2005 the route will be way nicer, following mostly the 20K race held in May.
Brussels deserves a high standard marathon and organizers are working hard to it.

Some of the comments make this one seem like a complete disaster. I don't think it was all that bad. Keep in mind the positives:

(1) The first running of this event (after a gap of many years.) There is room for 'lessons learned' on a first-timer, and a bit premature -- I think --to vow 'never again'.
(2) The entry price. A steal at around 30 dollars.
(3) A nice finisher's medal (especially given the low entry fee.)
(4) A beautiful start at the Atomium and finish in the Grand Place.
(5) Logistics (bag pick up and bus transport back to start) went well.
(6) A small runner's field.

At this point, I certainly wouldn't recommend a long drive or flight to make this marathon (unless you're a Brussels nut!), but if you're in the neighborhood it might be worthwhile to see what improvements ING (the sponsor) does next year.

I ran this marathon in 1993. Then the course was very nice but hard. The course was like the 20 km with the Royal Museum of Middle Africa between the 20 and 30 km.

Now we had to run between cars and the people didn't know what happened. The km-points were, except the 5 km, never right. I had km's from 4:30 and others from 6:00. The water stations were good. And that's it.

Flat but extremely boring route with virtually no spectators on the way. Massive traffic jams caused by the race. Incredible that the winner got lost on his way to the finishing line. Inscriptions and luggage handling went smoothly. Only around 3000 participants. But I will run it again if they organize it next year.

Great to start at Atomium and finish at Grand Place -- this alone makes the experience worthwhile. The rest of the course... well, nothing special.

Almost all KM signs had been wrongly placed; it was almost impossible to calculate your speed. This MUST be changed by the organization. Water supply was OK, good sponsoring of small bottles. This time the wind blew you away - well, you had to cope with this extra challenge, but it slowed you down.

Race started early and organization was poor - the direction for the finish was haphazard and the collection off clothes at the end took forever. Also, the 10k race was over 11k long.

Except for the winner (see 'News'), the organization has been pretty fair, from bib pick up to the end.

Clear km indications, well furnished aid stations etc. The course itself isn't that scenic and goes through uninspiring industrial areas once outside Brussels (but even in Brussels you won't run through very nice places - except for the SPECTACULAR finish line on the Grand Place). On the other hand, you will have a pancake flat race where you can expect a fast race (even if the race was windy this year). As the field is about 2000, you will never really run alone.

Not too many spectators, but enthusiastic people cheering in strategic places (turn-around point in Vilvoorde, KM 27) - if you make an exception for the angry car drivers blocked in traffic jams because of the marathon.

All in all, a good race that you may do once. But as we have a lot of marathons in the area during September and October, I think that I'll choose another one next year.

I don't run but I love watching athletics and I live in Brussels. There was practically no advertising of the route by ING in advance of this race. There were only a few roadside spectators to encourage the runners, which may be a good thing considering the fan behavior at the Tour de France and the Olympic Marathon. Brussels is a gorgeous city but the route of this race went through some of the worst neighborhoods we have. I was appalled by the amature organization that would allow a runner to become lost, begging for directions just a few meters from the finish line while they all stood around showing off in their ING coats. What a royal cock-up, they ought to be ashamed.