I would not claim that organization of the Buenos Aires Marathon was bad. There was NO organization. Back in the US all my e-mails to the organizers went unanswered. So I didn't even know how to get to the start. Or to the expo. Or how to get home from the finish. Eventually, it all worked out well. So here is my advice to the future runners.

Take a taxi from the center to the start - it costs about $10. Let the driver worry where to go.

At the start there is no water. Well, there is NOTHING there. Just the street. And this year (2007) it was very cold and windy early in the morning with no place to hide. Try to use your charm to get to the elite tent. I did, succeeded, and in that tent they sell water and even hot tea! And they have a toilet there, with hot water to warm up your frozen hands. Wow!

I used a red bag for my clothes, screamed, "Bolsa roja" (supposedly it means red bag) in the baggage area and within 15 minutes I was out. Those runners who used the normal plastic bags given at the expo are probably still there.

Bring some food to the start and check it with your baggage so that you can eat it after the finish. When I crossed the finish line, there was not a single piece of food there, and only a couple of drinks. If you can finish in 2 and a half hours, then don't worry - food probably will be still there - but not for the 4-hour runners like me.

Then comes the biggest challenge of the marathon, which is to exit the finish area. It sounds surreal but the only way out is through a long and very narrow bridge, and the line to that bridge was probably half a mile long and not moving almost at all. I acted like a jerk, pretended to be a stupid foreigner not understanding what was going on, and jumped the line. That saved me at least an hour of standing in burning sun. But I am still embarrassed for what I did. Please don't do it. Try to go in the other direction, where the runners enter the park on the way to the finish line. There must be some other way to get out of this Haunted Park.

Now that you are finally out of the park, there is only one challenge left, and if you survived all the other ones, this one is a piece of cake. You have to walk for 10-15 minutes to the main road and try to catch a taxi back to the city. Yes, all those lucky runners who already got their bags and managed to cross the bridge will compete with you, but all you have to do is to out-walk them, or in other words, walk against the traffic for another 10-15 minutes and catch a free taxi BEFORE it reaches all those tired huddled masses yearning to come to their homes and hotel rooms as fast as possible.

Finally, please don't be stopped by my comments and the comments of the others. Go to Buenos Aires, and run this marathon. The city is beautiful, there is a lot to see there. The marathon course is actually very interesting, covering all of the major sites. And after you do the marathon, award yourself with a plane ticket (about $110 one way) to Iguazu Falls, one of the most beautiful places you will ever see!

Running a marathon is also about the whole environment surrounding the event. In this case, I believe that a huge opportunity is being wasted:

1) To start with, the Expo site is far from BA's many gorgeous neighborhoods, in a really ugly stadium, poorly signed, in an unsafe neighborhood, with no quality stands to attend to, etc. I spent more than US$25 in cab fares back and forth and spent less that 15 minutes at the Expo just because there was nothing interesting to see. A lot of money could have been made promoting high quality products, and much more even promoting the city by organizing the Expo at any of the several good-looking sites the city has to offer. Wasted opportunity.

2) The course has 2 big problems: (i) the first half is filled with rolling hills, which of course doesn't help at all; (ii) save for a few miles, the latter half passes by some pretty freaky sites. I was injured from mile 15 onwards but didn't dare to stop in several moments on fear of being attacked by any of the bystanders. The saddest aspect of the course though is that it almost completely avoids the city center, where all the gorgeous buildings, sites, and neighborhoods are. Wasted opportunity.

I didn't like the fact that the city never became aware that an international event like this was taking place (although, to be fair, Soda Stereo was giving its reunion concert and the Creamfest event was also taking place). It didn't have a 'marathon environment' at all, which is a large disappointment. And then, of course, the bags pick up at the finish line was just unbelievable. Guys yelling numbers randomly and throwing the bags 6 meters across to the supposed owner, who probably stood there for a good hour, wet, hungry, and with sore legs.

On the plus side, well, the city, BA is just one of the prettiest Latam cities, full of some of the best looking chicks ever. Although the race course was a large disappointment, the hydration stations were always filled with supplies (including bananas and oranges) and with very friendly staff giving support to the runners.

All in all, to me, unfortunately, the BA Marathon is a 'no repeat show' for now. I coment harsh on my Argentine friends, reluctantly, because I love Argentina and its people. But they really have to take care of business. They have a potential gold mine in this event. As it stands though, it's a wasted opportunity.

Just a note about the organization.

In the internet site instructions it told you that you had to pick up your number a day or two before the race at the Expo.A courtesy bus was meant to be laid on at the end of the tube line.Where´s the bus? Luckily a Brazilian chap and fellow runner points me in the right direction.We get to the Exhibition and queue however no indication to say it was the T shirt queue and that you had to get your number first.No bother though because we British love queuing.
We get given a plastic bag where an official hand writes your number on it.This is for your clothing.
The day of the race everyone puts the kit bag on the one truck.
Come the end of the race the identical kit bags are in a heap cordoned off by a ring of steel fencing.
Now this is the fun bit.Three or four officials would pick up a bag at random shout out the race number-of course in Spanish-if someone who happens to be there at the time hears their number being called he or she screams out for it and the bag is duly chucked at them.If no-one responds the bag is duly put down again.
As you can imagine there is extreme frustration.I finished the race at 11:05 and got my bag at exactly 13:00.
When I got my bag I explained how slick things were at The London Marathon and perhaps they ought to segregate the bags in some sort of order in the first place.He took my point.
Having said all that the water and Gatorade stations on the course were well manned and spaced alternately at 2.5 k intervals.
The course itself in the first half was a bit like running on the A3 so not
exactly flat.Then we got to the more famous bit of BA.Then the last bit was running by the side of Rio de Plata hence the wind.
If you don´t mind scrambled organization then it´s not a bad race.
Regards Peter

If you are interested in a PB, think about this race. The course is almost flat and very panoramic. It has changed in 2006, so you won´t worry about the drivers anymore. Hydration was alright. An important number of spectators despite the rain. Finalist shirt and medal were nice. Things needing to improve: lockers and all the logistics after the race.

It was very nice. The beginning is in the big avenues; you visit all the areas of the town, and looks like you have visited 5 continents. At the end near the Casa Rosada, people were encouraging - "Si se puede" ("It is possible"), and really gave me a boost. Drivers were complaining about the disruption, but the marshals were doing a good job.

Incredible experience, enjoyable race!!! All my life I've wondered what a man can feel crossing the end line, and there are no words to express it. If you want to know how it is, just train hard and go for it. After that I've ran Porto Alegre's Marathon and this year (2006) I'm going to give it a try again, searching for a better time in Buenos Aires.

This was my third marathon and a PR. BA is a fabulous city, very charming, and the course never failed to show what the area and people are really about. I met a lot of great people along the way (hi TB from B'ham, AL - thanks for the vaseline!). Will caution that traffic is frightening in some neighborhoods, as locals do not take well to traffic disruption. I, along with two Mexican runners, almost got hit by a city bus in San Telmo! The spectators were friendly, but sparse, as running is not exactly a popular SA past time (at least that's what my Argentinian friends tell me).

Biggest disappointment: the expo. Technologically behind, lost our registrations, not much in the way of merchandising/displays. Biggest surprise: the women's finisher's shirts.

Great fun for an international race.... I will definitely do it again!!

Have run 4 US marathons and also Paris. This is totally different. It's small (2,200 runners), the expo was chaotic (for an international vistor) but somehow, the actual run was very well organized. Water/Gatorade every 5K. The spectators were sparse, but the support staff at every intersection consistantly did an above-average job of cheering people on. Overall - a great couple of days and great way to get your South American marathon checkmark.

I've run four other marathons in the US, but this one was special. There are some real energetic fans and impatient drivers in this city! Watch out for oncoming cars! Directions for picking up chip, etc. were not included on the website. I guess everyone knows that you must go to the expo center!

It is a good experience. It was my third marathon and I got the best time ever. The course is very flat, water and foods are ok; the medal and the shirt are excellent too. Maybe the spectators and the traffic jam are two of the problems with this marathon, but balanced with the rest of the event, it is excellent overall. Save money, get your best time and enjoy Buenos Aires.