The Marathon Des Deux Rives was wonderful. I did the marathon on a whim as it worked out in my timeframe (end of the summer). It was fabulous. Quebec City is a gorgeous city, so it was also a fun tourist trip as well. The race was relatively flat with a hill or two. My favorite part was the friends that I made along the course: Two girls from Montreal and a gentleman from Ottawa.

My spouse and I made a short vacation of this marathon. We stayed on the Levis side in one of the B&Bs near the start line.

Very well organized race, from expo and kit pick-up to pasta dinner, pre-race, race and post-race details. The course on the other side of the river in old Levis is very nice. Running along the St. Lawrence river in full view of the old city of Quebec is a wonderful experience! Locals come out to cheer on the runners; then when you get to the finish area at the foot of the hill in Quebec, fans and tourists line the streets and cheer. The course is not entirely flat, there is a long gradual incline over about 8-9 KM (5-6 miles) and then there's a short decline to river level. The last 10 KMs (6 miles) are mostly flat, though slightly windy.

Excellent course support and very well placed/marked/staffed aid stations (incl. 2 with gels, bananas, oranges)!

Last 4 KM are very scenic through the old city! Loved this marathon (my 6th), the city, the organization, the fans, the course! Lots of foreign runners participate in this race, giving it a very international color and sound. Merci, Quebec City Marathon!

Never seen that before in a race: people are friendly, racers are friendly, the distance is counted backwards (good for the mental), the place is gorgeous. Too bad we had some rain at the end.

I have run New York (2003) and Chicago (2002) but nothing compares to Quebec (2005). The people, the city, and the race are first-rate. I am running Niagara Falls in October, so I cannot run the marathon this year; however I think so much of Quebec that I am coming up to run the 1/2 on the 27th as a training run.

This 1/2 marathon was my first race in the province; my wife and I made a vacation out of this. This race was very hard for me (maybe because I arrived in Quebec City at 3 AM). Otherwise, everything was great. Loved the fans at the finish, fantastic!!! Et merci encore.

I am a 74 year-old runner and have run the Quebec City 1/2 marathon and 10k race the last four years. The race is very well put together. I will continue to run Quebec City as long as I can - I love the city.

What a great first marathon! And an amazing city. Having never been to Quebec, I decided this would be a good place to visit for my first marathon. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made.

Most impressive to me was the organization. From the expo, the transportation, to the water/food stops, everything was flawless. The volunteers and the spectators (though few in number at times) were all incredible. The guys from the running club (yellow jerseys) were awesome. As a beginner, it really helped me to have them as pacers.

I also very much liked the course. It was beautiful. I loved the last km into Quebec City. Cool, no wind problems, though the rain got a bit heavy at times.

I think I only made a couple mistakes. First, I did some sight-seeing, OK a lot of sight-seeing, the day before the race. Would have been smarter to rest more. Which leads me to my second point - the hills. I had trained well on hills at home, but I had never done hills after first running 15 miles, which is about where the big one up to the bridge starts. Perhaps I did not eat or drink enough also. In any case, shortly after the hills I began to notice cramping in both calves, which got particularly severe the last 6 miles. Totally surprised me. Beware the steep downhill after the bridge! Quite a few runners, including me, seemed to have problems at that spot. I doubt others would consider this course difficult, but it's certainly not flat and easy. Even so, I loved it. Only 700 or so runners, so you never feel overwhelmed by the crowd. And if you speak any French at all, what a great place to use it. Unlike Parisians (sorry Paris), no one in Quebec was rude or rolled their eyes when I tried to speak their language. I'll definitely return.

This year was my third time participating in this event (1 half and 2 marathons). All three times I found that it was very well organized:

- Easy access to the shuttles that bring you to the starting line.
- Easy to pick up our bag after the race.
- So many volunteers!!! This year it rained on and off during the race and all the volunteers stayed, taking their role very much at heart. Thank you all!!!
- The course is not easy, especially at mid-race where you get a few challenging hills.
- I would have liked to see more fans at the end of the race when we need more support, but I guess it was not too appealing to stand in the rain on that day...

I would recommand this race to everybody looking for great organization and a course that has just enough hills to make it a bit more challenging than a flat course.

Thank you Quebec City!!!

This was my 18th marathon and it was a great end-of-summer experience. The organization was superb and the course was forgiving, even for a back-of-the-pack runner like myself. The fans weren't as numerous as at New York or Boston, but those that were there were sure supportive. The expo was well organized and the medal was beautiful.

The water stops were the best I have ever experienced: organization, Gatorade, water, fruit, and vaseline. The shuttle buses were a little difficult to get to because we stayed in 'new' Quebec vs. 'old' Quebec, but the return to the hotel using the city bus was relatively easy. The Quebec Plaza Hotel was the best, great service, beautiful pool.

A great destination marathon. Don't forget a bus tour of the city.

I`m a fan of the smaller sized marathons and this one continues to impress me with its support, organization and fair (not easy) and beautiful course.

This is my third Quebec City Marathon and again RD Denis and his marathon staff have done an excellent job.

All of the basics are done well. From a very organized and easy registration at the host hotel, to a fast bus ride to the start area with plentiful directions, to well stocked fluid stations with enthusiastic volunteers!

I agree with my fellow New Jersey-ite who wrote in the previous comment that this is a great way to end the summer!

The bonus this year was an overcast sky with light and refreshing showers during parts of the course which helped me reach my goal time and Boston Qualifier.

My best to all the caring volunteers!

Art Castellano, Race Director
New Jersey Marathon