Positives: Flat course; good organization; good crowd support (although it may not be proportional to a 20,000-runner event); free massages before and after the run!

Negatives: More water stations would help (they had one every 5 KM); poor directions to the venue; bag storage; after the race, Gatorade, etc.

This was my first marathon outside the US and was very impressed by how well organized the event was, how well supported the aid stations were (although not as many as some in the US, at least the Gatorade was not watered down!), beautiful course, etc.

And the city itself - WOW! All the walking around the days leading up to the race all but killed my legs but it was well worth it.

Excellent organization: everything went really smoothly. Picking up your number, handing in and retrieving your sports bag, finding a shower afterwards.... no problems at all and hardly any queues.

The course was a bit disappointing to me, since it doesn't really take you through any interesting parts of Amsterdam, but it is nice and flat. Good for running, not for sight-seeing. The first 10 km were also difficult from time to time because you would turn from a very broad street into a park or (a lot) narrower street, but it never became a real problem where you would come to a stand-still.

Beware though that the October weather in Holland can be quite cold and wet. We had a lot of luck with this year's sunny weather and hardly any wind at all. A strong headwind would have been murderous when running along the Amstel River. Even though it's flat, don't underestimate the course.

But the best of all: The spectators were absolutely marvelous. Lots of people applauding and cheering, bands playing at several parts of the course. I had a really hard time at 34 km, and one of the spectators actually jumped over the fence to cheer me on and run with me for a couple of hunderd meters. Great stuff. This guy really helped me through my worst moment.

I would recommend this marathon to anyone.

This was a definite improvement on last year; several loops - including one around a rather dreary industrial plant - have been removed (it was around the 30k point last year), leading to a faster and straighter course with bags of atmosphere.

Bad points: A couple of cars (!) in with the runners on the course, and I do feel it would have eased congestion around the drink stops to have bottled water, as opposed to cups. Definitely worth doing, but worth having something to carry water in if it's a hot day.

Very fast because of the flat country. Although, not many spectators (except in the center). Nice weather. Outstanding organization. Very nice views along the Amstel River. Excellent overall conditions for runners aiming at a nice performance.

This is hardly hot news as I ran this in '97, '99 and 2003. It gets better every time. The "new" sponsors have raised the profile significantly and yet it remains a relatively small event. Some of the top internationals compete here... but it is also an event for the rest of us. I have always found the service, registration, and organization excellent. How many city marathons will enter you the day before, and give out numbers on the day of the race? I can't believe some of the negative comments. I don't expect to find a buffet on the course, and as for canals with bridges and streets with block paving, the city is great and the marathon is one of my favorites.... Not a stroll in the park, but Vondel is quite special. I think I've just decided which October marathon to run this year.

Well organized and a nice course. Yes, the bridges after 22-23 miles hurt, but you have to pay for all that flat sometime. Weather was ok, drum bands and dancers along the route were great. I have a few more marathons in mind but might do this again.

Should be one of the flattest marathons ever, but looks can be deceptive, especially around the twenty-three mile mark. Believe me, there are inclines along the route, which is sporadic in its crowd support. However, if you want to run each capital city in Europe, it remains to be done!

I agree with 99% of the previous posts (excellent course, fun atmosphere, super experience to start & finish in the Olympic stadium, etc.) Here's my 1% difference:

(1) I saw no cobblestones. Not a single one. There *were* brick sections, though. A well-laid brick street (and these were all laid with Dutch precision!) is certainly not cobblestone. The experience is much more akin to concrete than cobblestone. It's certainly not a track surface, but doesn't hurt the ankles & joints like cobblestone always does.

(2) The half-marathoners and 10k runners had the 'treat' of running through the marathon pack. A bit unpleasant for them, I think, as I saw more than one 'swim move' by a sprinting half marathoner trying to get around a tired marathoner on a crowded street.

(3) Top-notch expo. Number pick-up on race day is always much appreciated! The whole expo, including vendors, etc., was going strong an hour before the start.

A great marathon. Not to be missed!

Amsterdam is the perfect place to run a pr, however the organizers could even improve the course a bit by avoiding some of the coblestone streets. In general the course is pretty flat and fast not to mention great weather. The organization is good, but the organizers could improve a bit the water stations and make them one every 3k instead of one every 5k, especially at the last 12 km when you really need some fluids. Other than that the organization and fans were great.