This was my first marathon outside London and overall I thoroughly enjoyed the event. The Olympic stadium provides a good starting point and after 7K you re-enter the stadium before heading out into the country and along the banks of the River Amstel at about 13 - 22K.

Crowd support was poor compared to London but those who were out watching gave plenty encouragement. The drinks stations were every 5K and I feel that bottles would have been a better option rather than cups of water which spill very easily. Between 25 - 29K the course runs through industrial areas which are rather bleak but the last few Km's are good. I would certainly intend returning in 2005 as firstly I ran a personal best time, secondly Amsterdam is so accessible and thirdly the event is well organized.

There was an excellent pasta party the night before and I enjoyed running a marathon which only had about 5,000 runners in it compared to the 30,000-plus at London. A few friends ran the supporting 10K and half marathon, which although good events, saw the leading runners become congested with the slower marathon runners which impeded their runs. I think the organizers will have to look at the various starting times to avoid this happening again next year.

Really enjoyed the half marathon. First time running in the 'Dam; very well organized, crowds were good, and the course was fast - we locked in a PB despite giving in to many of the city's temptations the previous night!

Mixed feelings on this race, where I ran the half.

The pros:

- Good organization at start, where packet pickup is available up to half an hour before the start - excellent.

- Nice finish in the Olympic stadium.

- Flat and fast course.

- Great city - the course doesn't make full use of it, but not too bad.


The cons:

- Understaffed water stations at only 5k marks.

- Half marathoners are VERY much second-class citizens in this race: NO prizes, NO KM markers, which led to confusion as you came across a few marathon ones.

- Didn't see any toilets around the course... there must have been some, but I didn't see any.

- Medals the same for Marathon, half, and 10k.


Amsterdam is a great city, and the marathon here is rightly getting bigger and bigger. It's just a shame that they don't put the same effort into making the other distance racers (which by far outnumber the marathoners!) feel more 'worthy'.

This was my second marathon and I selected it because it sounded like a fast one in a great city. I was delighted with my choice (and recorded 3:23, an improvement of 23 minutes on my first marathon in Rome). The good and bad bits (in my opinion) were as follows:

GOOD

Start and finish in Olympic Stadium (also an extra lap of the stadium after 7k)

Easy registration

Clear km and 5km markers

Plenty of Gatorade (every 5k)

Music and drummers - every 5k or so - added enormously to the feel-good factor

Course was nice and flat

Phenomenally quick posting of results and also photos (within one day)

BAD

Its a pity that we couldn't see more of the center of Amsterdam during the run (although the small bit we did see was the hardest part of the course due to a few cobbles and some bridges over canals)

This marathon was a fantastic experience. From the fast responses to emails sent prior to the event and the easy registration process the day before to the finish in the Olympic stadium, everything went smoothly and was carried out in a truly professional manner. The marathon start and finish in the stadium make this a great marathon for people like me (sub-5 hours) who are unlikely to get this kind of attention in the sporting arena.

The first part of the race is through the city center streets with lots of noisy local supporters, bands and dancers lining the streets. The race continues through the park before a lap through the stadium and out along and back a major river. During this part there is less support but it is still there with the Dutch people opening up their houses and blasting out music. Back into the city there are a lonely few K through an industrial/commercial district, but that just adds to the lift you get when you enter the city again - the support is tremendous, vocal and loud. The refreshment stops each 5k are well run and the volunteers are enthusiastic to the end.

Finishing through the park again and into the stadium for the finish is not to be forgotton. Great city, too, with lots to see/do for the runner and supporters, plus you get the effervescent and friendly Dutch people. Recommended.

About the first half of the race goes through the countryside outside of Amsterdam. It is nice and quaint but there are no spectators. The next 8km go through an ugly industrial park. It is only in the last 10km of the race that you are actually running in beautiful Amsterdam. The start and finish are inside the Olympic stadium and there are lots of spectators in the stands. My biggest complaint was that at the end runners got a bottle of Gatorade and a few pieces of banana, but there was no other food.

A flat and fast course suitable for a PR, and since the sponsors started to promote the event to the general public, with a better crowd. Samba bands along the course and entertainment in the Olympic Stadium helped to set a positive atmosphere.

A nice run to set a PR. It is not crowded and you have enough space to run fast.

Not many spectators; the organizers try every year to get the Amsterdam people to support it, but it still doesn't work.

The last 6 km or so is bad. You go into the center with a lot of small hills for cars. It kills your legs on the end.

Nevertheless, I set a PR and the organization is good.

I had a personal best at 60 years of age in the half marathon and did 1 hour, 30 minutes, 20 seconds to finish 187th out of 3,494 runners. I was told that as the marathon was the main race, there were no prizes at all for the half.

Surely with all the entry fees from the 3,494 runners, a series of prizes should have been awarded. I have raced all over the world and always had a prize in these circumstances. A poor effort and a disgrace to all shorter distance than marathon runners. As a club outing it would be ideal, but not until this ruling is changed.

While on assignment in The Netherlands and Germany, I was able to run this race in 2001 and 2003.

I established a personal best in both races. The course is real fast; however, it does change year after year depending on the construction in the city. Essentially they just change which street you run down around km 32-38 due to inner city construction. Depending upon which route you get, there may be more cobblestones and small ups and downs over canals, but still something which anyone should be able to overcome. I suggest running in the middle of the tram tracks whenever possible (clean, flat and no crowning effect -- these are prefab pieces of pavement).

The organization is very good. The entry and pickup is open practically until the start. The organizers were very accommodating and language is not a problem.

The crowd on the course could be more excitable; however the course is well lined and well supported.

I have run in other international marathons and competed in races in sizes from 90 to 35,000. I have seen the millions lining the streets in Chicago and few hundreds in small towns in Sweden. Each have there own unique characteristics. The rather small field in Amsterdam allows you to establish your own pace by the first kilometer.

I will definitely run this race again. The only other European race which I have interest in is London.