This was my first half marathon - and first race of any distance beyond 5K and I had a BLAST! Registration was easy and any questions I had were quickly answered. It took a bit to find the expo, but once I ran into a volunteer for the race I got directions. Was easy to pick up my number and t-shirt, pasta party was ok... nothing exciting. The weather was perfect... cool and only a slight wind. In Italy I had been running in much warmer temps so the change was very pleasant. I thought the fan support was great...but I am used to running alone, so I can't compare it to any other race yet. Course was great... mostly flat except for slight inclines at bridges. Overall a great race for me and one I would recommend.

The Amsterdam Marathon offers a lot to visiting marathoners. A great city to visit with a fast, flat, scenic course with excellent chance of obtaining a PB!

The course runs through a historical European city, down along the Amstel River and canals. The route is lined with a cheering spectator support, loud bands, and the best finish line. The marathoner feels like an Olympian running into the Olympic Stadium to the roar of the crowd and pump up music.

The weather was ideal, cool (~10c), dry, and sunny with little wind (except for a crosswind along the Amstel River).

The Dutch people are friendly and conversant in the English language.

The city has plenty of diverse activities for all interests.

Starting in an Olympic Stadium the friends, and families in the arena - what a send off. The course starts with a loop of the last 3 km of the marathon route through the famous Vondelpark.

The course is well marked with a balloon arch and time at every five kilometres. Aid station every 4 to 5 km. Plenty of people cheering you along the route. People are willing to root for different countries.

To finish a marathon running is the goal, but to finish like an Olympian is a feeling to behold (ie, awesome!!!).

From some of the previous comments, I had some mixed feelings. Was it difficult to get there? Was it well organized? As soon as I got my registration package by the mail, most of my concerns disappear. A very detailed map provided clear direction and all the information I needed. Pick up of the race number was quick and easy. The race itself was a pleasure. A bit more than 3,000 runners make it very easy to pass (or get passed). The course is very diversified: parks, countryside and the historic canals! The part I prefer was the double loop circuit (7 km and then 35 km). Being concerned with a potential injury, I could run the first 7 km, see how I felt, and from that point, I could decide to carry on.

I have run marathons all over the world and this is the first time I have taken time out comment on a race. The coach from California prompted me to do so, because his words may mislead you.
The race expo and packet pick-up were actually quite organized. It took me a total of 10 minutes to pick up my number and chip. Absolutely no problems. No signs were posted telling me where to go, but it wasn't difficult following the other runners.
Making it to the starting line wasn't difficult either. I walked to the stadium from my hotel in less than 20 minutes and had more than enough time to warm up. However, one must be organized, study the area beforehand and stay in the right section of the city.
The course was absolutely breathtaking and I don't remember too many cobblestones (maybe 10). From running along the Amstel canal to running through the city and the Vondelpark, I was constantly aware of my surroundings.
The crowds could have been a little better. But running through the streets of Amsterdam were good enough.
Congratulations to the event organizers and the city of Amsterdam. A truly wonderful event.

As an American, alot of people thought this to be an odd choice for a first time marathon, however the reasons are obvious. First the flatness of the course followed by the time of year with ideal temperatures. Add to this Dutch efficiency and a great race is had by all. The start and finish at the Olympic Stadium was the highlight of my running this year.Hope to be back next year, although I'm considering the Akron Towpath Marathon for next October. (rumored to be a beautiful course)

Amsterdam is one of those cities everyone wants to visit. The people are open and friendly, there is no hint of any menace in the streets, there's culture a plenty, and subculture too - an intelectual type of place. The excuse is the course, a flat, fast, 26.2 mile beast tempting you with that elusive PB. The weather was perfect, cool and still. Starting in an Olympic Stadium the friends, and families in the arena -what a send off.
For an old jogger like me the course was excellent, not clogged like some big city marathons where they seem to work out how many runners they can pack onto the course, double it and make you wait ten minutes to cross the line. This was neat, enough runners - low thousands I guess - but enough space too.
Drinks every 3 miles or so, clappping, and cheers every minute, and flat, fast course all the way - who could ask for more?
The Vondelpark was a good place to spectate, as you pass through it twice offering your supporters the chance for a before, and after photo shoot.
Finishing in the stadium was awesome, you enter through an uninspiring concrete rectangular gap, then suddenly there is the last 200m of tartan track. Behind you emerges a wall of sound - a stand of supporters. The arena is a great place for supporters - unlike some big city marathons where there is simply nowhere.
The photographer encourages you to show the arms raised gesture of conquest-It's over.
At the end I hobbled off strangely satisfied that I'll have to come back to get that PB.
The downside ? The organisation of the start - It took me 2 hours to get from Amsterdam Central Station (the Metro was totally unsigned and a nightmare) to the start line. Fortunately some kind people let me push in to leave my baggage or I would have missed the start.

I Have now run this event twice. The latest course is super, starts and ends in the 1928 Olympic stadium and follows (as far as possible) the route of that year's Olympic course. Some urban parts, some scenic (including a chance to see the lead pack 5 to 8 km ahead across the Amstel canal), but always flat. Support is sporadic but still encouraging. Organisation is laid back, but still effective and effcient. Don't know what the last reviewer did or expected but, for me, the Sportshalle was simple to find (the map couldn't be clearer) and the water and AA drink was more than adequate. What else do you need? Perhaps some people have been spoiled by too many huge, commericial events (you won't find candy and fruit along the way, in fact I bet the 1928 runners had nothing at all!)

I have to aggree with the comments made by the previous runners. Not much changed. The course was flat, fast, and very nice. Truly enjoyed running through the city and the Amstel canal. On the downside, organization and support was most frustrating. Just finding the location of the Sporthalle took me over 2 hours. I could not find a single sign or poster indicating that there is a marathon run that weekend in Amsterdam. Another point, bring your own food ;other then water and AA drinks, there was no other nourishment available. I loved the city and would do the run again, but I urge potential runners to read the above comments as they are accurate.

Having been to Amsterdam once before, I was excited to see how the city handled an event like the marathon. I've seen and run marathons in San Diego, LA, Chicago, and Kona, among others, and think Amsterdam is up there among the best of the WORLD CLASS cities. I couldn't have been MORE disappointed. I am a marathon training coach, and I also had 10 runners with me to run the marathon and half-marathon, and was horrified at how disorganized everything was. One person made the arrangements for our whole group. One contact, one credit card, simple, right? They didn't have 1 of our runners in their system, and then another they lost her race number. Out of the 10, only 3 were paid for, and only 4 had addresses resembling our actual contact information. Then there's the race itself. Cobblestone, about the ONLY surface worse than concrete, for MILES. The worst part was how they handled the slower runners in my group. The start and finish line for the race was inside the Olympic Stadium, completely away from trains, traffic, etc., but they closed the finish line at exactly 6 hours anyway, and refused medals to anyone after that. They published what times they would close down parts of the course (i.e. open them up to traffic), and 15-20 minutes before that, they blockaded those parts, and told runners the race was over and they had to get on a bus to go back to the start. My runners were on pace for 5hr, 40min, refused to get on the bus, and pushed past the blockade to make it to the finish in time, thank God. I registered for the race, and as a coach, tried to make it to the finish line for one of my runners only to have an organizer hold me back and say 'runners only', at which time I showed him my race number and he still wouldn't let me pass. This race was in it's 27th running. I expect this kind of stuff from SMALL CITY events in their 1st year. Totally unacceptable from a world class city in it's 27th year. I highly recommend visiting Amsterdam, but NOT for their marathon, you will be extremely disappointed, unless you have a high tolerance for BS.

Amsterdam was my first marathon and therefore a personal best! I managed to keep a very steady pace through the race due to the flatness of the course and the limited number of runners. The volunteers at the finish in the Olympic Stadium were very friendly. I highly recommend this marathon for beginners.