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Apr 29, 2024

Amsterdam Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Amsterdam Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.2

Organization 4.1

Spectators 3.6

Number of comments: 88 [displaying comments 41 to 51]

More Comments: [ < 1 3 4 5 6 7 9 > ]

A. W. from Guernsey (11/8/2006) "Not that exciting" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Amsterdam Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Flat course, but so dull!! Not many sights and a few grotty industrial areas. You run parallel to cars at times, so it's not totally traffic-free. A bit pricey for what you get; pasta party was good though. Thin on ground for spectators until finish in the old Olympic stadium, which isn`t that iconic. Bag deposit was an absolute nightmare and they had cups (not bottles) for water. Even the city I found dirty and not terribly exciting (though a canal boat trip is really nice).
M. S. from New York, NY (10/29/2006) "Great race" (about: 2006) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Amsterdam Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and I had a great time. The course is terrific - flat, as advertised, and a nice mix of city and countryside, including a long stretch along the Amstel River - and I agree that starting and especially ending in Olympic Stadium is pretty amazing. I do not understand the complaints about water stations. They had them just about every 5K (which in my mind is perfectly sufficient), and all were clearly marked on the course map available online and at the expo so runners could plan accordingly. (And I am certain there was a water station at 35K.) The crowds, while not enormous, were enthusiastic, including lots of kids and, further out of town, people who were just hanging out in front of their homes to cheer racers on. While my experience overall was definitely positive, I do have a few small complaints: - Trying to figure out how to get to the start on race day was difficult. Many tram lines were not running on marathon day, which was announced on signs in tram stations - in Dutch only. No one at the marathon expo could answer our questions about what public transit options would be running to bring us to the start, and it took us forever (and a trip to the transit board info center) to actually confirm what lines would be in service. - The t-shirt was sort of awful. It was rather unattractive, and also only available in men's sizes, which is especially a drag when it's a nice breathable athletic shirt, great for training if only it fit better. I'm not petite, but I am a woman in marathon shape, and rather than treasuring my shirt, I don't even want to wear it largely because a men's small is so big on me. - Chip return was a drag. You had to lace the chip into your shoe, then stop afterwards to unlace it. I'm used to New York Road Runners and their plastic zip ties, which can just be quickly snipped after the race. - More food and more variety of food available post-race would have been great - all they really had was fruit. All this aside, it's a great race and I would recommend it, especially if you're prepared for the above.
Keith Ryan from Brussels (10/29/2006) "Does it really deserve its reputation?" (about: 2006) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Amsterdam Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This is a decent marathon, no doubt. But it's not cheap and I feel that a lot of the money went into non-race frills, such as a wicking race t-shirt, online video clips and stats, a ridiculously fancy course map and a website translated into five languages. I would have preferred more drinks stations, post-race massages, free nibbles, and shuttle buses to/from the stadium. As an example, I did the Brussels Marathon (also an ING event) and it was half the price. You got double the amount of drinks stations, a protein bar at the end, a cap in case of warm weather and a disposable waterproof to wear before the race began. But none of the fancy Amsterdam extras that don't really help you during the race. The course is very dull for such a vibrant city, which really surprised me. The out-and-back along the river was particularly soul-destroying. I set a personal best by 14 minutes on this course but I felt quite let down by the race overall. I will say that the medal is really nice though.
T. K. from Nummela, Finland (10/27/2006) "Enjoyed Amsterdam" (about: 2006) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Amsterdam Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Amsterdam was my first international marathon and I enjoyed it very much. Course as well as the climate suited me well and I finished with a new PB. It is true that the course did not pass through the most interesting city areas, but there is always time before and after the race. Start and finish at the Olympic Stadium were memorable. Personal race pictures and video clips on the internet are also very nice. Picking up the number and info package before the race was well organized. Post-race procedures are something to improve for the organization. Of course the city itself was very nice to visit.
E. L. from San Diego, California (10/21/2006) "Come Prepared" (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Amsterdam Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 If your used to marathons in the USA, forget about all the great support we get. Bring a water bottle, lube, food, GU etc. Bring warm clothes to dump at the start and to change into at the finish. No blankets are provided. The only buzz kill of the marathon were the half marathoners. At about mile 20, out of nowhere, a pack of juiced-up runners were on my heels, bumping like they were going to win their race. After 20 miles you really don't feel like dealing with these guys. The finish area was packed with half marathoners and there was not much in the way of post-race refreshments. Course missed all the cool areas of Amsterdam. Come to see the town, party like it's 1999 and have a nice training run.
J. L. from Cork Ireland (10/21/2006) "Disappointed by atmosphere" (about: 2006) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Amsterdam Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 I enjoyed this marathon. The course was excellent, and the finish in the Olympic Stadium was great. The negatives for me were: 1. The number of spectators was far smaller than I thought it would be, and many had left by the time we arrived back at the stadium. (I took 4 hours - not a week!!) 2. I think you should only get a t-shirt after finishing - and not the day before. 3. The baggage storage in the Sporthallen zuid was a disaster. Everybody seemed to be sticking one of their race numbers on the bag, then were told to take it off when they reached the top of the queue, and then were told put it on there back, so they could be given another sticker for the bag, and nobody obeyed any of the queues, which resulted in quick tempers and mayhem. I bet there had to be people late for the start because of the bad organization here. 4. Also I found the atmosphere among the runners to be poor. I did Dublin last year and found the runners friendlier and the spectators more enthausiastic. I would recommend this marathon but I preferred Dublin by a long way.
P. P. from ireland (10/20/2006) "Great place for a PB" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Amsterdam Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Must have been too cold and windy to come out and watch. Felt like a training run. Mostly serious runners - a small field, circa 6,000. Plenty of room to run a PB, and a nice, flat course.
s. f. from USA (10/20/2006) "excellent race" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Amsterdam Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Very flat and beautiful course (even flatter than Chicago) with a good crowd. The race is very fast (appropriate for a PB), however quite crowded. Be careful to be at the appropriate pace location at the starting point since slow runners could easily slow you down throughout the race if you don't pay attention to this. Excellent support, and no complaints regarding water stops since anything more would cause over-hydration. The city is beautiful, friendly, and definitely worthwhile to see. A quiet hotel around Vondelpark would be a good choice.
p. g. from Dublin (10/20/2006) "great marathon" (about: 2006) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Amsterdam Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There was a great buzz around the finish in the Olympic Stadium. The spectators were out in thousands.
T. S. from Minnesota, USA (10/18/2006) "Overall, a great marathon" (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Amsterdam Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first international marathon and it did not disappoint. The course is flat (was able to post my second best time), the organization wonderful, and the city a great host. It was quite inspiring to start and end in the Olympic Stadium. The sight of three different windmills definitely made you know you were running in Holland. :) My only concern regards water and food. Having Gatorade at each water stop was great... but there were WAY too few stops. The availability of food at the end was rather disappointing. Definitely the smallest amount offered of the four different marathons I have run. Bagels, yogurt... anything added to the choice of bananas and oranges would have been great. Overall, though, it was a wonderful international experience! I would highly recommend it.

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