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☰
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 61 to 71]
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J. O. from Rockaway, NJ
(1/4/2005)
 "Great race, a lot of fun" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Amsterdam Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 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. | |
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Mark Dabbs from Walsall, England
(12/27/2004)
 "Amsterdam, who says its flat?" (about: 1995)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Amsterdam Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 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! | |
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M. B. from Sirault, Belgium
(11/13/2004)
"Desperately seeking cobblestones." (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Amsterdam Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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! | |
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Julio Arce from Oxnard, CA, USA
(10/26/2004)
"great fast course!" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Amsterdam Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 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. | |
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I. T. from Dunfermline, Scotland
(10/23/2004)
 "Quality event which is excellent for fast times" (about: 2004)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Amsterdam Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 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. | |
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A. M. from Dublin, Ireland
(10/22/2004)
"Half Marathon" (about: 2004)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Amsterdam Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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! | |
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C. W. from London, England
(10/21/2004)
"Good, but could improve for half" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Amsterdam Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 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'. | |
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S. M. from Belfast, Northern Ireland
(10/19/2004)
"Very Enjoyable Marathon" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Amsterdam Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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) | |
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C. D. from Cambridge, England
(10/19/2004)
 "The friendly Dutch do a great job." (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Amsterdam Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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. | |
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J. P. from Toronto, ON
(10/19/2004)
"Just ok" (about: 2004)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Amsterdam Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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. |
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