As a beginner to marathon running - what an excellent venue. The organization, crowd support along the route and the encouragement at the end were all tremendous. All the pain suffered along the route was worth it just to see beautiful Venice at the end. Thank you to everyone for their support along the route.

Just came back from Venice and really enjoyed the run. The whole weekend was great. The expo was a bit far out, but ok to find and very well organized (I forgot to bring my letter of confirmation but this was not a problem). Goody bag was good. Getting the buses at the flower market was a bit unorganised but when we got to the starting area it was all fine. The course was very supported with local people out offering cakes, sweets, apples, and oranges. Some were banging saucepans with wooden spoons to keep us going! It was a great atmosphere along the route. When we got into Venice and ran over the first bridge with Venice all to my left and the Grand Canal to my right, it was the best feeling. I just soaked up the feeling and having Nessun Dorma on my MP3 player made it perfect. This was my fourth marathon and usually at this stage I am struggling a bit, but with a great place like Venice it took the sting out of those last few hundred meters.

What a wonderful place to run my first marathon. I had no problems with the organization and was able to register on Friday evening and enjoy a day sightseeing on the Saturday. The race is as described, mostly flat and fast with a good atmosphere along most of the course. But watch out for the 'never-ending' bridge into Venice, it really is as bad as everyone says.

However, once you're in Venice itself, just enjoy the sights, every bridge you cross is one nearer the finish line and each of them gives a unique view of the city. Overall, a wonderful experience that was well worth all the months of training and pain. Highly recommended.

I ran this race in 2004. The race itself starts 26 miles outside of Venice in a village called Stra. If you have accommodation in Venice, make sure you get a seat on the bus from Venice to Stra, as it's a good half-hour drive.

Support in the villages along the Brenta River, Marghera & the finish was very good, but I expected better support in Mestre. The rock bands along the course were also very good. I didn't expect to hear Black Sabbath on a marathon course, what a bonus!

This was my first and I now realize it was a good choice. I took the "My First Marathon" option which was excellent if a little expensive. In addition to the training plan (in English or Italian) this gave me access to a reserved area at the start and at the finish - well worth the money for a newbie with no idea. I also chose a hotel in Mestre with a bus transfer to the start. This turned out to be good idea because that's where all the pre-race stuff takes place and its easy enough to get in and out of Venice for some tourism.

The course is great at the beginning, a bit dull in the middle and then with 10k to go, you see Venice at the far end of the Liberty Bridge. It gives you the lift you need to get to the end of that endless bridge, and then running through the streets of Venice is (almost) a pleasure.

I would recommend it to anyone, and if it's your first then the Julia Jones training plan really works.

This was my first marathon and I have to say that VENICE is the place to do it. This course is mostly flat but the little bridges with ramps are killers! They are close together and at the end of the race... your legs are cramping. DON'T DRINK DOUBLE-ESPRESSO COFFEE before the race! Big mistake!! I signed up for the MY FIRST MARATHON and it was wonderful... Organization of bib pick-up was terrible!!! The instructions to get there were wrong and if you don't speak Italian... you waste a lot of energy. The bib pickup and pasta party is really far (1 1/2h) from VENEZIA (you have to take the water-bus, the bus and walk until you guess where they are hiding the tent!).
But the pacers: GREAT WORK GUYS! The support from the team for My1stMarathon -- WONDERFUL!!! But there were no medals waiting for us slow people... someone stole them!! ;(!
Would I do it again... absolutely if I was still in Europe next year!!!

The course was beautiful, the weather gorgeous, the crowds noisy and everything went very smoothly!! I could not wait to get to the Venice proper in the end, but was too tired to really enjoy anything except the thought of finishing soon...

Information received online was adequate and I had no problems finding everything. Just make sure you get a seat on the bus in the morning (no problem if you go on bus arranged by travel office). Also, there was a very long queue to the vaporetto after the finish line - find an alternative stop if you can.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in beautiful scenery and friendly locals!

Venice was my 3rd marathon, and probably my least favorite. The first 15k were quite wonderful - the landscape, the crowds, everything. The next 15k, until Mestre, were not so wonderful. The course runs through a rather bleak industrial area with absolutely no spectators. Mestre could have been fun to run through, but I?m a slowpoke (5-hour marathon) and by the time I arrived, the bands had stopped playing and I could count the number of people cheering on one hand. After arriving in Venice, we are run through the port - not the scenery I expected and again no spectators. Eventually you do make it to the more beautiful parts of Venice really for only about 3K - the bridges weren't so bad. After 5 hours of running and a few bruised toes later, I cross the finish line only to discover that they had ran out of medals!! It may not seem like a big deal now, but at the time - after the emotional and physical exhaustion of a difficult race - I was completely crushed. They said they would mail it to me, but I?ll believe it when I see it. As for other aspects of race organization, I found the bib pickup to smooth and convenient, as well as the transport to the start of the race. There are no potties along the course, which is kind of a hassle for women - but there were always ample supplies of water and Gatorade at each station (every 5k). In the end, it was good race - but definitely not my favorite and I would not do it again or recommend it to my friends.

The 2003 Venice Marathon is definitely the most beautiful marathon I've run. Most of the initial 30K of this point-to-point wind alongside the water from Stra to Mestre. There you spend a short time in the city before crossing the 4-kilometer bridge into Venice itself. The final 6 kilometers are every bit as exceptional as you expect, both in terms of the scenery as of the many bridges you hop over.

The organization is good but just that little bit... Italian. The expo to pick up your bib is remote and a bit chaotic, however the volunteers are very friendly. Don't be shy, smile, talk to everybody and you'll be fine. The shuttle buses to the start are OK if you can sit down for the 30 minute ride, which only 1/3 of the people can do. Supply of refreshments was impeccable (the water comes in little bottles, which I like).

The spectators are very friendly in the towns you pass early on, and some of the bands along the course will really pump you up. In Venice itself people seem to care less, but that can perhaps be expected as most of them are tourists.

Overall I recommend Venice for the marathon adventurer looking for a fun and well organised race in an ideal place to add a couple of days vacation. A final warning to the tourist: Venice IS an expensive place...

Venice 2002 was my 6th marathon -- my fastest time and my favorite marathon. Beautiful, flat course -- along the scenic Brenta Canal the first 20K. The first 15 miles or so are along narrow roads, so I was running in a steamy pack of Italians (Was I the only one who'd showered that morning?) for the first half. It was delightful to be cheered on by the middle-aged, church going Italians in the small towns about mid-way through the race. Few women runners, so when they yelled, 'Bravissima!' I knew they were cheering ME on!

Crossing the pontoon bridge into Venice proper was a thrill. The 12 little bridges, however, turned out to be much tougher (all in the last 1.5 miles) than I'd expected. Save a little energy for those short, steep uphills. Fabulous crowd of locals and tourists lining the Grand Canal the entire way to the finish line.

Chaos at the finish line. Your friends can't get up there to see you cross the line, and there are no fixed spots where you can find people afterwards. What a fabulous race, though. I had gone out fast, so I was dragging the last few miles. Several times, when I'd, regrettably, stopped to walk, other runners would say, 'Vai! Vai!' (Come on, you're almost there.) Encouraging me to keep going. Very friendly, supportive group of runners.

Would I run it again? In a heartbeat!