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☰
Venice Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Venice Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 4.1 
Spectators 4.0
Number of comments: 46 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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Gareth Chick from Oxford England
(1/28/2007)
 "Flat, historic and the best finish in the world" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Venice Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran Venice in 2005. It's the flattest marathon I've run, which for a 50 year-old part-time runner is a joy. There's not much atmosphere as you run towards Venice itself, but once over the pontoon, the fun starts. The organizers place huge wooden running boards over each of the bridges over the canals that really flatten them out, allowing the runners to really enjoy the sights. The sense of history crossing all the bridges as you run the final 2 miles into the center of Venice is fantastic. The finish itself just outside St. Mark's Square has got to be the best final 300 yards there are! | |
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J. F. from London England
(10/27/2006)
 "Fast and flat - a good marathon for a PB" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Venice Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my ninth marathon, and my hotel was in Venice, which meant I had to leave at 5:45 a.m. to make it to the start on time. They had the usual long queues for the restrooms near the start and a half-mile walk to the holding pens. The route itself was quite boring until you reached Venice, which had 14 bridges in the last mile. Not the best marathon I have ever done but worth doing nonetheless. Venice is very expensive to stay/eat in, so take your credit cards.... | |
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B. C. from Massachusetts
(10/26/2006)
"Get Your Ferrari Sneakers On and Get Ready to Fly" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Venice Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 How cool is this race? Two thumbs up. These Europeans can run fast. It was a race from the first mile to the last. The new course layout was wonderfully scenic. The small towns rang their church bells while the townspeople looked curiously at us. Here are some points as you consider this wonderful run: 1. PR - This is a great course for a flat and fast race because everyone else running alongside of you is moving. 2. Cost - You can go high end and stay in Venice for $$$ or go to just out of town for 50%-70% less. Either way, you can still easily get into Venice for some great pictures and romance before the race. It'll cost you about as much as the NYC Marathon. 3. Water Stops - Great aid stations but placed every 5K versus every 1-2 miles like in the USA. Adjust accordingly. 4. Mile markers - Throw them out; you are in Europe, so adjust to kilometer markers. It confused me for 20K-40K but I figured it out by using the force. 5. First-timers - Not a good first-time race because most of the runners finish in under 4:30. You may be left alone on the course if your first-time finish is later. 6. Runners - Mostly male (90%) and fast. Reminded me of my old cross-country days as a teenager. No purple TNT singlets here. Real fun to go back in time to my racing youth. 7. Pre-race - porta johns that flush with water. Cool. No-frills start area but with the feel of a bunch of running clubs gathering for a long run together. Hot tea before the race was unusual but welcomed. Weather was 60 F and overcast the whole race. 8. Apparel - I looked way too American with my white shirt and grey shorts. I never saw so many bright colors both in the clothing and shoes. 9. Post-race - Kind of like a Roman bath atmosphere, with the finishers just hanging out. 10. Bridges - Yup, 16 in all during the last 2 miles. Add 1-2 minutes per mile to your pace to get over all of them. You'll need it. 11. Pace Groups - Fun. I usually avoid them but this time I jumped into the 3:50 group because I couldn't pace myself with the kilometer markings. Well worth it. I was very entertained with the singing of Italian songs by the leader. Caution: They finished at 3:45. 12. Value - Depends. For me, yes, because my wife loves Venice. But I dropped some bucks so I'm unlikely to do it again anytime soon. But the race, the charming city of Venice and the great shops/resturants were well worth the trip. Try a long weekend to keep the overall cost low. This is a reward marathon. | |
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Stuart Ogilvie from Shifnal, England
(1/11/2006)
 "Good flat course but not much to look at" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Venice Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The Venice Marathon was my 4th city marathon, and if I'm honest, my 4th in terms of preference. The expo is in Mestre, so if you have a hotel in Venice, it's a trek. Mestre is like Coventry or Dudley (pretty bleak, for those not familiar with Dudley or Coventry)!! The start itself is in Stra, about 26 miles from Venice!! But it is pretty enough. The route is well supported along the river Brenta, sadly back into bleak Mestre. Sadly on the day I ran fog had hit the lagoon so the run over the main bridge had no view of Venice. Once in Venice the run was good and the dreaded bridges were good fun (something a bit different). The finish was very well supported and the t-shirt was really good and actually one you could wear!!! | |
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ashley williams from Wales UK
(10/28/2005)
"excellent flat course apart from bridges at end" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Venice Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 My fifth marathon. Excellent course, flat, scenic and well marshaled, well supported all along the course with local villages out in force and a series of rock bands blasting out a variety of music. Well organized with shuttle buses to the start and from the finish back to the start; buses were a little chaotic on occasions but this is Italy and it adds flavor to the day. The bridges over the small canals at the finish were painful, but the scenery and atmosphere made up for it. Good course and organization, and in a city like no other. A wonderful experience, worth the pain and long training runs. | |
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P. M. from Landstuhl, Germany
(10/25/2005)
 "First marathon - excellent venue for a beginner" (about: 2005)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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. | |
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Mark Dunne from London
(10/24/2005)
"A must-run" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Venice Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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. | |
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T. D. from Kaiserslautern, Deutschland
(10/24/2005)
 "The scenery at the finish made the pain worthwhile" (about: 2005)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 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. | |
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Simon Cox from London,England
(11/18/2004)
"Highly Recommended" (about: 2004)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Venice Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 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! | |
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A. H. from Paris, France
(6/13/2004)
"Totally enjoyable with a spectacular finish" (about: 2003)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Venice Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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. |
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