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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 31 to 41]
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J. P. from BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
(11/12/2003)
 "1ST MARATHON... VENICE IS GREAT!" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 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!!! | |
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S. S. from Tampere, Finland
(11/11/2003)
 "Bella Venezia" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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! | |
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R. T. from Czech Republic
(11/11/2003)
"Not as great as everyone says . . ." (about: 2003)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 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. | |
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S. V. from Belgium
(11/3/2003)
"Beautiful course, stunning finish" (about: 2003)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 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... | |
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Jeanne T. from Honolulu, Hawaii
(12/28/2002)
 "Brava Maratona di Venezia!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 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! | |
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A Runner from Brussels
(11/8/2002)
"Orgnization has improved" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Organization has improved a lot, and this year the race was nearly perfect. No confusion at the expo like last year. And the start was smoother because runners were allocated in the right corrals. I'll give a ***** rating to the organizers. This race is simply magical. Marc. | |
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A Runner from Germany
(8/2/2002)
"Bravo!" (about: 2002)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Of the three marathons I have run (Athens, Venice, and Paris) this one was the most fun. I loved the enthusiasm of Italians, Venice is beautiful, the snacks and drinks were plentiful, the route was flat and mostly pretty, fan support and dj's were encouraging. The ramps on the canals would not have been bad if not for the people who came to a dead stop on them in front of me. The prices of the Expo were great, only place I've been to with discounts for runners. I never received my pictures from the race (three requests later) and that is my only complaint. Well, ok, maybe my pasta party expectations were high since this is Italy, after all. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this race, especially if you don't enjoy huge crowds. | |
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A Runner from Cambridge, MA (USA)
(12/16/2001)
"Organization improved, but not up to standard yet" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The organizers of the Venice Marathon appear to have improved over the horror stories I have heard about previous years -- and the comments here on this site are from the 2000 race and earlier. Here are the improvements: - Water and gatorade bottles every 5km - no fizzy water - More port-a-potties at the start in Stra - Better food packet at the finish line - Sort-of enough buses for the entrants (see below) However, there are a number of other problems which plague this race: - One hour wait in line to get bib and chip - Have to travel to Mestre (outside of Venice) to pick them up - Goody bag in a completely differently location several blocks away - Bus information (to start) not included in race packet, but must go to yet another booth - Not enough buses from Venice to the starting line: half the runners must stand for the 40 minute ride - Poorly designed access to the starting area, which created big bottlenecks - No seeding at start line (despite the fact that they request your best marathon time on the entry form), meaning that I had to pass 2000+ people unnecessarily - They charge a far higher entry fee for international participants There are some very nice features of the race, though: - Last two km in Venice itself is beautiful - Free massages at the end -- all done by young women, working in pairs (oh, those Italians) - Flat, fast course with typically good running weather through mostly beautiful region along the River Brenta - It's in Venice, for God's sake! And one big 'feature' of the course: - There are 12 footbridges to cross in the last 1.5km, including a temporary pontoon bridge spanning the Grand Canal. I would not recommend this for a first marathon, due to the additional organizational problems which will only distract a newbie. But it was an overall enjoyable race. The Italians are a bit reserved as fans, but cheering *at them* seems to get them excited a bit! And the finish along the waterfront in Venice is amazing and weird at the same time. | |
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Marc from Brussels, Belgium
(11/6/2001)
 "Scenic and well organized" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The first half of the marathon and the two last miles are beautiful. The organization is pretty good... once you have managed to get your number and chip the day before (Exposport is really a mess: overcrowded, no indication and just don't even think to park your car in the area). Starting blocks are not respected at all and you have to wait a little bit before you can start running normally (6.400 at the start in Stra near Padova). For the rest: spectators and staff are friendly and help you to forget the bridges (yes : 13 or so... ***ouch***)at the end of the race. You can expect a good time, as the race is flat (except the 13 bridges ;-)). But slow runners are very welcome. Nice medal and race packet. Cool website. I strongly recommend this one. Marc. | |
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A Runner from Brig, Switzerland
(11/2/2001)
"Great race" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Italians manage to share their magic with everyone, they laugh as they run, the crowd is also fascinating! I will come again! |
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