Don't expect to find yourself acheiving a PB in Rome. Do expect to have a leisurely run and meet some great people from around the world. The sights were marvelous - all postcard quality - when within line of sight. Many of the spectators were accidental tourists who were themselves roaming Rome and would cross the path without much discipline, despite the organizers best efforts. Plenty of encouraging and enthusiastic spectators, except they all spoke Italian; so while I'm sure they had great things to say, I just didn't understand them. The areas outside of the main tourist spots were sparsely attended, so bring your iPod for company. Water was too far between intervals - had to suck the sponge to get hydrated. The pre-race organization was great; just go early and avoid the mad rush. Take the start gently, let the Type A's get out in front, and you'll enjoy the course. Rome is a great place to visit particularly for an English-only speaker - the locals are very forgiving and helpful. Perfect for a first-timer. I had a memorable race!!

I found the Rome Marathon to be a very good experience. I have to point out that I was running it as one of my last long training runs for another marathon in 5 weeks, so I wasn't concerned about my time, but was there just to have a GOOD time! I had my digital camera with me, and shot over 2 dozen pictures of some of the magnificient buildings and squares that we passed.

The start and the finish at the Coliseum were magnificient, a great way to begin and end a run through history.

Yes, some of it was along regular residential streets, but that was necessary to get in the distance that we needed. And that also gave our feet a break from the cobblestones of the old city sections. Do be warned, the cobblestones are quite uneven in some parts, so you have to watch your step, and they are also very slippery by the drink and sponge stations.

I was prepared for less-than-stellar organization, given Italy's reputation (sorry, Italy, I love you!), but I was very pleased by the expo (yes, a little crowded, but hey, so are other expos), the on-time start, and the water at the stations. Okay, so it was once every 5K instead of every mile. That has been my experience at the other European marathons I have run in, so get used to it. Drink 3 cups instead of one. Learn how to drink from a cup; don't expect everyone to provide just what you have used in the past.

If you're looking to set a PR, maybe you need to go to Berlin or elsewhere, because of Rome's cobblestones, log-jams of runners in the first few turns, and lack of roaring crowds every mile. But it you want some good memories of a run through a world-class city, surrounded by like-minded individuals from dozens of other countries, this is the place.

And the carbo-loading can't be beat!

Ps. There's a great little hotel just 3 blocks from the start, recommended by Rick Steves: Hotel Paba. A very welcoming, warm owner, who charges reasonable prices, and offers spacious rooms in a great location. But one warning: very firm beds.

After 30 KM, I would have given the course only 2 stars. It's flat, which is quite an achievement in Rome, but it's too narrow in the early stages (the first KM slows to walking pace at times, and it was 4 KM before I got up to race speed); the half brick roads are tough on the bones; crowd support is very sparse; and the few spectators there insist on walking across the route in the middle of the runners, leading to much ill-tempered pushing.

But that was all forgiven in the last 10 KM, which takes you on a memorable run up to St Peter's, past the Trevi fountain and packed piazzas, with a great finish at the Coliseum.

Organization was similarly mixed. Baggage handling was a disgrace. Runners were allocated to trucks according to their expected finish times so, guess what, most runners finishing at a particular time all wanted their bags from the same truck! Result - 30-minute waits, and much swearing at (and by) the bag handlers.

Results service, on the other hand, is excellent, and pre-race expo (though hard to find) was well organised.

Rome is a fantastic city, and I'd recommend this race if you have the time to add on a couple of days sight-seeing. But until they make some improvements, I wouldn't recommend traveling from overseas just for the race - it isn't in the same league as Paris or even Stockholm.

No complaints regarding the lack of organization. Without speaking a word of Italian, I found the race to be very clearly orgainized from beginning (registration) to end. Water bottles instead of cups would have been nice. Magnificent city, perfect weather, great race!

I have run London 6 times before and the organization is perfect every time. The Rome route starts in a great place in front of the Coliseum, and you see a few other sites, but most of the course is very boring - including motorways, embankments and almost no spectators. The drink stations were almost non-existent - 1 every 5KM (8 drinks in all). London has 35 drink stations! Also Rome gives you a plastic cup to drink water or Gatorade. Try drinking it at sub-7 min/mile pace without spilling it all. London uses Isostar packs with a spout. It was 20 degrees C today - I had to suck the sponges for water!

At the end it took me 45 minutes to get my bag off the baggage lorry, amongst pushing and shoving by mad Italians.

I have run London twice in under 3 hours, but only managed 3:10 today. It is a slow course with lots of tight turns, cobblestones and tourists just walking all over the place. The Rome course record is some 6 minutes slower for the elite runners, so basically, don't expect a PB.

I loved it. I was very grateful for the experience because of the course, and specially because of the food. Believe me, you will not have problems finding carbs of good quality. A small problem is the spectators - sometimes you had to fight for space in the street.

I ran this last year and found it terrible. There was a mean "Italian pushing start" that involved everyone in the corrals pushing for the first mile. The course was narrow; we had about 2 KM of spectators and shared a lane of traffic on the highway with cars during part of it. The course was so crowded that it was impossible to break out. I got stuck in a back corral and found it impossible to break free of the other runners - due to the poor course and crowded lanes - until almost 18 miles. The aid stations are also sparse (every 5K is just a ballpark estimate. One in the middle had sponges instead of water, making it rough on a hot day. Lots of cobblestones, so expect some beat-up joints! This was a fast, flat course, but there was no way to run fast on it due to all the people. If you have ever driven in italy, they aren't much more polite when they run. Pushing and shoving for the whole course seemed to be standard.

Rome 2006 was my first marathon. Now I know also Ravenna (Italy) and New York (USA). My opinion is that Rome is a good marathon in a wonderful city. Last 10KM of course change next year so then historical center will be during the last KM. With this change, Rome 2007 would be a BIG course. Compared to NY, the city is better, but the fans are poor.

This is a pretty good big-city marathon. It is a flat course with a great start/finish outside the Coliseum. Registration was a little chaotic but no major problems. I ran this with a touch of flu but just slowed down and enjoyed the sights. The last 10KM are a bit boring and quiet (when will organizers realize that out-and-back parts of courses are soul destoying?) but the finish is great. This race has the potential to grow into one of the top five or six European marathons in terms of size and prestige if organization is improved a bit, given that it is the main European marathon in the first quarter of the year. It will probably never be a London, Berlin or Paris, but it could be as good as Stockholm or something similar.

The course was fantastic in the parts where you cross the centre but not that nice between roughly km 10 and 20 and 34 to 40 - looking at the sign for km 40 at the other side of the stretch with no spectators while running at km 35 will not enhance your time. They should definitely change this. Cobbles sound worse than they were. The bridge and viaduct at about km 19 and 20 are the only hills of any significance and they were quite smooth. There's a very slight incline in the last few hundred meters running around the Coloseum.

The organisation was good, if you judge an event for its toilet availability I believe you should stay away from marathons altogether. Water in bottles, energy drinks and sponges were available at lots of points. If you like ridiculous pre-race screaming through the PA (and who doesn't) the start next to the Coloseum should be great.

It was a great marathon, partly because Rome's such a nice place to visit in a spring weekend.