First the positives:
An absolutely stunning course! I was never bored and the scenery was breathtaking. Starting and ending at the coliseum was pure icing on the cake. Sponge stations every 5K were also a big plus. Finally, the race t-shirt, medal, and bag were very nice.

Now for areas that can be improved:
Race registration is much more complicated than it needs to be. Especially if you're an American using American credit cards, expect some hassles. I encountered other Americans at the race who had similar problems as I did.

As for race day, they had about 20 port-a-cans for 15,000 participants! To make things worse... none of them had toilet paper!!! Bring your own wet-wipes and arrive early if you want to use the bathroom before the race. They also advertised port-a-cans every 5K, but I didn't see them. Most men just went on the side of the rode; I don't know how the women coped with it. Final pre-race complaint is that there wasn't any water available.

As for the post-race, the website had advertised showers available for participants, but nobody seemed to know where they were. Race officials were very hard to find, and when I finally found them, they didn't seem to know all that much.

In summary, I would definitely recommend running the Rome Marathon simply because it is a beautiful city and a great course. Just be aware that some aspects we take for granted at American marathons will not be present when you run in Rome.

Bella Roma! It was my first marathon, and after training hard independently in Bologna, Italy, I can say that the experience exceeded my expectations. Come in well prepared for some light hills, and for running in the tumult and cobblestone streets of one of the oldest treasures of the world, and see magnificent sights whisk by you at every corner. In short, I wanted a camera the whole time! As far as fans and organization, I would say it was EXTREMELY good for ITALIAN standards (they're not the most organized, and Sunday morning are strictly for leisure). And to really do it Italian style, start out with a bang by gulping down an espresso. The crowd was great, and it was a good time of the year to run in Rome. I felt like a gladiator starting and finishing next to the glorious coliseum. For lady runner's, a caveat: there aren't that many facilities along the way and not clearly marked. Generally speaking: amazing experience, and I would do it again and again.

I can't recommend this one enough! The scenery will remove any discouraging thoughts you might have about your race. The spectators are so much fun. Pre-carbing before the race is obviously a no-brainer. And it begins and end at the Coliseum. What more could an athlete ask for?! Only downside was the inclusion of a few stretches of cobblestones, though it is worn down quite a bit.

This marathon started off great with beautiful views of the Coliseum and many other wonderful sites. But after 4 hours they started dismantling the course. This meant no water stations or clocks on course. Also the course wasn't closed any more so vehicle and pedestrian traffic was a real problem. For about 45 minutes I was walking in full-speed traffic with no one blocking the roads. Worst of all the intersections were no longer marked so we didn't even know if we were still on the course or if we were going in the right direction. WHAT A NIGHTMARE. I would never recommend this marathon to anyone with an estimated finish of over 5 hours.

My first marathon. I was able to ignore exhaustion because of the wonderful scenery. Unfortunately the Marathon Village was far from the center of Rome, but the organization of the run was great(food/drinks/medical aid). Last 8 kilometers were hardest because of the straight road to S. Paolo and back, where you pass runners on the way back to the finish line.

The run itself was well organized - plenty of police to control spectators that wanted to cross the road, although a few bikes managed to get onto the course in the latter stages. Lots of water (natural, not bubbly), Gatorade, and sponges throughout. Fruit and sugar cubes were available during the second half. There were so many interesting sights that it was easy to forget about the cobblestones - for the first half; but as the race went on, they were more noticeable to my tired body. There were a lot of spectators throughout, especially in the city center, but not as many as some of the mega-marathons have. There were not many porta-potties at the start, and even less on the course. The medal is awesome - very unique.

Lots of friendly volunteers, and a great place to meet other runners from all over the world. There were stationary bikes near the start, although I didn't see many people using them. It was easy to take in the sights as you ran taking your mind off the actual running. The expo was a little ways out this year, but you could take the train to one station and get onto another train to get to the station right near the expo. It was a great experience - I recommend running it at least once.

The most memorable trip ever (splendid sights, food, wine...), which culminated in the race. Breathtaking monuments provide an inspiring backdrop for the marathon endeavor, as you appreciate the human creativity, artistry, stories, pains, and labor that poured into St. Peter's, Trevi, Spanish Steps, Coliseum, etc. This was my 1st int'l and 5th marathon (NYC, LA, 2X Chicago) so head-to-head comparison would be unfair, given the diff. in scale. So I will point to some caveats.

1. Marathon Village: if you can navigate any major city transport, getting here is not complicated. Just follow folks in running shoes! From Pza di Popolo ('Flaminio' red line metro stop), take suburban train ('Viterbo' direction) 3 stops to 'Campi Sportivi.' Village tents are a few-minute walk away. Rather crowded with modest offerings. Only 1-2 tables sold gels or powdered drink mix - not Powergel/Gu/Gatorade, so bring what you think you'll need during the race. If you have supporters along (as I thankfully did), they can even sign up for 5K Fun Run and get a marathon t-shirt, only 5 euros! Race bibs allow for free public transport during the weekend.

2. Pre-Start: gate to access the starting corral area was really backed up (people were stuck there even after race started), so arrive early. Almost everyone drops off the blue Asics marathon backpack (in school buses arranged by race # ranges) and ID label is pinned on, so use a diff. bag for quick identification. Ladies' buses are way in the back. There was a spinning class outside which could be good for warming up muscles to pumping music.

3. Race: water, Gatorade, food were plentiful at the stations but few & far between (every 3 mi/5K vs. US races that are every 1-2 mi). You had to weave through milling runners to grab cups from tables instead of volunteer hand-off. Drinks served in plastic cups so they didn't flatten on the ground (as paper cups do), nor were they raked away. Wet sponges were refreshing with occasional sponge tossed at your head. Few toilets en route (carry TP!). Ideal running weather in low 50Fs and sun came out by noon.

The flat course winds through Rome's major sights, northern & southern neighborhoods, and along the Tiber. Cobblestones (and potholes in cobblestones!) do a number on feet and knees - I felt a reverberation with every step. Previous reviewer is dead-on that the race is not entirely St. Peter's. Much of it runs through quiet, empty streets and at one point, on a traffic-clogged expressway. The last 8K were a dull out-&-back loop, until you reach the Roman Forum in the last 1K. Sparse spectators throughout except the start, Vatican, city center, and finish. Some were encouraging, cheering 'Vai! Vai! Bravo/a!' but others stared quizzically. Even had bicyclists, roller-bladers, and scooters on our 'free-for-all' course. Km 26-34 contained the biggies (Navona, Popolo, Spagna, Trevi), but the course narrowed and oblivious tourists strayed across the course in congo lines. Post-Race: refreshing drinks, fruit, and snack bags were distributed. Chip timers were attached to the race bibs, so they did not need removal nor worn on shoelaces.

I made a PR - would have run 40K of cobbled alleys to reach the majestic finish at the Coliseum. I'd run Roma again, if not for the guiltless pizza/pasta loading and enjoying a San Crispino gelato at the Trevi Fountain!

Best time of my life. Go to Rome, run the marathon, run the cobblestones (when else are you going to run over cobblestones? when in Rome...) and hills (only a few) and just take it all in. I got my PR here and had a great time just taking in all the scenery, except for the last stretches around S. Paolo. What a bummer. Other than that...it was great. For non-serious runners, bring your disposable camera and take shots along the way...

The first 4 km are overcrowded and course is relatively narrow. I could not run at speed I wanted. I expected more cobblestones. There were some, but it was reasonable. Except the last hill around the Coliseum, there are 3 other hills and one underpass. In general, the course is beautiful, passing lots of monuments; and the organization was perfect. The expo was quite tricky to find, but it was very nice, offering low prices for running stuff. This year, unfortunately, there was no pasta party. I recommend running it.

Fantastic marathon: brilliant course with amazing sights, such as the Vatican, start/finish near the Coliseum, etc. Good water/solids/sponge stations. Nice medal, rucksack, t-shirt and other goodies - great value for 25 euros. Only criticisms: cobblestones really hurt my feet and gave me blisters and hurt my joints, etc. The cobblestones definitely slowed me down and contributed to a slower time. Also the Marathon Village was in the middle of nowhere and closed quite early the evening before the race (it was quite a close thing getting there before it closed to get my race number and race pack). The village didn't seem to be well served by public transportation or taxis and we had to get the organizers to phone for a taxi to get us back into central Rome (should have got the taxi that dropped us off to wait for us). Final gripe was spectators and non-runners crossing the race route and sometimes getting too close to the runners; plus some congestion at the water/solids/sponge stations.