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Apr 28, 2024

Roma (Rome) Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Roma (Rome) Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 4.5

Organization 3.9

Spectators 3.3

Number of comments: 138 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

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Jeni Enjaian from South Carolina (5/31/2015) "Excellent Int'l Race if You Know What You're Doing" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Registering for and participating in an international marathon in a country that speaks an unfamiliar (to me) language can be intimidating, especially to a novice. I would not recommend this marathon to a first time marathoner. (Everyone should do it though and obviously run more than one marathon.) As I started this journey about a year ago I tried to make note of things that would be helpful to share in a review, things I learned, mistakes I made and etc. This review will be a combination of general tips and a review of the specific marathon put on on March 22, 2015. Registration: This was the most confusing part for me. Most international marathons require additional paperwork from foreign participants. (American marathons may do the same but I have yet to encounter anything.) The Rome Marathon required either a running club membership card or a completed health form with physicians signature and stamp. I went the route of the health form. Even though I am a member of the Greenville Track Club, I do not have a membership card. Running clubs in Europe are also structured differently than many American clubs. Since I do not understand them I wont try to explain. Regarding the health form, I believe that many doctors in Europe must have an official stamp, like that of a notary public. In my case, my doctor used a stamp that had the name and address of the entire practice. This form must be submitted and verified before ones registration is complete. This is where I got nervous. Navigating the website, especially the registration portion, was a bit of a nightmare. The organizations lack of timeliness in responding to inquiries during this time was unsatisfactory. I got two emails indicating that the mailbox for the official email was full and that the message could not be delivered. It wasnt until I took to their Facebook page and inquired about my registration status that I received confirmation that my registration was complete. Do not discard the health form. I had to present it at the expo to withdraw my bib and race packet. Travel to country: Be sure to arrive at least two days before race day. It was a bit of a logistical hurdle at work but worth it. One never knows when an airline strike (including air traffic controllers) will leave one stranded in Frankfurt because no flights are entering the entire country of Italy, all day. True story. I found out eight hours before my light left Charlotte about the cancellation. This led to a mad scramble resulting in train tickets taking us from Frankfurt to Rome including a night train. While this was far from ideal, I had enough of a cushion that I was still able to attend the Expo. The Marathon did allow for some race day pick up because in addition to an Alitalia strike there was a Lufthansa strike. Thats a point in their favor. Expo: For foreign competitors unable to use their phones without outrageous charges, designate a place to meet your family member before you enter the participants entry line. I did not do this and ended up making an anxious call to my dad when I realized that he had my ID on him. I also could not find him when it came time to enter the vender portion of the expo. Since I did not print my confirmation letter ahead of time, oops, they printed it for me. This was a fairly painless process and did not take long at all. Shirt and bib retrieval went really well also, very organized. Ill briefly mention the swag I received. In total I received a New Balance shirt with All Roads Lead to Rome on the back, a logo backpack to use for bag drop, plenty of samples and a full bag of tried pasta. I had to laugh at that one. I tried to find my dad at this point but when I couldnt, tried to find the exit. This took far too long. Perhaps if I had been able to find him it would have been more enjoyable. That being said, I am not a fan of the expo organization that herds participants past all the booths. This particular expo had to be one of the most confusing. I kept turning a corner expecting to see an exit only to be led through another corridor of booths. It definitely did not suffer from lack of size. Pre-race: Its hard to beat a warm up area in front of the Colosseum, even in the rain. Speaking of the rain, its a good idea to prepare by bringing a trash bag, extra ziplock baggies and a biggie of rice, just in case. Finding all those things in a foreign country could have been difficult. There were a good number of porto-potties, although bringing your own toilet aper and nose plugs is highly advisable. By the time you make a second trip those things are rank. I watched several ladies in the line next to me walk in and then right back out, not caring about the line. Corral set up was the best Ive experienced. The entire bib, not just a portion, were color coded by corral. Before entering the bib is checked. The you walk along a section of pavement separated from the later corrals by fencing that opens up into the specific corral. No line jumpers here. I cant speak to the pre-race announcements because I have no idea what he was saying. Course: This is a fabulous course. I wish it hadnt been raining and that I had been just a little more aware of my surroundings. Most of the scenic spots are located in the first and last 10km. (The course is marked in kilometers with the addition of 10, 15, and 20 mile markers.) The cobblestones are a little more taxing that regular pavement but not significantly more so in my opinion. Even when wet with rain they werent too much of an issue. Elevation change is also practically non-existent. There is one hill around mile 18 and one somewhere between miles 21 and 22. Water stops/refreshment stations The race provides water in bottles and cups. For some reason the ratio of bottles to cups increases towards cups as the race progresses. Electrolytes are called salts. The stops are well marked with signs. The volunteers are not exceptionally vocal. The race also has several sponge stations. In the rain, these stations seem pointless. Regardless, watch the ground in these sections to avoid stepping and slipping on a discarded sponge. I believe there was medical support on the course. However, since I did not make use of it I do not know where it was located or its adequacy or lack thereof. Spectators: This makes or breaks some peoples race. Not mine. Unlike what some reviewers mentioned, there were plenty of spectators, mainly in the city center, even on the rainy day. Be on the watch, however, for tourists crossing the path. There are plenty. I had one woman cross directly in front of me making me stutter-step to avoid tripping over her rolling suitcase. I had shouted No! No! No! at her as I saw her start to cross but to no avail. Finish/Post-race: Running through the piazza in front of the capital building towards the Colosseum is awesome. Definitely motivating. Immediately after finishing I was handed my medal. No ambiguity there. (One review I read mentioned some lack of organization at this point. I did not see it.) I also grabbed a 1.5l bottle of Gatorade with a flip top opening. They really need to see Gatorade bottles like this in the states! I also got a bag with another (smaller) bottle of Gatorade and other goodies. The walk back to the exit was extremely long, way too long. we had to walk past all of the left luggage trucks where several men took the opportunity right there to strip down and change. Im pretty sure it took me close to 15 minutes just to exit. It was likely longer due to how slowly I was walking at that point. Photos/Video: The video is not as impressive as I thought it would be, not worth paying for. Searching for photos was rather difficult until I realized that the marathon opens the search before all of the photos have been posted. The finish line photos must be searched for by finish time. They do not sort those according to bib number. Conclusion: Even with the quirks I would definitely recommend this marathon for American participants. Just plan to do your sightseeing afterwards, slowly.
M. E. from Copenhagen, Denmark (4/8/2015) "Loved the race..." (about: 2015) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Just loved, running through Piazza Venezia, Spagna, Piazza Navona etc. Hated the Cobblestones - so many of them. Beat my PB with 21 min. on the course. It's flat, with two small hils. Organization at the Expo and the end of the race was fantastic. But the start of the race was terrible. Didn't know that the race was started, so was 7 min after the start and it was just a mess. Also the pace runners were no where at the expected time. I wanted to run with 4:15 - but because of the start I didn't find them. After 6 km I passed the 4:45 and after 40 km I passed the 4:30. And ended with a 4:21 time!!Didn't make sense. But yes - I would do the race Again.
M. G. from USA (3/31/2015) "Great journey through history..." (about: 2015) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Fun race to run just remember that Europeans do things a bit differently. Race started on time but corral chutes, design, and management of the staging area are poor. Get there early. The channeling of runners or lack of it will slow you down for the first 2-3 miles. It rained but the cobblestones weren't too slippery. Expect a good majority of the race on cobblestones. They will deaden your feet/legs a little and they will try your patience. Still, it wasn't awful and you're all in the same boat. Streets are closed to traffic however, there were MANY spectators crossing them and there were countless scooters/Vespas that drove down the course. They are quiet so pay attention. The security didn't shoo a single one way. Aid stations are 3 miles (5K) apart. Be prepared, esp. if it's warm. They do not have aid stations the last 6-7 miles at every mile like in US races. Mile markers/KM markers are easily visible. Tech tee and backpack are excellent, as is the medal. The expo is fairly chaotic and you're channeled through a specific path unlike US expos that you can aim in any direction as desired. Aid stations are abundant with water/Gatorade and many had food and fruit. A lot of sponge stations but unneeded this year b/c of the light rain. Website and FB page updated often; results and photos posted quickly. Few spectators (rain may have had impact). Course is scenic with only a few dull spots. Bag retrieval was organized and easy. Finish line area had lots of food, friendly volunteers. Priced well. A lot of historical sites close by. Booked 'Run Italy' for this - glad I did. Well-organized and many benefits pre- and post-race.
M. I. from Hertfordshire GB (3/22/2015) "World beating course - and worst organization" (about: 2015) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Roma (Rome) Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 Of all the 35 marathons I have run the has to be the worst organized I have come across. On line registration works well but that is it. Take registration. I turned up at the Expo Hall which is way out of Rome a good walk from the nearest tube station only to find such massive queues outside that I realized I did not have time to register so decided to come back later. A relatively wise decision, the queue was just half as long but it still took half an hour to get into the venue. Once in there were empty desks with staff waiting for runners to turn up and register- so why the queue? - No idea. Race instructions are inadequate - Map a joke. So the next day in pouring rain having started out for the start a whole load of runners are sent on a 2 km detour to get to the baggage lorries which, like to pre assembly area don't appear on the start map. The start is pretty inaccessible Rain meant a crowd building up and it was chaos getting into the start area. Then shepherded into the correct starting pen we shuffled along in a jammed queue whilst all the slower runners shot passed up before we were sent into the main area to join them. Once going you can forget because - along with Jerusalem this is the best city course I have run. It goes through the Vatican, lifts your heart as you see the sheer beauty of Piazza Navona at 36Km and then the Spanish steps at 40Km before finishing in the Piazza Venezia just by the Roman forum. A good walk though efficient post run processing before being discharge into the Colosseum. Water stations coped - bottles of that and Isotonic helped greatly and the facilities were good. Support especially over the final stages was superb. This is a wonderful marathon and I may be a spoiled by the wondrous efficiency of London but they need to sort out the organization.
Patrick Gavin from New York (3/28/2014) "A solid and growing big city marathon" (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The main thing to run Rome for is the course. It's really something special. You start at the Colosseum, run along the Tiber (over multiple bridges), and past some pretty impressive sights. There are a few spots where it's not as glamorous, but really that's true of all big city races. The ending in particular is really impressive as you run through the piazzas and narrow roads hemmed in with people. The cobblestones could be uncomfortable at points, but I don't think they really affected my time very much. Overall, it's pretty flat (one big hill at mile 18, a steady incline at mile 25 through a tunnel) so was able to run a good race. Organization is very good, though a couple things could have been improved. The expo was very professional, but they really needed someone at the subway station pointing the way (my brother has lived in Rome for 8 years and even he had trouble figuring out where it was). A person at the train and along the road there pointing the way would have done wonders. Also, along the course I thought there were too few water stations and too many 'sponge' stations. Water and Gatorade (or 'Salts' as the sign translated it) every 5 km is too infrequent - if you missed water at one stop because you didn't want to stop or because you grabbed a half empty cup (or spilled it), you wouldn't be able to get anything for a long while. Since it wasn't too hot, it was fine. But if it the temperature is high some year, this would make the race extremely uncomfortable. Finally, they should have a 'reunion area' for a event this large in an international race finding friends and family after the race was a little chaotic. Really impressive swag (t-shirt and backpack) and medal is an original piece, a great unique addition to any medal cache - recovery bag was very solid. The crowd support was generally 'spotty' for a big city race though where there was a crowd, it was enthusiastic. Especially at the end, there were huge crowds that really helped pull through the last few miles. Overall, a great way to see an impressive city. It has a little ways to go to be a true stop on the 'world tour' of marathons, but a great race to run.
M. R. from IL (3/26/2014) "Great City - minimal spectators" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Roma (Rome) Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This is my second time at the Rome marathon. The course changed a little this year. It did not go around the colosseum this year and also skipped Trevi Fountain. This year's race started in the rain, was mostly dry during the race and poured just after this back of the packer finished. The course is fine, wonderful sights to see (St Peter's at the midpoint, Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona near the end). It started and finished a stone's throw from the colosseum , close to Piazza Venezia. The race bottlenecks briefly at the first turn then is open the rest of the way. The route follows the Tiber river out of the city center and back so is relatively flat in that section. There is a major hill at 18 miles , which crushed me. The cobblestones had minimal impact on my race. The support was good, water/gatorade every 5 km. and oranges/bananas and cookies at the tables towards the later stages. The crowd support is still poor, mostly foreign tourists and friends of runners, along with a smattering of bemused Romans. Although this year the weather was poor for spectators. The water stations could have had a person sweeping up the cups from the course in the later stages. The water cups for some reason were plastic and hard to run over when the street is filled with them, same goes for the sponge stations. All in all, this is a wonderful course and a great city to visit for a travel marathon, not quite as polished as Chicago and nowhere near the crowd support, but still well worth going. I went with Marathon Tours and it was a top notch experience.
A. G. from London (3/26/2014) "Great scenic course" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is a fantastic course through an amazing city. Organization at the start was chaotic but was ok on course and at the finish. Good medal, rucksack and T shirt
G. E. from USA (12/17/2013) "I Ran with RunITALY.com with one of the Best co." (about: 2013) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Roma (Rome) Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran the ROME Marathon with RunITALY.com with RUN ITALY TOURS... they were Awesome and so was the course. We did it the right way,,,,don't miss out! Do this race and make sure you do this with the Best Tour company I've ever been with... RunItaly.com
C. A. from Asunción- Paraguay South america (12/5/2013) "The beauty of Rome + good organization = Fantastic" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 6+ Roma (Rome) Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I'm from Paraguay South America. I am 60 years old and my 23 marathon was in Rome marathon Fabulous the Rome marathon. Excellent tour of the main sights of Rome. Very efficient organization provision of drinks, good closure of streets,
g. w. from NYC, USA (5/2/2013) "great 1st international marathon" (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my 1st international marathon (I've done 40+) and my girlfriends 1st. A great place to do your 1st international marathon. The city is unbelievable so it's a great way to see Rome and combine it with a marathon. Course is fun, food on the course great, and the view spectacular. We wouldn't recommend using Marathon Tours. They left us on our own even though they were suppose to handle everything. Book on your own.

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