The Breakfast Run: a must.

Spacey organization hall (registration, exhibition, massage, help point) with perfect organization. Everything was at the same place, including the race start and finish. Wonderful. The course touched nearly every place of interest in Barcelona. I was impressed. The weather at that time: perfect (18°C, sunny) for a good pace.

I agree with the other comments posted here- if you run one marathon, run Barca!! My goal was sub-4 hours and I finished with a PB of 3:40.

The course is well laid out - a bit hilly at the front and back, but it moves very well. The crowd is amazing and the available drinks and snacks are plentiful.

We lucked out this year weather-wise - 15 degrees C (upper 50's F), low humidity and a cloudless sky.

Starting and ending in Placa de Espana was amazing - I'll never forget it!

Gracias, Barca!!

Arriving in Barcelona after a cold and snowy winter in Norway, I had no great expectations on my own behalf. As it turned out, I ran to a personal best, having enjoyed almost every step of the 42K. The atmosphere was great throughout the race, and the crowd, although a bit scarce in a couple of areas, was very supportive. Do I need mention the lovely surroundings which the race goes through? The great thing about this race is that it stays mainly in the center of Barcelona, giving the runners ample opportunities for sightseeing while running!

What I found lacking, though, was a bit more information from the organizers before the race - how to get to the expo, start, etc. And maybe some emails containing more general information, which help to boost morale and get runners into the spirit of the race, so to speak.

I will recommend this to anyone contemplating running a marathon in Barcelona. Will definitely return!

This was my first marathon, and it was a fantastic experience. I thought the course was great, the spectators were so supportive, and the city is wonderful. This year's race coincided with the Carnival, so at the start there were still club kids out in their costumes cheering for us. I liked that it stayed inside the city. There were lots of runners, so there were always people around, and going through the Gothic Neighborhood at the end was fun, though in places the spectators were crowded in so much that only two runners could get through. I ran this after not training for 5 weeks due to an ankle injury, and my time was great. I thought the course seemed quite flat.

This was my first European marathon and I am very glad I did it. I recommend this marathon to those interested in a European marathon. Overall a solid B+ race. If you want to run a marathon in Europe, this is a good one. Here are the details:

Expo  B  typical. Packet picket was easy. Typical vendors and typical stalls.

Pre-Race  A  at the bag drop area there was a large area to wait inside until right before the race. Considering it was in the mid-40s this was a very nice benefit.

Start  A  lots of people around to cheer you on. Very organized. 15,000 runners through the start line in less than 10 minutes.

Crowds  C  there are plenty of people at the start and finish and a few areas during the race, but, overall you are running through a major city without a lot of cheering.

Aid Stations  A  I thought I would hate having stations every 5k (3.1 miles), but, when you can swing through and grab a bottle of water and a bottle of Power Aide you realize it is great. You can sip along the way. They did try at some stations to give you cups of Power Aide, but bottles were readily available. Forgetting the environmental impact, if every marathon offered bottles of water and Power Aide every 5k, it would be great. (I am a convert!)

Course  B+  you hit all the main sites in Barcelona and it is relatively flat. There are a few long rises and declines but overall it works, except one thing; the finish. The last two miles are uphill. And while the incline is not too significant, it is miles 24  26.2. Ugh. For that reason alone, I could not give it an A.

Finish  A-  forgetting the course for a moment, the finish is very good. Big crowds and loud music.

Post-race  B-  water, Aide, fruit and nuts. Nothing special, nothing bad. Seemed easy for folks to find family.

Weather  A  started in upper 40s and finished in the upper 50s. Sunny. Very typical weather for this time of year.

I personally could not recommend this marathon enough.

I have run a couple of other marathons in European cities but found this head and shoulders above the others.

I have never been so relaxed around a run, which meant I could thoroughly enjoy myself throughout.

As a foreigner running a marathon, I would recommend Barcelona because:

Firstly, the race is a circuit, which means you begin and finish in the same place. This allows people to organize and agree on meeting spots with friends and family before the race has begun. In my experience with point-to-point marathons, this is invariably harder to achieve and can result in undue worry.

Secondly, and seemingly unique, the expo is in the same place as the start and finish. This allowed me to book a hotel 5 minutes away from the start, the finish and the expo. It relieved all the stress of getting to the start line and meant I was only (a now) 15-minute walk from the shower when I finished

The appeal of the city speaks for itself, and the marathon allows runners to experience all of them. I loved the T-shirt that they provided and enjoyed the breakfast run as well - coincidentally in the same place as the start, finish and expo....

Finally, I loved starting the run to a number of fountains exploding to Freddie Mercury's "Barcelona" and running past the Nou Camp....

Fantastic city; fantastic people. Everything to make your experience memorable.

Considering the Barcelona night life, I wasn't surprised not to see too many people at the beginning of the race. However, the crowd support starting at the halfway mark was great.

The last 10K through the heart of downtown are simply incredible, although the last couple on a light climb are tough.

No problem recommending this run to all - beginners and experienced alike.

I will start with the expo; it was well run, and it was easy to get your number, etc. Getting to the race was no problem as the underground is right at the start. All in all, this is a well organized race. The course is not as flat or as scenic as I would have expected, but it's pleasant enough. There's plenty of water as well as sponge stops along the way, and the finish is well organized. Would I do this race again? Probably NOT, as someone stole my wife's purse, and that leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.

Before flying out to Barcelona, there was no email or website info about the expo (although I was listed on the runners list), which was disconcerting; and the phone number listed on the website did not work. On my return, I found an email sent the day I flew out (5 days before the run), which was a little too late, in my opinion. However, I found out the expo location from other websites. The expo was at Plaza Espanya, which is very central. I proceeded through expo without difficulty, collecting my number, chip, and running top (no goody bag).

On the day of the race, I got there easily by metro, which took me directly there. The advantage of having expo at the same location as the start of the run was that there were plenty of indoor toilets, so I never went near a porta-loo! And being female was an advantage, as there was practically no queue. Nice to have an indoor location to keep warm before the start.

On the run itself, it was not too congested at any point on the route. Water, energy drinks, and sponges were frequent, although there were not enough toilets at all. There was some crowd support on route, but there were patches where there was none. The last 4K are hard, as there is a gradual uphill climb. However, the finish was well organized and moved people through efficiently. The weather was 9 degrees, below the 16 degrees typical of March in Barcelona.

I spent six days in Barcelona in total, and generally had a great time apart from one day of heavy rain and one day of snow (the latter is pretty rare in Barcelona). I would recommend it; I got a PB by 4 minutes.

This was a really well organized marathon in a beautiful city, where the route takes you on a sightseeing trip. It is flat, so it's great for achieving personal bests.

The expo was easy to access and well laid out. Quick pick up of numbers, chip testing and t-shirt. Moderate-sized retail area. Prices are not any cheaper than buying in shops. Why can't any of these expos offer specials other than cast-offs in bargain bins??

On the day of the race, the expo's hall was excellent for changing and stretching, warming up, etc. Three minutes later, and I was in my spot waiting for the gun. There was no congestion where I was, in the 4-hour corral. Big, wide streets meant that there was plenty of room to run all the course long.

There are a couple of switchbacks where you get to see people ahead of you, and those (if any) left behind you. Plenty of hydration stations en route, but NO TOILETS. I needed a loo from mile 7 and didn't come across one till I got back to the finish!! This needs to be sorted out. I wasn't the only one. Men were fine if they needed a pee, but loos are used for other reasons too, and I dont think it is acceptable for women to have to pee on the street.

Nice finish area. Water, PowerAde, apples, bananas, nuts, and raisins were all at the finish. Chips were cut off, the medal was given out, and then there was a one-minute hobble to the expo hall to change back. Efficient.

I would definitely have another go at this one. Very enjoyable, and great atmosphere among runners and the public.