Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Apr 28, 2024

Prague International Marathon Runner Comments

Back to Prague International Marathon Information & Reviews

Course 3.7

Organization 4.0

Spectators 3.1

Number of comments: 48 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]

Frank Juodvalkis from Columbus Ohio USA (5/24/2011) "A wonderful place to run!" (about: 2011) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Prague International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course was ideal for mecoming off knee surgery, the flat course was great. Cobblestones were a bit of worry, but since I had to run slowly anyway.... You can't beat Prague's scenery and the frequent river crossings, bridge crossings notwithstanding, were fun. I loved the Old Town Square start and finish. The organization has room for improvement. There was no acknowledgment that I, indeed, had ever signed up. I even e-mailed the question to the address provided. And, a map to the expo, with directions on which trolley to take, would have been wonderful. Does anyone know the name of the music played over the loudspeakers at the start? I was too much in my own world to notice it, but my wife loved it and would like to know what it was. Please write if you know the name of the music. All in all, an excellent marathon.
J. L. from Montreal, Canada (5/20/2011) "The marathon experience of a lifetime!" (about: 2011) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Prague International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was only my second marathon, but what a fantastic experience! First of all, the city is simply gorgeous and the course offers a wonderful tour of it. I did not find it a difficult course, but some attention has to be given to the cobblestones and the tram tracks. They are not everywhere, only in some sections of the city. No big deal. The weather was perfect, and I liked the 9 o'clock start. The organization was outstanding, from the expo the day before to all of the services offered to the runners the day of the race, nothing was forgotten. The crowd was very international, very supportive, making it fun and lively - you really felt that you were a star in the city. I BQed without even expecting it (this was supposed to be a training run for me) but I believe that the city itself made me run faster than I had expected and got me to give my best that day. I would really love to run that marathon again in the future. Do yourself a favor and visit Prague as a race destination, as well as a great vacation place. Thank you to the Volkswagen Prague Marathon Organization and to all of the people of Prague!
René Ghosh from Paris, France (7/9/2010) "Perfect-sized marathon in a gorgeous city" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Prague International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The course is looped in such a way as to make one run the final 10K along the same path as the first 10K, which could be disheartening, but I didn't feel so at all. The scenery is beautiful, including multiple passages over Pragues' bridges, crossing back and forth over the river a few times. The number of participants may grow in the coming years. I found the race crowd to be ideal: not so many runners as to crowd the street and render passing people difficult, and just enough runners to make it a hearty collective experience. The volunteers are friendly and helpful. In the 2010 edition the race, refreshments focused on healthy food: mostly fruit, which I thoroughly appreciated. I was warned about the cobblestone segments being hard on the ankles, but I found the cobblestones to be rather flat and it wasn't an issue for me. Spectator crowd was good, too. Never crowding into the street and nevertheless cheering well. I recommend this race. If, like me, you're coming in from abroad, there's so much to visit in this city. Take the time to check out the Castle and the old city. After the marathon, take a boat trip: it's easy on your legs and you will see many of the sights you crossed while running.
L. M. from Chicago, IL (5/19/2010) "Definitely worth it, but probably not twice" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Prague International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Pre-Race: I didn't feel communication from the race organization was great. I had sent a few emails requesting information or clarification and all went unanswered. That was frustrating. That said, the expo itself was easy to get to (by streetcar) and packet pick-up was a breeze. Race Day: Trying to find gear-check was nearly impossible. No volunteers or info booth could be found to ask a question of. Once I figured out where it was, trying to get there among the throngs of people was actually impossible. So I abandoned that attempt. The lines for the porta-johns about 30 minutes prior to the race were so long that that attempt also had to be abandoned. Getting into the corral was insanity. The Race: All that said, once we got going, things went very smoothly. There were parts that were very congested (e.g., why would you have the relay hand-off in a constricted bridge underpass?). The cobblestones (perhaps 10% of the course?) weren't as bad as I'd feared. The number of water/drink stations was excellent, as were the volunteers helping. Also, given the temps, I appreciated that they had sponges. The course is pretty flat, except for the bridge underpasses. If you can't tolerate running a race that's not an out-and-back or point-to-point, then this race isn't for you. A good majority of the course was repeated. Post-Race: Lesson to be learned: don't get your medal engraved right after a race. My friend offered to stand in line to have it done. Well, they engraved the clock time, not my real time. Nevertheless, I'm glad that I ran the race. There are many scenic parts and it's a nice way to see the city.
K. K. from Roscommon, Ireland (5/11/2010) "Excellent race" (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Prague International Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Expo: I found it a little hard to find. After getting off of the metro, a few signs would have been nice. Once I found it I was very impressed. Having only run halves before, it seemed huge to me! Picking up my race pack was totally smooth. The T-shirt was lovely; I'll use it while training without a doubt. Race day: Free public transportation on race day made getting to the start pleasant. The atmosphere around the start line was great - really got the adrenaline pumping!! The start was a little chaotic - no real organization - but once you cross the start line, the congestion totally eases. The course: Given that Prague is famous for its cobbles and hills, I think they've done an excellent job with the course. It's fairly flat while still getting you in around the major sights. Crowd support was excellent in the center of the town but, of course, as we went farther out of the city, it was quieter. Refreshments were perfect: Water, sports drink, bananas, oranges, salt and sugar every 5K. The weather suddenly turned hot for race day, so in between the 5K refreshment points there was extra water and sponges. I was very impressed, as the weather had been cool and rainy all week. So all in all, I thought it was a very well organized, scenic and, above all, FUN race! If there weren't so many other races that I'm dying to try, I'd be back next year without hesitation!!
A. A. from Gent, Belgium (5/10/2010) "good run, good organization, poor support" (about: 2010) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Prague International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Everything was perfect; we only missed a crowd along the course. I understand why there is no one cheering when you're running along the outskirts of town, but even at 41K you were all alone. There was only a crowd for the last 500 meters.
J. W. from Atlanta, Georgia, USA (1/17/2010) "All in All, A Good Marathon!" (about: 2005) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Prague International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 I ran Prague in 2005. Interesting story - 3 weeks before the race, I was diagnosed with pneumonia and thus ended my training and (I thought) my entrance into the race. I still went to Prague to visit, and ended up getting so excited after seeing the race course, the setup, the expo, and the other runners that I decided to run/walk the marathon after all. I had brought my running shoes but nothing else, so I bought shorts and a shirt and I was off. Finished in a time I'd rather not divulge, but I enjoyed it immensely. Lots of music, an interesting course along the river and in the old town, a bit boring on the out and back but you do get to see the elite runners. Nice medal, too. I didn't mind the cobblestones or the tram tracks - those are the things that make running a marathon in a city so interesting! I'd love to do Prague again without the pneumonia and hope I get the chance!
T. K. from McKinney, TX (5/19/2009) "The city sells itself. The race could be better." (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Prague International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I tend to love every marathon experience I've ever had. In this case, however, I found it petty to require a cash deposit for the chip, even though most people had paid by credit card. That's the first marathon where I've had to do that. We even had to stand in a line in order to pay the deposit. I was told to go to an ATM to get the money (I didn't even know if my US ATM card would work). The rest of the registration was pretty routine. The t-shirt was good. The spectators were fairly plentiful. Very few addressed me by name as I ran, though, even though I displayed it in plain view.
A. S. from Dublin, Ireland (5/15/2009) "I would give it 6 stars if I could!" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Prague International Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Fantastic city and fantastic organization - from landing at the airport (marathon info points), to the very nice goody bags, to the loads of water station during run, to the great course. After crossing the finish line, the text message is sent to your mobile giving your run time! Detailed results (time every 10K) are emailed to you, with a link to pictures.
T. C. from London, UK (5/13/2009) "Not at all bad" (about: 2009) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Prague International Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 A marathon in Prague could mean running all through the historic old town, all on tram lines and cobblestones, or out and back along the somewhat boring roads in and out of town. The Prague International Marathon tries to do a bit of both, and mostly succeeds. Negatives: A choice of pasta sauce (one without meat) would have been good at the pasta party. More volunteers to help pour and hand out water at the water stations would have been good, and would have prevented having to arrive and wait for the water to be poured. Not a lot of support away from the city center. Not a lot at the expo. Positives: Lovely city. Friendly crowd. Mostly flat, although I could have done without the underpasses. Four-thousand runners is a nice number. It took a few minutes to get over the start line, but then I was able to run at my own pace for most of the race.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]

Become an Advertiser

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Click Here: Please visit our Sponsor

Become an Advertiser

© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms of Use