I ran the half-marathon, since I was in the area, and included it in my training for a marathon. The whole organization was just so neat! Although I registered the same day in the morning, it was very easy and straightforward. After I picked up my chip, I also got a t-shirt and a bottle of Trollinger (which is a local red wine and the namesake of the marathon). The run itself was mainly flat, apart from a hill at about halfway through. It went through the beautiful vineyards and orchards. Basically, a very green and refreshing track. What struck me the most was the friendliness of the people there. The bystanders were cheering and the people living along the track provided water, cold showers and lots of motivation. The town of Heilbronn is about half an hour from Stuttgart, so if you are in the area at that time, definitely don't miss it. It was a FANTASTIC experience for me!

First off, I speak very little German. I happened to be in Germany on business when the race was scheduled so I decided to sign-up for the 1/2 Marathon. With a little help from race organizers, I was able to register on Saturday before race day. The form was in German so I had to improvise a bit since the address format for USA is different. After I got my packet, I visited the small expo. As I left the expo, I picked-up my bottle of wine, which is given to each person who enters. On race day, I arrived early and just followed the crowds. Once I figured out where the start was, I got towards the back. There were about 5000 1/2 Marathoners and 1000 full. They started the full as one group at 9:00 AM and the half in four groups, starting at 10:30 AM. The conditions were great. Overcast for most of the run, with a small shower and then sunny towards the end. The course was fun and so were the crowds. As a US runner, I really liked running in KMs vs. miles. They were faster splits and it felt like I was making progress the entire run. Much of the course was low rolling hills, except for one large one up into some vineyards outside of Heilbronn about halfway through the race. The trip down the hill was my favorite part of the run and really boosted me towards the end in the Frankenstadion.