I ran the half marathon and took up this race as a training race for the Edinburgh Marathon in June. Course had many turns throughout, except for two stretches. Fan support was great given that the weather was cold, wet and terrible. Thank goodness the rain held off 'til the end of the half marathon. Surprisingly enough, there were so many water stations that I actually had to pass up on 30% of them (very rare in a European race). Finish was great running into the huge soccer stadium filled with spectators and big screens with roaming cameras on the finishing runners.

A carnival was even going on next to the stadium, which my kids enjoyed a great deal (especially since the weather was so bad). Dropping off your dry clothing bag was very disorganized and picking up your bag was even worse. This needs improvement. On-site registration was located in the ice skating rink next to the stadium but the people were extremely informative and helpful. Start and finish take place at/near the stadium, which is actually a sports school area for training of all types of sports ( mostly soccer, of course). Would I run it again? Probably not. Too many other races are closer and better organized.

The Rhein-Ruhr Marathon is one of the oldest urban German marathons. This year they celebrated the 20th edition of the race. The organization before, during, and after the marathon is close to perfect. It's a race put on by runners for runners. The course is almost flat, and fast, so PB's are possible. It is not the most picturesque course I've ever seen, but it's still interesting (the course runs through the change of suburbs, roads along the river, and the port area). For the first half, there is limited interest and support from spectators, but it gets better the closer you get to the finish. This year, the temperature was extremely high: up to 30C (90F). Overall, it was a very enjoyable marathon.

I´m from Duisburg, so it is my 'Home-Marathon'. I like it, because I see my city from another perspective. It is a flat and fast course through Duisburg, which ist the 12th largest city of Germany, there are ca. 50,000 spectators and ca. 2,700 runners, mostly from the surrounding area. The finish is in a soccer-stadium with a few thousand spectators, it is great. The course is varied, but there are not many places of interest, maybe the River Rhein or the port. From 2002 there is also a half marathon.