Really good marathon. I have lived in Germany for three years now, and this was my 12th marathon. There has been some good ones and not so good... but this one is very good.

The course takes you along the lake which on the nice day is just spectacular. Once in Austria and then Switzerland, you are running through the neighborhoods with not much too see, so use this time to concentrate and save energy. Finishing in Bregenz, which is very touristy this time of a year, provides plenty of supporters and on-lookers.

Also, its' a very flat course. The website doesn't provide the info about the elevation, but it's super flat. This reason plus the mild to cool temps this time of a year constitute a good recipe for your next PR.

Overall, highly recommended. There aren't many marathons I would do again, but this one would be the one!

This marathon is set in some stunning scenery, along Lake Constance and always surrounded by some beautiful mountains, yet the course itself is flat as a pancake.

The start and finish are about 7 miles from each other, and the organizers urge everyone to park their cars near the finish and get a (free) boat to the starting line. I followed that advice, and was completely taken aback by the queue, as the other 5,000 participants seemed to have followed the same advice. I think they had to organize an extra boat in the end, because the one I went on left well after all the other ones, but it still got us to the start in time.

The information pack was supposed to include a map of Lindau (start) and Bregenz (finish), but I didn't receive any maps in mine, which made hunting for a suitable parking space a bit of a shot in the dark (though I did manage just fine). They also did not include any information on how to attach the running chip to the shoe. If this had been my first marathon, I would not have had a clue on what to do.

The first 9 miles or so were run on small pathways or even dirt roads that were not really suited for the number of participants. I really got stuck in the crowd and was not able to run at my planned pace - though that was probably a good thing, because I would have started too fast otherwise. Next year they are planning to run on the main road, which would definitely be advisable, especially if the number of runners keeps increasing.

The water stations were very frequent, and stocked with a big variety of drinks: water, sports drink, fruit tea (warm, which was actually helpful, because it was a cold day) and cola were always available, as well as dextrose, bananas and carbohydrate bars.

The number of helpers along the course was massive; on each tiny crossroad there was at least one person standing, directing everyone onto the right track, even if nobody in their right minds would have gone off the course on most of them.

The spectators were fantastic; the weather was dreadful on the day, cold and raining heavily, but a big number of spectators turned up anyway and gave encouragement to all the runners.

The organization at the finish was great too; there was free food for every runner (even beer, which I regretfully had to decline as I had to drive home afterwards) and the clothes bag had been delivered safely from the start, which was definitely a good thing as it contained my mobile phone as well as my car keys. I would have been rightly buggered if they had gone missing!

If it hadn't been for the dreadful weather conditions, this would have been a fantastic run. Next year, if the course will run on the main road rather than some dirt roads, it should be even better. I can definitely recommend it.

That was the fifth time the marathon has been organized, and four of those were affected by bad weather. Their luck is bound to change soon. ;-)

The 2004 3-Lander Marathon is the 4th marathon that I've run in the past three years. And it was certainly in the most beautiful location. The course runs along the gorgeous Bodensee starting in Lindau, Germany, and running back through Brengez, Austria, then briefly through Switzerland, and then finishing in a stadium back in Bregenz.

You can get by with speaking English, but it certainly helps to know some German. I knew enough German that it allowed me to start up conversations with people and then switch back and forth between the two languages as needed.

Although the area is surrounded by high mountains, the course itself is almost completely flat, staying along the Bodensee and in the valley areas. The only 'hills' are where you have to go up and over rivers or roads on bridges. Most of the path is asphalt, but some is cobblestone, and some is dirt/gravel as it follows along the lake, over small rivers, and through the towns. Some of the path is open, but other portions are lined with beautiful trees and therefore well shaded.

Since the weather was perfect this year, there were actually quite a few spectators along the way, standing their backyards along narrow cobblestone streets, yelling (I think) 'Ab, Ab' and 'Super' as you run by. Last year (2003) apparently it was about 40 degrees and pouring down rain ... so weather can be an issue.

It should be possible to run a personal best on this course, but you'll need to watch out because several areas are pretty narrow. There were around 5,000 people running this year (1/2 and full), so the start is pretty crowded.

Although the first two water stations were at 5K and 10K, after that there were water/juice stations about every 2K. Be warned however, that you might end up with warm tea if you're not careful! They also provided bananas at several of the later stops.

The nudel party (pasta party) was pretty low key, but I did meet and talk (combination of German and English) to many people. The exibition was almost nonexistent, but that's not why I went.

The finisher medal was large, and rather average in appearance, but it is one I will treasure since it is my first 'international' marathon. Although the website indicated there was supposed to be a finisher T-Shirt, I did not receive one when I crossed the line. This was possibly a language problem on my end, but I'm following up to see if I can still get it.

I stayed at the Mercure hotel/casino in Bregenz which was only a 5 minute walk from the finishing line, so I had no problems going back to my hotel to shower and change. There were also showers and change facilities available at the finish area. The hotel area was very noisy at night on Friday and Saturday due to the Casino next door, so if you have trouble sleeping you might want to try a different location.

If my business travel plans allow, I'd certainly run this one again!