. . . You can feel the people's pride in this marathon while you are running it. Lebanon lacks infrastructure to support most sports (i.e. you probably won't see a single soccer field), so the Lebanese are very proud that they have a major world marathon. If you are coming from the US or GB, you will probably be surprised at how welcoming and warm the people are towards you. Beirut is infused with western culture. The people want you to like their city, and it shows.
. . . One of the comments below referred to 'boring waterfront construction.' The route has changed in recent years, and it now bypasses that old route and goes through lived-in neighborhoods. There is always something either curious or breathtaking to look at while you are running, which helps the 26.2 go by quickly. For e.g., google 'pidgeon rock' and you'll see an amazing rock island that it goes past at about mile 7 - really cool! Also, a great thing about this marathon is that it hits the neighborhoods of every major ethnic group - of which their are several - so you get an accurate cross section of the culture.
. . . As of this writing, the New York Marathon is up to over $200 USD, so at $80 USD, the entry fee for Beirut is a bargain.

My 6th Marathon in 7 years finished with PB sub 4. Very pleased.
The course was great undulated challenging 1st half eased off second half, would be good to consider coming back along the costal line if poss as there was a lack of spectators so maybe the runners can enjoy sea view rather running through unpleasant smell in Dora ' no offence' in addition I feel strongly so let down by big marathon sponsorer such as MEA with their unfriendly faire from London to Beirut $725 is disgusting especially when coming on half empty flight, they could fill it up with runners at a reduced calculated rate, shame on you MEA carrying our Cedar logo.
Back to race, many water stations some Sporting Gel which was very much needed well located on the second half, fantastic finish, unlike other runners I won't complain about the distance although I did clock 26.6 miles instead of 26.2, but you should draw blue line similar to the one in London Marathon.
Well done and thank you for a great race, you deserve a tap on the shoulder & hat off, providing you believe in continuous improvement in no time Beirut Marathon will be attracting 1000s of Marathon runners from all over.
Estatic Beirut Marathon 2011 finisher :-)

Well organized. Drink stations were plentiful. It was convenient that the first half had 50 meters of elevation loss. But how can it be that our three Garmin watches consistently recorded a distance of about 42.7 KM (officially +500 meters) on this AIMS certified race? Half of the route was in a coastal construction area. Boring.

The City of Beirut clearly cares about the marathon and it shows. The spectators aren't overly abundant (the course isn't really conducive to this in many places) but they make up for it in enthusiasm. The people clearly love their city and want you to love it too.

Probably the most heavily armed group of marathon spectators overall, due to the military and police presence - but I was high-fiving these guys, truthfully. Weather was a bit rough (cold and raining) but didn't really affect things too much.

Would definitely do it again. Beirut is a perfect city to do a race in, and I had a great time.

I loved it. Everything was perfect.

The Beirut Marathon in 2008 was great. About half of the runners were foreigners - making it feel international, but not too much as it did have a distinct Lebanese character. The weather was good, a little warm towards the end, but I think the temperature was above average. The first half of the course was amazing, weaving through parts of Beirut that, as a tourist, you'd never likely see. The second half was less fun, being pretty much a straight out-and-back on the road towards Byblos. However, even that wasn't too terrible, as the road's close to the Mediterranean, and so it's definitely tolerable. The best part of the race was the refreshments: water every 2.5K (1.5 miles). From memory, I think only the very best marathons in the US gave water as frequently as three miles, and so having to only wait half that time was amazing - it means you can take very small amounts of water very frequently, which feels much better than large, less frequent drinks. The fresh dates at the end were amazing! The spectators were good, though, with running not being too big a part of Lebanese culture, a large number of them seemed mystified as to what we were doing. The only bad things I can think of were the packet pickup being located far from anywhere you'd want to be in Beirut - a more central location would be much better - and the t-shirt was rubbish (and oddly, the same as that given to the 10K runners).

I was surprised that after 25 KM and 3 hours, I couldn't find water and the answer was: "sorry"!

I have run 120 marathons and 100-KM races so far, and I have never seen such a thing; it is SHAMEFUL! After 4 hours in the race, we were left on our own, roads were opened, and water and energy drinks were removed in fewer than 15 minutes. It was like an adventure, asking people for directions, buying water and sugar from shops, and running in the middle of crazy car driving. I managed through till the end in one of my most difficult marathons. This is not sport.

I had great expectations of this marathon, and I am dissappointed to say that I had the worst running experience of my life. The main reason for this is that all of the water stations and gatorade stations were closed after we hit the 22 km mark, leaving us to scrounge for any source of hydration for the next 20 km. It was an unseasonable warm day, and the organizers should have been prepared. You should never leave your runners out to fend for themselves, especially when you promise them adequate hydration. Most people just gave up because they couldn't take it anymore. I will more than likely never run this race again, which is sad for me because I enjoy running marathons and want to support this city. Really, this is a 10k event only, catering only to elite marathon runners and the 10 k Fun-Runners, and should no longer be marketed as a full marathon event

Lovely city, lovely people, and a truly awesome organizational effort by the BMA resulted in a memorable race. Great expo: dancing fire-eater, matchstick replica of the Titanic, awesome food. A little hilly; would-be spectators were low on quantity but high on quality due to simultaneous 10K and family events. Lovely tour of a city working hard to come together in times of trouble. Don't miss it!!!!