Extremely well organized expo and race. It's exactly the mid/big city race I was expecting.

The course looks very loopy with a ton of turns on a map. I worried that they would sap momentum, but it actually kept the course fresh for me. There were very few 'hills' (originally from Utah) and many excellent views. The most memorable being the last kilometer - noticeably downhill towards the river. Really breathtaking.

The crowds were great - everything from drumlines to grandmas banging on cooking pots. There weren't more than a few meters without a spectator.

Top notch efficiency from registration to the finishing area. There could have been a bit more music blasting at the start, but it was a Sunday in Germany. Highly recommended race if you're in the area.

This is a great marathon to do if you are looking for a cheap weekend away in Europe that involves running a marathon, as I often find myself doing. The city centre is very close to the airport, so an easy place to fly in and out of for a weekend

Organisation - it is Germany, so faultless. Refreshments along the course were great (and frequent) and the refreshments area and the end of the race was the best I have seen in a long time. Very friendly volunteer staff as well

The course - very flat, my only minor complaint is the number of turns on the course which gets annoying after a while

Crowd - excellent.

Nice views. Indeed, over the Rhine on the bridge, it's fantastic. Now, it doesn't last long. But the rest remains impressive. Very well organized, nice crowd, responsive public.

Dusseldorf may not have the glamour name of Berlin or Hamburg but is a must for a German run if you fancy one.
Great course. Flat and interesting. Support and marshaling are top-notch. The expo is a bit minimal, and expect to pay for a t-shirt (I got a free one for saying thanks to organizers, which was very nice.) No pasta party. Good finish by the Rhine, with free beer (non-alcoholic) and loads of food in the tented area. The downside was that water was in cups, and this year it was hot, so bottles would`ve been helpful. Nice, compact city center for a weekend trip.

Course is very flat, nice enough for a city run. Good organization in general, but the finish was a bit too restricted, with covered fencing making it not so fun (couldn't meet up with family). The weather was very hot this year. The crowd was a plentiful and very enthusiastic, but the price tag of this marathon is a bit high, with a very thin goody bag.

The race has a fast course, with unforgettable specators all over. You have a good view of the Rhine River. I should emphasize: Very fast course. The winner in 2007 finished in 2:09:47. The women's winner ran a 2:29. In 2005, the same woman finished in 2:26:44. I'll come back.

This marathon goes from one neighborhood to another starting and finishing in the old city. It avoids parks, yet the views of the Rhein River and the different neighborhoods make the course always interesting. The course is almost flat with only two noticeable bumps of about 15 meters (45 feet) at the bridges. The last three kilometers are filled with enthusiastic spectators providing the moral boost to climb the second bridge and get to the finish line.

The marathon is well organized with plenty of refreshments and provision during and after the race. Start and finish are very close. Bags are left and retrieved at the same location a few hundred meters from the finish and start line. The official marathon hotel offers a great package that makes life easy for outside the city competitors. Ease of payment for the marathon however needs to be improved for non-Europeans: payment is only by bank transfer.
The marathon is fairly small: around 4,000 people and it is easy to get to the desired pace quickly.

This was my fourth marathon and by far the best to date. A great, scenic course with unbelieveable spectators. Two good bridges at 29 and 39K were a nice challenge. This was my first marathon in Europe but definitely not my last. The fans were numerous and crazy. The water stops were adequate. Plenty of bananas on the course, which was also a plus. The only negative was that the sports drink tasted nasty. BYO Gatorade!