This is by far my favourite marathon. I ran it twice (2011, 2012) and it has some beautifull stretches, passing via the royal palace, the beautifull Ter Kameren and Tervuren parks, and finishing on the famous Grote Markt.

It's true the course mainly runs through the suburbs of Brussels, but it's the upperclass part of Brussels, so there are wide and beautifull lanes. Take care: It's quite hilly. Expect some harder work at km18, km30 and km38.

There were about 2.000 participants for the marathon, and about 10.000 for the half marathon, which in my opnion was more then enough because the half-marathon runners join the marathon at km38. In this way it was allways possible to run your own pace.

Sport drinks were handed out in 33cl bottles, which allows you to keep on drinking after the refreshment points. The people handing them out were very supportive.

It's quite a tough race due to the hills, especially the one at km38. In 2011 it was my first marathon (3h47), in 2012 I managed to run it in 3h24.

I'll certainly be back in 2013!

I didn't expect much for this marathon after reading all the negative comments on this site. But it is not as bad as some make it out to be. The course is mostly very pleasant, if rather hilly and this year it was hot. The beginning and end are definitely the highlights, especially running towards the Cinquentenaire arch towards the end, and finishing on the Grande Place is fabulous.
Several runners were being accompanied by coaches on bikes which is usually regarded as cheating.
Spectators were thin on the ground, but that was just as well since most of the ones I passed were either smoking or smelled of smoke. Everyone seems to smoke here.
Expo was disappointing, virtually nothing to see or buy but no queues either.
I think the race would be much improved if it had more runners and would then have more of a big city marathon feel to it.

Since Brussels is my capital, I have completed the marathon already 2 times. The first one in 2008, which was my first marathon ever. 4h of non stopping rain made it a hard and cold experience, but the feeling when I reached the finish (in exactly 4h) was amazing.
The 2nd time I participated was on 10/10/10. Without any specific preparation during the summer (other priorities), I improved by personal record at that time (3h38).

The course itself is the hardest I ran so far (Brussels, New York, Antwerp, Berlin, London, Stockholm) but I do like some variation instead of flat the whole time.
Also the variation of city and a green environment makes it a nice course for me.

The biggest problem in Belgian marathons I experienced are the spectators, or the lack of them. There are few or no spectators between 10K and 35K. Only around the finish line on sunny days (as in 2010) the streets are crowded.

The transport of the clothing from the start to the finish line is well organized. It is a small walk between the finish line and the point where you can claim your bag, but it seems like doing another marathon :)

Only the first few and the last few kilometers were in Brussels. The rest of the race was in suburbs and in a forest - a beautiful forest, I have to add, and the only flat part of the course. The rest of it was very hilly and unexciting.

Spectators were very few and very bored while waiting for their family member to pass - not cheering others at all.

Water came in large bottles that were tossed away by runners after a few gulps. What a waste! The sport drinks came in smaller bottles and... sealed. If after 35 K you still have energy to unseal a bottle, good for you! Bananas were accurately cut into small rings but also un-peeled, which was inconvenient.

There are very few runners around you if you are moving slower than the 4-hour pace, but the water stations were still there for you.

The marathon course map both on the website and the one given to you at the expo (if you can call one small room an "expo") doesn't have any kilometer or mile marks on it. Never seen anything like this! I understood why when I was running. In my opinion, the KM markers were VERY approximate.

In general, I expected the Brussels Marathon to feel like a marathon in a capital of the country, and in an official capital of the European Union. Instead it felt like a small, quite challenging but unexciting local marathon. It is a pity!

I couldn't say how the crowd support is because I started the race 12 minutes late and basically ran it all by my lonesome. The organization was great, and the volunteers are very helpful.

It was a pretty course, albeit a hilly one. There's a long out-and-back loop that's encouraging because you see the elite runners muscling back from Tervuren at unreal speeds.

Running in the forest of tall trees is a plus, as is circling the Tervuren Lake.

I was caught off-guard by the 5-hour time limit. I expected to run in sub-four hours and ran it in 4:49, which, coupled with my 12-minute delay at the start, put me right into the time limit situation. You can run the race in six hours, but the streets are open to cars after five, so if you go over the limit, you have to run on the sidewalk and wait for traffic lights just like pedestrians.

Great (though hilly) course along the nicest parts of Brussels. A lot of beautiful green areas, but unfortunately the weather was very Belgian. It didn't stop raining for 1 second! Organization during the race was perfect, but before and after, there's certainly room for improvement.

This was my 46th marathon, but first one run in Europe. I was less than impressed right from the "expo" (even though the course was nice and quite challenging). The expo consisted of a few tables with running shoes and a spattering of pamphlets from other upcoming marathons. I may have spent a total of five minutes at the expo only because I was in a small line to pick up my number.

The course is set up well, with markers every kilometer, and the aid stations offer plenty of water and sports drinks, although I stayed away from the sports drinks after the first two aid stations because they were too sweet for my taste.

The finish line was less than spectacular. Finishing in La Grande Plaza was nice, but making turns on wet cobblestone roads into a cramped finish line area (I didn't even recognize the line!) had me being careful not to sustain an injury instead of enjoying the finish. The clothing pick-up area was located about a mile from the finish line, which dampened my spirits and left me very cold in rain - 20-30 mph winds and temps in the low- to mid-40's (same conditions throughout the marathon). Water and sports drinks were available at the finish, but there was an absence of food. Overall, the finish line was the poorest part of the organization. The start line was nice and the race director did a good job to get the race started on time in less than favorable conditions.

I'm a little disappointed with this being my first European marathon, but in the next two years living abroad, I hope that perspective is changed as I participate in others... like Paris in April 2009 as my next one.

The ING Brussels Marathon is a very well organized marathon. In 2008 we had about 1,200 marathon finishers and 4,500 half marathoners. The marathon starts at 9 a.m., while the half marathon starts at 10:30 a.m.

At KM 36, the marathoners join the half marathoners and run together all the way to La Grand Place in downtown Brussels.

In 2008 we were not lucky with the weather. It was about 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit (8-12 degrees Celsius), windy, and it rained all the way.

Despite this, I had such a good time and enjoyed the course. The course is very scenic. You run through the center of the city, some residential areas, some parks and woods.

The course is challenging, as it consists of many inclines and downhills. There course also consists of a few cobblestone streets, but I didn't feel much of a difference.

The race support was great. The water and juice (energy drink) were provided in bottles. I think it is easier to drink from a bottle than from cups while running (however, it's a huge waste of water, since I only need 3-5 sips every 2-3 KM - not a full bottle).
At some point in the race, I even had a guy in a bicycle come next to me and handing a water while I ran. Some bananas are offered throughout the course.

The crowd support is limited since we run through residential areas and parks. The weather in 2008 didn't help either. You will encounter some minimal crowd supports in a few areas, but mainly at the finishing area.

Since it was cold when I finished, it felt good to be able to take a shower. We did have to walk a kilometer, but I usually like to walk after running a marathon.

At the finish line there was a bunch of drinks (water, juice and energy drinks), but I didn't find much food. I am usually hungry after a marathon, but my relatives waited for me at the finish line and we went to a restaurant afterward.

From a US perspective, I would say this marathon is NOT for beginners. The field in Brussels is much faster than in the US. You will feel very lonely if you complete a marathon in over four and a half hours. The streets open behind a five-hour-marathoner pace and the finish area closes after six hours. After I took my shower, I passed by the finishing area, and even though it was the 4:30 marathoners coming, the finish area really felt lonely. Very few runners come after 4:30.

Also, a difference between the US and Brussels is the demographics of the field. Usually in the US we have about 60% males and 40% female. In Brussels you'll have about 90-95% males and 5-10% females. I saw more women in the half-marathon, but nowhere as many in proportion as in the US. You can even see the difference between the male winner (2:11 in 2007 and 2:19 in 2008) to the female winner (3:13 in 2007 and 3:15 in 2008), a relatively slow time for a female winner and huge gap between the male and female winner in a major city marathon (Brussels may not be Paris or London, but it is still the headquarter of the EU and NATO).

I do speak French, but if you don't, and you don't speak Dutch either, there is no need to worry; most people speak English.

I would recommend this course for marathoners who can comfortably run a marathon in at least five hours.

One of the best courses I have run.
No boring sections; very scenic; but it
is demanding, very up and down with a quad killer descent at finish at the
beautiful Grand Place.
It takes in alot of Brussels eastern
side which has many tree filled parks.
Fab start, but take care of some street furniture.
Not a huge marathon so no problem with
congestion, but not too small that you can become isolated.
A half starts 1 1/2 hours after marathon and merges with about 6k to go
so you can use these runners to drag yourself along if tiring.
At start the airplane part of a military museum open so could chill out and get ready there which was novel.
Well marshaled, traffic free, and enough stuff at feed stations.
Not very expensive to enter, but then
there is no pasta party and minimal goodies (though you get a little rucksack). Expo also minimal, so stock up with what you need prior to trip.
Support poor for Europe`s `capital`.
Also I`m glad I didn`t bother with a
bag to pick up(I rarely do) as pick up
was a long way away from finish.
An excellent autumn city marathon, but not for a beginner.

This was my first marathon, and having lived in Brussels years ago, I thought it would be fun to run this one. It was fun, but it was a little disappointing that the marshals took the KM signs down before everyone had finished the race - they were the things keeping me going, so from 36 KM on, I was guessing. I finished thanks to the race finishers who were on their way back to cheer me on and support me - so thanks to all of them. Although I had fun, I would not recommend this race to anyone wishing to run with crowds of other runners for atmosphere, or if you are intending on taking longer than 4 and half hours - the support from the organizers around the route is just not there. But a very pretty route.