Marathon Details - Turin Marathon

International Marathons > Italy > Turin > Turin Marathon

Turin Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K

Turin, Italy

December 1, 2024

http://www.torinocitymarathon.it/maratona-torino

More Info:	News
Results:	Top 3 Finishers by Year

Contact

Name:	Luigi Chiabrera
Address:	Corso Regina Margherita, 371 10151 Torino Italy
Phone Number:	39 011 4559959
Fax Number:	39 011 4076054
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 3.7

Organization 4.1

Spectators 3.4

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Number of comments: 13 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

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P. S. from Netherlands (11/16/2019) "Great atmosphere in a beautiful city" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great start on a big square, going through small villages with a lot of enthousiastic spectators. Nice city to stay a few days and enjoy the great food and surroundings
A. M. from London, UK (11/16/2014) "A recession hit disorganised marathon" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Turin is a beautiful city and the marathon starts and finishes near some of the best buildings. I think the recession in Italy must have hit both the organisation and race package. There were about 3500 runners. The Expro was a small tent in an open square containing about 15 stands of small niche businesses - no big names. The goodie bag contained a running shirt (yellow!), a can of beer, a small bar of chocolate and 2 chewy sweets. There were no maps, no starting instructions, no arrival guide, no way to attach your chip to your shoe and no kit bag. The start was a total disaster. There were no marshalls to stop slow runners standing at the front. There were no separators between starting corrals, so everyone just squashed to the front. I had a front corral, but could not even enter it until after the gun had gone off. Due to the crush of slow runners and narrowness of the start line, it was jammed until late into mile 1. There were almost no overseas runners I heard, and if you didn't know, Italians don't queue. There were pacers with balloons from 3hr to 4hr paces. I have run 11 marathons and never had to fight for space like in Turin. When you get to about mile 2 there is a bit more space and you head out of town along the river. The course is reasonably flat, with no obvious uphill sections. The support is a thin other than at the city centre section. Drink stations were every 5k with only water bottles. The energy drink was in cups, and therefore undrinkable unless you stop. 5k is too long between stations. The final mile had great support and it felt a good finish, although the start took its toll and I finished 3 minutes slower than Milan, in 3:01:25 Once over the line, you didn't get a space blanket, but a piece of wrapping foam, no finishers bag, a very strange medal (that doubled as a belt buckle!) and no proper food. Bits of dry french toast and orange segments are not what you want after 26 miles. Overall the course is pretty fast but Milan is better. The organisation in Turin cut so many corners, that it spoiled the race in a great city.
L. P. from Canada (12/31/2010) "Great event" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Well organized marathon. Expo was located near the race start/finish; being in downtown Turin makes it a very special experience the church where the Shroud is kept is just a block away. Pasta dinner is included with the registration fee. Despite having indicated that the package would include a technical shirt, it ended up being cotton. If you are from North America, size XL in Italy is the equivalent to size M. This year's package included a knapsack and discount coupons. The Italian national anthem is played at the start of the race. If you are a Formula 1 fan, it brings you memories of races won by Scuderia Ferrari. There were about 2,000 participants in 2010. There are serious runners showing up in this race from running clubs all throughout Italy, as well as a few from France and Germany, and the regulars from Kenya. In general, there are not many overseas runners. This is predominantly an all-Italian event. You will also see average runners, so do not feel that you are going to be left in the dust. There are pacers with different-color balloons; therefore, they are hard to miss. Keep in mind that they will line up wherever in the start area, but they will make up the gap. The starting section is on cobblestones. A few are missing, so you had better watch it on this section- and there are rails from the electrical train system, which make it very easy to twist an ankle. Once you leave the downtown core, the streets turn to asphalt. With the exception of the few small towns you cross on the course, all streets are wide ,even for North American standards, so don't fear being caged in. Aid stations were located where expected; you could have your own concoctions brought in to a table at designated aid stations, but it is usually reserved for the elite runners. As advertised, they were giving water and Gatorade (orange flavor). This event is a big deal for some of the small towns, so expect lots of support, some of them very well organized. If you have an ankle strap, bring it; otherwise, your timing chip will need to be held in place using your shoelaces. The bib number is bigger than average; it is probably better to just pin it to your shirt, as it could be too big for a race belt. Be prepared to line up for the after-race refreshments, but the lines move fast. I did not use the showers in the finish area, so I cannot comment on their condition. The medal and a heat reflective blanket were given at the finish. If you drive into town the day before, keep in mind that parking can be chaotic. You can park in designated areas marked by blue sections at the side of the streets, but be mindful of the streets that will be used on marathon day, as your car can be towed. Best bet is to park on the parking islands available on streets leading to the downtown core. Parking is free on Sunday, but any other day you need to buy parking tickets - 2 euro per hour - and leave them on the dashboard for each hour up to 7:30 p.m. There is also private parking in the inside area of the parking islands.
S. D. from Yorkshire, England (11/28/2010) "Small Field, Great Organization, Fast Finish" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a small enough field to enter late but large enough to enjoy excellent organization. It cost me 40 euros to register and the freebies were of very good quality - a technical running T, socks, and a rucksack. I also got the registration refunded for spending 80 euros at the sponsor's online store, KAPPA. Like at most European marathons, you need a medical certificate to run, but having forgotten mine the organizers were sensible enough to let me run as I was able to prove I had run a marathon 4 weeks before. There are two starting areas, which was a bit confusing as I don't speak Italian, but it was easy enough to work out; the marathon runners congregated at one and the relays, etc., at the other. Crowd support is enthusiastic but limited, especially in the city center. It was nice running through small villages and seeing the local people all turned out in traditional dress. Water is plentiful and in bottles, which I found much better than paper cups. There was also Gatorade, bananas, etc. Having read that the first half of the course was quite tough, I took it much easier than usual. It's nowhere nearly as tough as New York. The last 10K compose just a wonderful downhill finish for tired legs, and I ran a negative split (1:48/1:45).
gavin jones from Rome, Italy (3/29/2009) "Good marathon, strongly recommend" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Turin Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I'm a 48 year-old British runner living in Italy, who has run 10 marathons (PB of 2 hrs 24 mins back in 1995) including Rome, Berlin, Dublin, Venice, Florence and Turin twice. I ran Turin most recently in 2008 and would thoroughly recommend it. It's a pretty fast course that you could do a PB on, mostly around attractive outskirts of Turin. There are plenty of great views of the snowcapped mountains that surround the city as you go along and there is very lively and friendly crowd participation as you pass through what seems like one small community after another outside Turin. On the other hand, don't expect thousands and thousands lining the streets from gun to finish, like you might get in real big-city marathons like Berlin, for example. The start and finish are right in the center of Turin. It's a well organized, medium-sized marathon - not so big that you will have to worry about getting through masses of people at the start, but not so small that you will ever be running by yourself. There was no traffic problem of any sort, the sponge and refreshment stations were all managed very efficiently, and the road surface is good throughout. I ran it in 2:53 in 2008, which I was very pleased with, having run a badly judged 3:11 in Rome the month before, in my first marathon after 13 years of semi-inactivity. All starters also got a good Timex runner's watch, which was a better gift than I have gotten from any other marathon - and of course, there was the usual T-shirt and an attractive finisher's medal. Back in 1992 I did Turin in 2:28, over a very different course, but the organization was equally good. So those are the pluses, which definitely outweigh the one or two negatives which are as follows. First, I found it very difficult to get reliable information on the course before the race. I particularly wanted to know if it was flat/fast, but over the phone I kept getting evasive answers like, "Turin is a flat city" from people who either didn't know much about the course or didn't want to tell me. I said before that it is a pretty fast course, and it is - but it isn't flat (at least not in 2008; it may have changed). There is quite a long, tricky climb soon after the halfway point, which allows an even longer and very useful shallow descent later on when you really need it, in the last third of the race. But the climb can take it out of you if you are not prepared for it, which I wasn't. It would have been so useful if someone had just told me where the tricky bit of the course was and where the fast bit was. Secondly, while the crowds are great over most of the course, they are pretty sparse between 38K and 41K, when they would obviously be very welcome! And finally, the organizers said you would have your position and time sent to you by SMS after the race, and that never happened (not to me at least!). It took two or three days for the finishing times to be posted on the website, and even then my "real time" was given as the same as my gun-to-tape time, which it certainly wasn't. There were only 7 seconds difference but it's a bit worrying that they didn't show up. The delay in the results being posted wasn't a problem for me because I live in Italy and they were all published the next day in La Stampa, the Turin-based national newspaper, but I can imagine it being very annoying for someone from abroad. Well, that's it. A bit of a shame to finish with the gripes because they don't reflect my overall view of the race which, I repeat, is very positive.
Punt Derek from Vermont, USA (10/1/2006) "Fast race and a lot of spirit." (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This race was a great experience for me. You start out going through a series of small villages on the outskirts of Torino. It seemed like all the residents were out on the cobblestone streets cheering us on. A few bands were playing along the way and there were constant chants of "Bravo!" The race finishes through the streets of Turino. There was no lack of enthusiasm here, either. The course was the fattest I have ever run, which allowed me to achieve a PR. The first 1/2 is basically flat except for one long hill at the halfway point, which really wasn't that steep. The second half of the race was either downhill or flat. You can really get cruising here. This was the second marathon I ran with kilometer markers instead of miles. I think this is a big benefit in terms of pacing and it helps out mentally when the kilos past by so quicky as compared to miles. I guess the only bummer leading up to the race was that I had a difficult time finding out infomation about the course layout. I never got a good map of the course, even at the expo. I just took a guess at what hotel to stay at based on the little information that I had on the course. That was no big deal compared to all the positives, though. Oh yeah, finding a place to get your pre-race pasta in is no issue!! Finding some super post-race wine is no problem, either.
M. P. from Vicenza, Italy (9/28/2006) "Good marathon... would do it again." (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very cool marathon. Course is slightly uphill from 0-25 KM's, and then downhill after that... right when you need it. From 21-23 KM, it's not a horrible hill, but you definitely pray for it to end. Last couple of marathons I have done have been runs in the country with almost no spectators. This one definitely had people and they were supportive (different from other Italian marathons I have done where they just stare at you). Water and food stations were good (if you want you can bring a bike and have a friend ride by you with your drinks). Prizes were the usual medal, NO t-shirt, but a sweet Mizuno running bag (very nice quality). Also, if you live in Italy, Telecom Italia was giving runners 15 euro worth of prepaid phone cards so that was nice. Good marathon, course was nice, people cool, and I cannot wait to go back to Turin.
M. G. from Bratislava (3/7/2006) "Pretty fast course" (about: 2005) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second serious marathon and I had set a good PR (2:34) on this course. I am not sure why the date was moved once again (it used to be in May, then April and now September), but it certainly does not add to its popularity. Weather was ok for the maraton, rather cold with persistent rain. The hill was pretty long - from the 17th KM until the 22nd KM, with few flat sections in between; nothing steep, but I definitely felt it. The downhill part was very gradual and rather long, so it helped me a lot (from the 22nd KM until the 30th KM, or at least I felt it that way). From the 37th KM until the 41st KM, it's all on cobblestones and last year most streets were either freshly repaired or just under construction, with some mud and uneven stretches - you definitely feel it in those last few KMs. Finishing area was well organized, but facility for changing clothes and showering were small. At least I felt it before the start and after the finish I was luckily done before the masses hit the finish line. Overall, very good experience, good expo and nice crowds.
John Sajdak from Wisconsin, U.S.A. (4/27/2005) "A great first time marathon" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon and it was quite the experience. Not much anyone could do about the weather though. I enjoyed the course because I didn't really find it that difficult. I did find it difficult to run on the old city streets towards the end though, but I think it would have been tough no matter what. I found everyone to be very helpful. I'm from the U.S.A. myself, but everyone has to remember - don't expect everyone to know english, learn to speak their language as well (I did find plenty of people to put up with my italian-english).
Ruth Morley from Evian, France (4/18/2005) "They tried" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I agree with everything David Lansner said in his previous account. I found the expo to be better than I had expected (although another person told me it disappointed her), where I was greeted at the door by three very fluent English-speakers at the welcome desk. They were so helpful and friendly, and one even gave me one of her bus tickets when I inquired as to using the bus system to get to the heart of the city. I found the course to be rather boring, through the drab suburbs with lots of apartments, but things improved as we ran through the countryside, several small towns, and then back into the beautiful heart of the city. The hill referred to, in the middle of the course, was deceptive. It is a gradual one, and for about 5 minutes, I just thought I was tired and slowing down! I find those the hardest kind. I was surprised and pleased by all the volunteers and police along the route, directing us through the many turns, and holding angry motorists at bay. In fact, half the fun of the marathon for me was watching the very 'Italian' manner of communicating between the motorists and police (lots of hand movements, furious that this road block was put up just to bother them personally). A few of the onlookers cheered, but most just looked at you. Of course, I was way in the back of the crowd, so they might have been tired of it all by then! The finish area was confusing. You had to walk to the expo building a short distance (not knowing where you were going, but following other runners), where there was a mad free-for-all for the food (which was plentiful), and then no idea where to go to return your chip and get your tshirt and goody bag. It would have been helpful to have had this info. in the preliminary information or on the website. I ran the marathon as a training run for an ultra in June, and as a fun weekend outing from our home in France, so it served its purpose well. However, I certainly wouldn't deem it worth flying overseas for.

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P. S. from Netherlands (11/16/2019) "Great atmosphere in a beautiful city" (about: 2014) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great start on a big square, going through small villages with a lot of enthousiastic spectators. Nice city to stay a few days and enjoy the great food and surroundings
A. M. from London, UK (11/16/2014) "A recession hit disorganised marathon" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 Turin is a beautiful city and the marathon starts and finishes near some of the best buildings. I think the recession in Italy must have hit both the organisation and race package. There were about 3500 runners. The Expro was a small tent in an open square containing about 15 stands of small niche businesses - no big names. The goodie bag contained a running shirt (yellow!), a can of beer, a small bar of chocolate and 2 chewy sweets. There were no maps, no starting instructions, no arrival guide, no way to attach your chip to your shoe and no kit bag. The start was a total disaster. There were no marshalls to stop slow runners standing at the front. There were no separators between starting corrals, so everyone just squashed to the front. I had a front corral, but could not even enter it until after the gun had gone off. Due to the crush of slow runners and narrowness of the start line, it was jammed until late into mile 1. There were almost no overseas runners I heard, and if you didn't know, Italians don't queue. There were pacers with balloons from 3hr to 4hr paces. I have run 11 marathons and never had to fight for space like in Turin. When you get to about mile 2 there is a bit more space and you head out of town along the river. The course is reasonably flat, with no obvious uphill sections. The support is a thin other than at the city centre section. Drink stations were every 5k with only water bottles. The energy drink was in cups, and therefore undrinkable unless you stop. 5k is too long between stations. The final mile had great support and it felt a good finish, although the start took its toll and I finished 3 minutes slower than Milan, in 3:01:25 Once over the line, you didn't get a space blanket, but a piece of wrapping foam, no finishers bag, a very strange medal (that doubled as a belt buckle!) and no proper food. Bits of dry french toast and orange segments are not what you want after 26 miles. Overall the course is pretty fast but Milan is better. The organisation in Turin cut so many corners, that it spoiled the race in a great city.
L. P. from Canada (12/31/2010) "Great event" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Well organized marathon. Expo was located near the race start/finish; being in downtown Turin makes it a very special experience the church where the Shroud is kept is just a block away. Pasta dinner is included with the registration fee. Despite having indicated that the package would include a technical shirt, it ended up being cotton. If you are from North America, size XL in Italy is the equivalent to size M. This year's package included a knapsack and discount coupons. The Italian national anthem is played at the start of the race. If you are a Formula 1 fan, it brings you memories of races won by Scuderia Ferrari. There were about 2,000 participants in 2010. There are serious runners showing up in this race from running clubs all throughout Italy, as well as a few from France and Germany, and the regulars from Kenya. In general, there are not many overseas runners. This is predominantly an all-Italian event. You will also see average runners, so do not feel that you are going to be left in the dust. There are pacers with different-color balloons; therefore, they are hard to miss. Keep in mind that they will line up wherever in the start area, but they will make up the gap. The starting section is on cobblestones. A few are missing, so you had better watch it on this section- and there are rails from the electrical train system, which make it very easy to twist an ankle. Once you leave the downtown core, the streets turn to asphalt. With the exception of the few small towns you cross on the course, all streets are wide ,even for North American standards, so don't fear being caged in. Aid stations were located where expected; you could have your own concoctions brought in to a table at designated aid stations, but it is usually reserved for the elite runners. As advertised, they were giving water and Gatorade (orange flavor). This event is a big deal for some of the small towns, so expect lots of support, some of them very well organized. If you have an ankle strap, bring it; otherwise, your timing chip will need to be held in place using your shoelaces. The bib number is bigger than average; it is probably better to just pin it to your shirt, as it could be too big for a race belt. Be prepared to line up for the after-race refreshments, but the lines move fast. I did not use the showers in the finish area, so I cannot comment on their condition. The medal and a heat reflective blanket were given at the finish. If you drive into town the day before, keep in mind that parking can be chaotic. You can park in designated areas marked by blue sections at the side of the streets, but be mindful of the streets that will be used on marathon day, as your car can be towed. Best bet is to park on the parking islands available on streets leading to the downtown core. Parking is free on Sunday, but any other day you need to buy parking tickets - 2 euro per hour - and leave them on the dashboard for each hour up to 7:30 p.m. There is also private parking in the inside area of the parking islands.
S. D. from Yorkshire, England (11/28/2010) "Small Field, Great Organization, Fast Finish" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is a small enough field to enter late but large enough to enjoy excellent organization. It cost me 40 euros to register and the freebies were of very good quality - a technical running T, socks, and a rucksack. I also got the registration refunded for spending 80 euros at the sponsor's online store, KAPPA. Like at most European marathons, you need a medical certificate to run, but having forgotten mine the organizers were sensible enough to let me run as I was able to prove I had run a marathon 4 weeks before. There are two starting areas, which was a bit confusing as I don't speak Italian, but it was easy enough to work out; the marathon runners congregated at one and the relays, etc., at the other. Crowd support is enthusiastic but limited, especially in the city center. It was nice running through small villages and seeing the local people all turned out in traditional dress. Water is plentiful and in bottles, which I found much better than paper cups. There was also Gatorade, bananas, etc. Having read that the first half of the course was quite tough, I took it much easier than usual. It's nowhere nearly as tough as New York. The last 10K compose just a wonderful downhill finish for tired legs, and I ran a negative split (1:48/1:45).
gavin jones from Rome, Italy (3/29/2009) "Good marathon, strongly recommend" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Turin Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I'm a 48 year-old British runner living in Italy, who has run 10 marathons (PB of 2 hrs 24 mins back in 1995) including Rome, Berlin, Dublin, Venice, Florence and Turin twice. I ran Turin most recently in 2008 and would thoroughly recommend it. It's a pretty fast course that you could do a PB on, mostly around attractive outskirts of Turin. There are plenty of great views of the snowcapped mountains that surround the city as you go along and there is very lively and friendly crowd participation as you pass through what seems like one small community after another outside Turin. On the other hand, don't expect thousands and thousands lining the streets from gun to finish, like you might get in real big-city marathons like Berlin, for example. The start and finish are right in the center of Turin. It's a well organized, medium-sized marathon - not so big that you will have to worry about getting through masses of people at the start, but not so small that you will ever be running by yourself. There was no traffic problem of any sort, the sponge and refreshment stations were all managed very efficiently, and the road surface is good throughout. I ran it in 2:53 in 2008, which I was very pleased with, having run a badly judged 3:11 in Rome the month before, in my first marathon after 13 years of semi-inactivity. All starters also got a good Timex runner's watch, which was a better gift than I have gotten from any other marathon - and of course, there was the usual T-shirt and an attractive finisher's medal. Back in 1992 I did Turin in 2:28, over a very different course, but the organization was equally good. So those are the pluses, which definitely outweigh the one or two negatives which are as follows. First, I found it very difficult to get reliable information on the course before the race. I particularly wanted to know if it was flat/fast, but over the phone I kept getting evasive answers like, "Turin is a flat city" from people who either didn't know much about the course or didn't want to tell me. I said before that it is a pretty fast course, and it is - but it isn't flat (at least not in 2008; it may have changed). There is quite a long, tricky climb soon after the halfway point, which allows an even longer and very useful shallow descent later on when you really need it, in the last third of the race. But the climb can take it out of you if you are not prepared for it, which I wasn't. It would have been so useful if someone had just told me where the tricky bit of the course was and where the fast bit was. Secondly, while the crowds are great over most of the course, they are pretty sparse between 38K and 41K, when they would obviously be very welcome! And finally, the organizers said you would have your position and time sent to you by SMS after the race, and that never happened (not to me at least!). It took two or three days for the finishing times to be posted on the website, and even then my "real time" was given as the same as my gun-to-tape time, which it certainly wasn't. There were only 7 seconds difference but it's a bit worrying that they didn't show up. The delay in the results being posted wasn't a problem for me because I live in Italy and they were all published the next day in La Stampa, the Turin-based national newspaper, but I can imagine it being very annoying for someone from abroad. Well, that's it. A bit of a shame to finish with the gripes because they don't reflect my overall view of the race which, I repeat, is very positive.
Punt Derek from Vermont, USA (10/1/2006) "Fast race and a lot of spirit." (about: 2006) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This race was a great experience for me. You start out going through a series of small villages on the outskirts of Torino. It seemed like all the residents were out on the cobblestone streets cheering us on. A few bands were playing along the way and there were constant chants of "Bravo!" The race finishes through the streets of Turino. There was no lack of enthusiasm here, either. The course was the fattest I have ever run, which allowed me to achieve a PR. The first 1/2 is basically flat except for one long hill at the halfway point, which really wasn't that steep. The second half of the race was either downhill or flat. You can really get cruising here. This was the second marathon I ran with kilometer markers instead of miles. I think this is a big benefit in terms of pacing and it helps out mentally when the kilos past by so quicky as compared to miles. I guess the only bummer leading up to the race was that I had a difficult time finding out infomation about the course layout. I never got a good map of the course, even at the expo. I just took a guess at what hotel to stay at based on the little information that I had on the course. That was no big deal compared to all the positives, though. Oh yeah, finding a place to get your pre-race pasta in is no issue!! Finding some super post-race wine is no problem, either.
M. P. from Vicenza, Italy (9/28/2006) "Good marathon... would do it again." (about: 2006) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Very cool marathon. Course is slightly uphill from 0-25 KM's, and then downhill after that... right when you need it. From 21-23 KM, it's not a horrible hill, but you definitely pray for it to end. Last couple of marathons I have done have been runs in the country with almost no spectators. This one definitely had people and they were supportive (different from other Italian marathons I have done where they just stare at you). Water and food stations were good (if you want you can bring a bike and have a friend ride by you with your drinks). Prizes were the usual medal, NO t-shirt, but a sweet Mizuno running bag (very nice quality). Also, if you live in Italy, Telecom Italia was giving runners 15 euro worth of prepaid phone cards so that was nice. Good marathon, course was nice, people cool, and I cannot wait to go back to Turin.
M. G. from Bratislava (3/7/2006) "Pretty fast course" (about: 2005) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my second serious marathon and I had set a good PR (2:34) on this course. I am not sure why the date was moved once again (it used to be in May, then April and now September), but it certainly does not add to its popularity. Weather was ok for the maraton, rather cold with persistent rain. The hill was pretty long - from the 17th KM until the 22nd KM, with few flat sections in between; nothing steep, but I definitely felt it. The downhill part was very gradual and rather long, so it helped me a lot (from the 22nd KM until the 30th KM, or at least I felt it that way). From the 37th KM until the 41st KM, it's all on cobblestones and last year most streets were either freshly repaired or just under construction, with some mud and uneven stretches - you definitely feel it in those last few KMs. Finishing area was well organized, but facility for changing clothes and showering were small. At least I felt it before the start and after the finish I was luckily done before the masses hit the finish line. Overall, very good experience, good expo and nice crowds.
John Sajdak from Wisconsin, U.S.A. (4/27/2005) "A great first time marathon" (about: 2005) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon and it was quite the experience. Not much anyone could do about the weather though. I enjoyed the course because I didn't really find it that difficult. I did find it difficult to run on the old city streets towards the end though, but I think it would have been tough no matter what. I found everyone to be very helpful. I'm from the U.S.A. myself, but everyone has to remember - don't expect everyone to know english, learn to speak their language as well (I did find plenty of people to put up with my italian-english).
Ruth Morley from Evian, France (4/18/2005) "They tried" (about: 2005) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Turin Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 I agree with everything David Lansner said in his previous account. I found the expo to be better than I had expected (although another person told me it disappointed her), where I was greeted at the door by three very fluent English-speakers at the welcome desk. They were so helpful and friendly, and one even gave me one of her bus tickets when I inquired as to using the bus system to get to the heart of the city. I found the course to be rather boring, through the drab suburbs with lots of apartments, but things improved as we ran through the countryside, several small towns, and then back into the beautiful heart of the city. The hill referred to, in the middle of the course, was deceptive. It is a gradual one, and for about 5 minutes, I just thought I was tired and slowing down! I find those the hardest kind. I was surprised and pleased by all the volunteers and police along the route, directing us through the many turns, and holding angry motorists at bay. In fact, half the fun of the marathon for me was watching the very 'Italian' manner of communicating between the motorists and police (lots of hand movements, furious that this road block was put up just to bother them personally). A few of the onlookers cheered, but most just looked at you. Of course, I was way in the back of the crowd, so they might have been tired of it all by then! The finish area was confusing. You had to walk to the expo building a short distance (not knowing where you were going, but following other runners), where there was a mad free-for-all for the food (which was plentiful), and then no idea where to go to return your chip and get your tshirt and goody bag. It would have been helpful to have had this info. in the preliminary information or on the website. I ran the marathon as a training run for an ultra in June, and as a fun weekend outing from our home in France, so it served its purpose well. However, I certainly wouldn't deem it worth flying overseas for.

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Marathon Details - Turin Marathon