Marathon Details - Venice Marathon

International Marathons > Italy > Venice > Venice Marathon

Venice Marathon & Half Marathon,10K

Venice, Italy

October 27, 2024

http://www.venicemarathon.it/en

More Info:	News
Results:	Top 3 Finishers by Year

Contact

Name:	A.S.D. Venicemarathon Club
Address:	via Linghindal, 5/5 30172 Venezia Mestre Italia
Phone Number:	+39 041 532 1717
Fax Number:	+39 041 532 77 44
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 4.3

Organization 4.1

Spectators 4.0

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Number of comments: 46 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]

G. S. from Chapel Hill, North Carolina (12/2/2017) "Most fun I've ever had running 42.2KM" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Overall, probably the best organized marathon I've ever run. From sign-up and submission of medical forms, to packet pickup, to race execution, everything went incredibly smoothly. The bus to the start got me there early but I appreciated the large tent with benches to rest and stay warm. With my previous PR of 4:34:00 I was placed in the last corral. I wasn't running to set a PR (I was on vacation, after all) even though I did. I loved the support of the spectators, the support of the volunteers, and I especially liked how organized things were at the end of the race, with the medal, the goody bag, drop bag pickup and changing area. I plan to run this one again. I know that there was a change in sponsors for the 2017 race and hopefully that hasn't taken away from the race experience.
G. M. from Yorkshire, England (11/1/2017) "Nice Course but Poor Organisation" (about: 2017) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was my 5th marathon and my 4th foreign marathon. The course was flat and relatively fast (a few inclines and some bridges in Venice being the only slight difficulties). It is a point to point race starting in Stra in the Italian countrside and finishing in Venice itself. Only the last 6k is in Venice but the countryside part is quite scenic and relatively well supported through the towns. The thing that let this race down for me was the organisation.Buses are supplied from Venice to the start. I took the latest bus and still arrived more than 2 hours before the race started. The queues for toilets at the start were 45 minutes long and there was no toilet roll or sanitiser in them (fortunately I brought my own). I was hoping to finish in around 4 hours and had stated this during the application process, this was an ambitious but realistic target as my previous best was 4:11. However I was unable to follow the 4 hour pacer as I was in the 4th corral and the 4 hour pacers were in corrals 2/3. I asked to move but was quite rudely told no (I expected the answer to be no but politeness costs nothing). As it happens I paced myself relatively well up to 20 miles, getting to 20 at 2:59, 10k in 1 hours is no problem right? my legs had other ideas, I cramped up and finished in 4:09:40. However my official time was over 4:11 with my first split being 30 minutes. The difference between my gun time and start time was only 30 seconds which was incorrect as I was as mentioned in corral 4, so it was around 3 minutes. My watch has autopause on it but Strava has the elapsed time on it which was 4:09:40 (with pauses it was 4:09:03 so I know that the elapsed time was correct). I know that 2 minutes difference between times is not a lot, but it was the difference between being a PB and not being a PB, so was quite annoying. I emailed the organisers to ask if they could check this result but received no response. Finally after the finish, I asked a marshall where the free water bus to Tronchetto departed from, she corrected my pronunciation of Tronchetto but neglected to tell me where the boat departed, again I felt this was unnecessarily rude. I can't say any of this ruined my enjoyment of the race, but it would put me off doing it again. Venice is well worth visiting and if you are looking for a flat marathon abroad in beautiful surroundings then this could be an option. I hope for the sake of competitors that next year is better organised.
J. F. from Oslo, Norway (10/25/2016) "Fabulous marathon with beautiful finish" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Registration (for 2016) was in the Guiliano Park, with a free bus from Mestre train station. Lots of stands at the registration, a nice t shirt, and well organized, enthusiastic officials. The marathon itself starts in Stra, a suburban village way out of town. I took the free bus to the start, leaving from 7am from Mestre. The start is next to a beautiful old building and everyone was wandering around the gardens warming up. Then it heads east along a nice flat road, alongside a river. In this sleepy neighbourhood I was surprised to hear a band covering a Led Zep song after only 1km. In fact there was a band, mostly rock or heavier, nearly every km all the way to Venice! Fabulous! And the locals in every village along the way were out in numbers and making a lot of noise, cheering on _everyone_ not just the people they knew. Drink stations every 5km, and km markers every km. After about 20km we came to Mestre, then on to the park, and then the long straight bridge (4km?) between the mainland and Venice. This was the toughest bit, but the reward was about 4km around the South side of Venice, over numerous bridges (all ramped, which helped), with tremendous support, and a joyful finish. A nice goody bag with a beer in it!, a chunky medal, and a quick free ferry back to the bus terminal. I finished at 13:20 and by 14:45 I was in the airport. The route is really good, and mostly flat. The finish is spectacular (including a loop in St Mark's Square in the last km), and the Italian crowd were SUPERB!
O. L. from London, England (10/27/2014) "do it for the view, not for the time" (about: 2014) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 those looking for a mega-well organised, very fast marathon will be disappointed. That being said, I had a fabulous time, great weather, good support, fantastic views. I normally get grumpy at the end and want my bag NOW, and for once I got that (relief sight), and lost of yummy food too. It's a human-sized marathon and volunteers were very helpful. Also I didnt actually use it but there were changing rooms and shower facilities. I booked the whole trip with Oltrex who organised the bus pick up in the morning which is a must because I would have never in the world found the place. I think it's also easier if you can understand at least a bit of italian, I clearly wouldnt have as much fun if I had missed all of the pacers jokes through out. And the bridges at the end are a killer, but hey, it's Venice.
D. D. from USA (10/28/2013) "Well organized" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Venice marathon and given the weather from last year I was worried. But it was lovely and I think it made everything else better. I stayed on Giudecca island so I had no wait in the morning for the vaporetto. The shuttle was easy to find. The wait at the start in Stra was fine. Well supported by the Venitians. Water stations had food-water and Gatorade. Bottled water too. The neverending bridge was a bear but entering Venice was worth it. The bridges... Not too keen on, but San Marco was fabulous . Would do it again!
D. C. from Aviano, Italy/Alamogordo, NM, USA (10/28/2012) "God gave us cold, wind, rain and sleet!!" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The race itself would have been wonderful if it were not for the 40 degree weather with rain, sleet, wind, etc.... The 'free' vaporetto ride back to the bus back to the start had a 40 minute line, so we hopped on one right next to the free one. It saved time, but even that was a nightmare given how cold we were. Vicious shakes for 2 hours due to no heat/shelter at the end of the race.
D. P. from Oxford (10/28/2012) "Boring course, great venue" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Venice Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Venice is one of my favourite cities but having to catch a bus at 6.45 to get to the marathon start shows some commitment or do I mean that I should be committed? The majority of the race especially if you're near the back isn't a good experience as clearing up seems to take precedent over the slower runners especially if you pull a muscle in the first mile due to being so cold waiting for the Italian TV company to say it's okay to go! Having said this, I've now completed this course twice and may try it again, it's not my favourite of my 24 marathon courses but I do love running across The Grand Canal although I did miss our on St Mark's Square due to flooding. I hope everyone enjoyed today, I will admit that the 25th T-shirt and medal are just brilliant.
K. G. from Swansea, UK (10/27/2011) "Good PB potential" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Given the 7000 entry cap, I had quite low expectations of the expo. However, I was pleasantly surprised despite the lack of any gels available. The event t-shirt was the nicest I've ever had! Good quality, technical Asics, and most importantly, nice colours! The timing chip was very odd, it was attached to the race number by an elastic band! It didn't feel especially secure, although that said, it stayed in place throughout the race. To get to start on the morning of the race was a bit of a palaver. I was staying in Venice itself and had to set my alarm at 5am to get the boat to Piazzale Roma, then walk to Tronchetto (one of the 2 pick- up points) where the free bus took you to start. After the 20 minute bus ride to Stra, the hot tea and tents in the runners' village were a welcome relief from cold. The queues for the toilets were very long (not enough loos provided) and resulted in me rushing to the bag lorries and nearly missing them! The route is predominantly flat and well supported when you run through the villages every 5km or so, but pretty quiet in between. The first 20km of the route is very pleasant countryside, much of which is along a very pretty river. Around the half way point, you run through an industrial area which is obviously the least scenic part of the course. Around 30km you do a loop through San Guiliano Park (where the expo is held) and then head towards the long bridge which takes you into Venice itself. There are ample water stations (every 5km) and Gatorade is provided at certain points. In the second half of the race there is also fruit and biscuits if your stomach is up to it! The last 4km is the reason for doing this marathon, when you hit Venice itself. The 14 bridges you cross have all been ramped so are not too much of a concern. One bridge which crosses the Grand Canal is actually constructed on the eve of the race and dismantled the next day! This year was apparently the first time the course got to run through St Mark's Square which was great. The weather had been perfect all day, apart from first thing when it was pretty cold. But throughout the race, the sun shone but it never got too warm. My partner, who had to withdraw from the race at the last minute, did his best to support me on the route, although this proved to be somewhat difficult due to road closures and subsequent lack of accessibility to the course. The end of the race is really well organised. First you're given your medal and a goody bag (fruit, water, Gatorade and biscuit). Then you get a space blanket and follow the route through to the bag collection area. Gender specific changing tents are available if you require them and then there is a massage area. There were about 6 masseurs available, free of charge. I decided to avail myself of this but due to the fact that they spend a good 15-20 minutes on each athlete, I had to wait over an hour for the service. The massage was a little deep considering the 26 miles I had just run, although I felt great after it, but maybe that was because of the PB I'd just achieved!! I loved Venice before coming to the city to run its marathon. Having knocked 12 minutes off my previous PB, I now have another reason to feel a special affinity to the place. Would I do it again? Definitely. It was only 60 Euros when I joined last New Year's Eve in a drunken stupor whilst skiing in Andorra and was given a 20 Euro discount coupon for next year in my goody bag!
n. b. from Wales, UK (10/25/2011) "last few miles are spectacular" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Overal this is a great marathon experience but there are a few negatives with the organisation. The expo is basic and the offical merchandise isn't worth buying. The race T shirt in the goody bag is technical and quite nice but is a mans fit so it's not the best for women. The lack of toilets at the start is the worst thing. I counted 14 portaloos for the 7000 runners! The queues were horrendous and of course the men were just lining up by the wall to go. By the time runners were dropped off by the start there was only about 1/2 hour to put the bags in lorries to be ferried to the finish so lots of people missed this and lost their stuff. On the offical map there showed toilets along the route every 5k but I did not see any. However the race itself was very good for a small field it had a big race feel and lots of support. There were 26 bands of all genres along the route. The first 10 miles or so followed the river from stra and was pretty running past some grand homes. It was mainly flat and fast. There is a killer hill at about mile 18 going through san gullino park. The road bridge into venice itself is quite a tough 5k as there is nothing to see apart from road and sea. The last 5k are the best - running through venice itself is unforgettable. There are 14 bridges to cross in the last 2 miles but the organisers put ramps on them for the marathon so they are fine - they have signs on them counting them down which is a nice touch. The markers are only in km so as I'm used to miles I was trying to gauge my time every 5k. The water & gatorade stations are good & efficent and the medal is nice. Overall it is great - the best marathon finish ever!
Iain McGregor from Glasgow, UK (11/5/2010) "Only doing one marathon? This is the one..." (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 See the previous comments re: this race. I love Venice and when I decided to give marathon running a try, this had to be the first one. Only the last 4K or so are actually in Venice, but the preceding 36 are mostly in pleasant Italian countryside, apart from an unavoidable couple of kilometers through the industrial area of Maghera. The crowds along the route are enthusiastic and vocal and everyone seemed to enjoy the spectacle, runners and spectators alike. Organization is top-notch, and I had only a couple of quibbles: For those staying in Venice, there is a 20-minute walk from the bus station to the shuttle bus pick-up point to the race start. The new People Mover cable-car covers that route but doesn't open until an hour after the shuttle buses are gone. The race organizers have promised to ask the Venice Authority if they can open up the People Mover early next year. At the race start, it was quite cold this year, so a lot of runners elected to wait or even start in cover-ups, but the official manning the corral entrance wouldn't let them through, thinking they still had to change. For the Italian speakers, they could explain and that was ok, but for some of the foreign competitors, it got a bit confused. This year's race (the 25th) was scheduled to take a loop through St. Mark's Square for this year only, but at the last minute the organizers had to change the course due to a flood forecast. I was right at the back of the start corral and I missed the announcement, so the route change came as a bit of a surprise. Minor quibbles aside, the race was a total delight for me and I can't wait for next year. Typical of the entire experience was when I was sitting at the vaporetto stop post-race, waiting for the boat back to my apartment and munching through the contents of my goody-bag: an old lady came in and I got up to offer my seat. Seeing my track suit and finishers medal, she smilingly insisted that I stay seated and rest my weary legs.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 > ]

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G. S. from Chapel Hill, North Carolina (12/2/2017) "Most fun I've ever had running 42.2KM" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Overall, probably the best organized marathon I've ever run. From sign-up and submission of medical forms, to packet pickup, to race execution, everything went incredibly smoothly. The bus to the start got me there early but I appreciated the large tent with benches to rest and stay warm. With my previous PR of 4:34:00 I was placed in the last corral. I wasn't running to set a PR (I was on vacation, after all) even though I did. I loved the support of the spectators, the support of the volunteers, and I especially liked how organized things were at the end of the race, with the medal, the goody bag, drop bag pickup and changing area. I plan to run this one again. I know that there was a change in sponsors for the 2017 race and hopefully that hasn't taken away from the race experience.
G. M. from Yorkshire, England (11/1/2017) "Nice Course but Poor Organisation" (about: 2017) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was my 5th marathon and my 4th foreign marathon. The course was flat and relatively fast (a few inclines and some bridges in Venice being the only slight difficulties). It is a point to point race starting in Stra in the Italian countrside and finishing in Venice itself. Only the last 6k is in Venice but the countryside part is quite scenic and relatively well supported through the towns. The thing that let this race down for me was the organisation.Buses are supplied from Venice to the start. I took the latest bus and still arrived more than 2 hours before the race started. The queues for toilets at the start were 45 minutes long and there was no toilet roll or sanitiser in them (fortunately I brought my own). I was hoping to finish in around 4 hours and had stated this during the application process, this was an ambitious but realistic target as my previous best was 4:11. However I was unable to follow the 4 hour pacer as I was in the 4th corral and the 4 hour pacers were in corrals 2/3. I asked to move but was quite rudely told no (I expected the answer to be no but politeness costs nothing). As it happens I paced myself relatively well up to 20 miles, getting to 20 at 2:59, 10k in 1 hours is no problem right? my legs had other ideas, I cramped up and finished in 4:09:40. However my official time was over 4:11 with my first split being 30 minutes. The difference between my gun time and start time was only 30 seconds which was incorrect as I was as mentioned in corral 4, so it was around 3 minutes. My watch has autopause on it but Strava has the elapsed time on it which was 4:09:40 (with pauses it was 4:09:03 so I know that the elapsed time was correct). I know that 2 minutes difference between times is not a lot, but it was the difference between being a PB and not being a PB, so was quite annoying. I emailed the organisers to ask if they could check this result but received no response. Finally after the finish, I asked a marshall where the free water bus to Tronchetto departed from, she corrected my pronunciation of Tronchetto but neglected to tell me where the boat departed, again I felt this was unnecessarily rude. I can't say any of this ruined my enjoyment of the race, but it would put me off doing it again. Venice is well worth visiting and if you are looking for a flat marathon abroad in beautiful surroundings then this could be an option. I hope for the sake of competitors that next year is better organised.
J. F. from Oslo, Norway (10/25/2016) "Fabulous marathon with beautiful finish" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Registration (for 2016) was in the Guiliano Park, with a free bus from Mestre train station. Lots of stands at the registration, a nice t shirt, and well organized, enthusiastic officials. The marathon itself starts in Stra, a suburban village way out of town. I took the free bus to the start, leaving from 7am from Mestre. The start is next to a beautiful old building and everyone was wandering around the gardens warming up. Then it heads east along a nice flat road, alongside a river. In this sleepy neighbourhood I was surprised to hear a band covering a Led Zep song after only 1km. In fact there was a band, mostly rock or heavier, nearly every km all the way to Venice! Fabulous! And the locals in every village along the way were out in numbers and making a lot of noise, cheering on _everyone_ not just the people they knew. Drink stations every 5km, and km markers every km. After about 20km we came to Mestre, then on to the park, and then the long straight bridge (4km?) between the mainland and Venice. This was the toughest bit, but the reward was about 4km around the South side of Venice, over numerous bridges (all ramped, which helped), with tremendous support, and a joyful finish. A nice goody bag with a beer in it!, a chunky medal, and a quick free ferry back to the bus terminal. I finished at 13:20 and by 14:45 I was in the airport. The route is really good, and mostly flat. The finish is spectacular (including a loop in St Mark's Square in the last km), and the Italian crowd were SUPERB!
O. L. from London, England (10/27/2014) "do it for the view, not for the time" (about: 2014) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 those looking for a mega-well organised, very fast marathon will be disappointed. That being said, I had a fabulous time, great weather, good support, fantastic views. I normally get grumpy at the end and want my bag NOW, and for once I got that (relief sight), and lost of yummy food too. It's a human-sized marathon and volunteers were very helpful. Also I didnt actually use it but there were changing rooms and shower facilities. I booked the whole trip with Oltrex who organised the bus pick up in the morning which is a must because I would have never in the world found the place. I think it's also easier if you can understand at least a bit of italian, I clearly wouldnt have as much fun if I had missed all of the pacers jokes through out. And the bridges at the end are a killer, but hey, it's Venice.
D. D. from USA (10/28/2013) "Well organized" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Venice marathon and given the weather from last year I was worried. But it was lovely and I think it made everything else better. I stayed on Giudecca island so I had no wait in the morning for the vaporetto. The shuttle was easy to find. The wait at the start in Stra was fine. Well supported by the Venitians. Water stations had food-water and Gatorade. Bottled water too. The neverending bridge was a bear but entering Venice was worth it. The bridges... Not too keen on, but San Marco was fabulous . Would do it again!
D. C. from Aviano, Italy/Alamogordo, NM, USA (10/28/2012) "God gave us cold, wind, rain and sleet!!" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The race itself would have been wonderful if it were not for the 40 degree weather with rain, sleet, wind, etc.... The 'free' vaporetto ride back to the bus back to the start had a 40 minute line, so we hopped on one right next to the free one. It saved time, but even that was a nightmare given how cold we were. Vicious shakes for 2 hours due to no heat/shelter at the end of the race.
D. P. from Oxford (10/28/2012) "Boring course, great venue" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 2 Venice Marathons COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Venice is one of my favourite cities but having to catch a bus at 6.45 to get to the marathon start shows some commitment or do I mean that I should be committed? The majority of the race especially if you're near the back isn't a good experience as clearing up seems to take precedent over the slower runners especially if you pull a muscle in the first mile due to being so cold waiting for the Italian TV company to say it's okay to go! Having said this, I've now completed this course twice and may try it again, it's not my favourite of my 24 marathon courses but I do love running across The Grand Canal although I did miss our on St Mark's Square due to flooding. I hope everyone enjoyed today, I will admit that the 25th T-shirt and medal are just brilliant.
K. G. from Swansea, UK (10/27/2011) "Good PB potential" (about: 2011) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Given the 7000 entry cap, I had quite low expectations of the expo. However, I was pleasantly surprised despite the lack of any gels available. The event t-shirt was the nicest I've ever had! Good quality, technical Asics, and most importantly, nice colours! The timing chip was very odd, it was attached to the race number by an elastic band! It didn't feel especially secure, although that said, it stayed in place throughout the race. To get to start on the morning of the race was a bit of a palaver. I was staying in Venice itself and had to set my alarm at 5am to get the boat to Piazzale Roma, then walk to Tronchetto (one of the 2 pick- up points) where the free bus took you to start. After the 20 minute bus ride to Stra, the hot tea and tents in the runners' village were a welcome relief from cold. The queues for the toilets were very long (not enough loos provided) and resulted in me rushing to the bag lorries and nearly missing them! The route is predominantly flat and well supported when you run through the villages every 5km or so, but pretty quiet in between. The first 20km of the route is very pleasant countryside, much of which is along a very pretty river. Around the half way point, you run through an industrial area which is obviously the least scenic part of the course. Around 30km you do a loop through San Guiliano Park (where the expo is held) and then head towards the long bridge which takes you into Venice itself. There are ample water stations (every 5km) and Gatorade is provided at certain points. In the second half of the race there is also fruit and biscuits if your stomach is up to it! The last 4km is the reason for doing this marathon, when you hit Venice itself. The 14 bridges you cross have all been ramped so are not too much of a concern. One bridge which crosses the Grand Canal is actually constructed on the eve of the race and dismantled the next day! This year was apparently the first time the course got to run through St Mark's Square which was great. The weather had been perfect all day, apart from first thing when it was pretty cold. But throughout the race, the sun shone but it never got too warm. My partner, who had to withdraw from the race at the last minute, did his best to support me on the route, although this proved to be somewhat difficult due to road closures and subsequent lack of accessibility to the course. The end of the race is really well organised. First you're given your medal and a goody bag (fruit, water, Gatorade and biscuit). Then you get a space blanket and follow the route through to the bag collection area. Gender specific changing tents are available if you require them and then there is a massage area. There were about 6 masseurs available, free of charge. I decided to avail myself of this but due to the fact that they spend a good 15-20 minutes on each athlete, I had to wait over an hour for the service. The massage was a little deep considering the 26 miles I had just run, although I felt great after it, but maybe that was because of the PB I'd just achieved!! I loved Venice before coming to the city to run its marathon. Having knocked 12 minutes off my previous PB, I now have another reason to feel a special affinity to the place. Would I do it again? Definitely. It was only 60 Euros when I joined last New Year's Eve in a drunken stupor whilst skiing in Andorra and was given a 20 Euro discount coupon for next year in my goody bag!
n. b. from Wales, UK (10/25/2011) "last few miles are spectacular" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Overal this is a great marathon experience but there are a few negatives with the organisation. The expo is basic and the offical merchandise isn't worth buying. The race T shirt in the goody bag is technical and quite nice but is a mans fit so it's not the best for women. The lack of toilets at the start is the worst thing. I counted 14 portaloos for the 7000 runners! The queues were horrendous and of course the men were just lining up by the wall to go. By the time runners were dropped off by the start there was only about 1/2 hour to put the bags in lorries to be ferried to the finish so lots of people missed this and lost their stuff. On the offical map there showed toilets along the route every 5k but I did not see any. However the race itself was very good for a small field it had a big race feel and lots of support. There were 26 bands of all genres along the route. The first 10 miles or so followed the river from stra and was pretty running past some grand homes. It was mainly flat and fast. There is a killer hill at about mile 18 going through san gullino park. The road bridge into venice itself is quite a tough 5k as there is nothing to see apart from road and sea. The last 5k are the best - running through venice itself is unforgettable. There are 14 bridges to cross in the last 2 miles but the organisers put ramps on them for the marathon so they are fine - they have signs on them counting them down which is a nice touch. The markers are only in km so as I'm used to miles I was trying to gauge my time every 5k. The water & gatorade stations are good & efficent and the medal is nice. Overall it is great - the best marathon finish ever!
Iain McGregor from Glasgow, UK (11/5/2010) "Only doing one marathon? This is the one..." (about: 2010) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Venice Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 See the previous comments re: this race. I love Venice and when I decided to give marathon running a try, this had to be the first one. Only the last 4K or so are actually in Venice, but the preceding 36 are mostly in pleasant Italian countryside, apart from an unavoidable couple of kilometers through the industrial area of Maghera. The crowds along the route are enthusiastic and vocal and everyone seemed to enjoy the spectacle, runners and spectators alike. Organization is top-notch, and I had only a couple of quibbles: For those staying in Venice, there is a 20-minute walk from the bus station to the shuttle bus pick-up point to the race start. The new People Mover cable-car covers that route but doesn't open until an hour after the shuttle buses are gone. The race organizers have promised to ask the Venice Authority if they can open up the People Mover early next year. At the race start, it was quite cold this year, so a lot of runners elected to wait or even start in cover-ups, but the official manning the corral entrance wouldn't let them through, thinking they still had to change. For the Italian speakers, they could explain and that was ok, but for some of the foreign competitors, it got a bit confused. This year's race (the 25th) was scheduled to take a loop through St. Mark's Square for this year only, but at the last minute the organizers had to change the course due to a flood forecast. I was right at the back of the start corral and I missed the announcement, so the route change came as a bit of a surprise. Minor quibbles aside, the race was a total delight for me and I can't wait for next year. Typical of the entire experience was when I was sitting at the vaporetto stop post-race, waiting for the boat back to my apartment and munching through the contents of my goody-bag: an old lady came in and I got up to offer my seat. Seeing my track suit and finishers medal, she smilingly insisted that I stay seated and rest my weary legs.

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Marathon Details - Venice Marathon