This was my 1st international marathon (I've done 40+) and my girlfriends 1st. A great place to do your 1st international marathon.

The city is unbelievable so it's a great way to see Rome and combine it with a marathon. Course is fun, food on the course great, and the view spectacular.

We wouldn't recommend using Marathon Tours. They left us on our own even though they were suppose to handle everything. Book on your own.

Hi, This was my 4th Rome Marathon and this race I find one of my favourites, the course is challenging towards the end but nothing that a trained runner cannot overcome. A great city with lots to see and very good organisation. I love the finishers medal and is far better quality than a majority of others I have. I recommend this race at least once in your running CV :)

At least once in your life, you have to run this race. The course is a beautiful tour of the ancient city. Starting at the Colosseum and passing the Vatican, piazzas, fountains, statues; so many other historical sites, it is a cultural history adventure. The cobblestone sections weren't bad. The hills in the last few miles were a little tough. Fan support is big city level. Organization was ok. You will never forget this race and that you were here in Rome.

This was my second time running the Rome Marathon. I love this City and this race, and I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in history or culture. Having said that, how does an organization run out of toilet paper BEFORE the race starts? I was prepared for the AFTER-race dearth of TP, but not before. If I run it again, I'll carry a backpack full of it and make a fortune selling it during the race. The course itself was outstanding. If I could give it 6 stars I would.

This race has great organization.The expo was laid out great and easily reached by train for 1 euro each way. The backpack/drop bag complete with race number genius. The color coded bibs for corral assignment brilliant ( no walkers at the front of the line). I loved the sponge station and all the fresh fruit.the course was amazing and the cobblestone unforgettable.

This is the most spectacular setting I have run in - starting by the Colosseum, running past all sort of major attractions in Rome. Vatican City, Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain etc... The race is relatively flat, with a few gentle inclines and descents, and a couple major inclines in the last 3-4 miles. The course runs through central Rome and outside, and you will be running on cobblestones for part of the way. the cobblestones didn't impact as much as I thought they would, but definitely a little harder than running on asphalt. The race organization is pretty good, the expo is ok, no waiting on Friday to get packets. The expo is a little out of the center, so a trek on the subway is needed. The race day organization is fine, plenty of space, volunteers, and the start area is reasonably well organized with good gear check setup. you start in chutes/corrals by race bib (determined by you recent times). the start bottlenecked twice about 4-5 minutes after the start line and runners had to walk for a minute. water stops every 5k with bottles and cups of water available, the water tables and sports drink tables are marked by signs, however the sports drink was colorless so be careful when you dump 'water' on your head that it is really water. Port-a-lets - barely enough at the start. there are some along the way at some of the water stops. certainly not enough and the hygene is horrid. they should really leave a pallet of TP outside these, honestly why run out, and they do need more port-a-lets, nobody wants to wait 10 minutes in the middle of a race.
Spectators - a bit disappointing - at times it seemed like there were more volunteers than spectators, and especially not too many local fans. the most enthusiatic people on the sidelines were friends and family of foreign runners.
Finish - awesome view, a bit of a hill coming around the Colosseum towards the home stretch and finish. good medical support along the way and at the finish, good post race refreshments.
I would definately run this race again.

This has to be one of my favourite marathons so far, for the history of the city and the sights you see along the way. You WILL get a lift when you need it when the Colloseum comes into view near the end. You won't get a lift from the spectators though as they are quite sparse, even at the finish. The refreshments are good, with water, salts, sponges and salts when you need them. Just after the start there was an inflatable arch that we had to funnel through, which literally made everyone stop running to walk (what were they thinking so early before the runners spread out??), and along the way I almost fell over an old lady shuffling acros the course pulling a shopping trolley. I had to laugh. There are probably 20k of cobblestones along the route which do not help, but it is quite a flat(ish) course. At the finish, the medal is nice and there are plenty of drinks, fruit etc. The expo was too far out and should be closer to the city centre. Also the 'pasta party' was a total waste of time. A 30 min wait for a tiny portion of nearly cold pasta from surly staff for 4 Euro? I expected better for Italy. That's my last pasta party for sure. But the actual race was very enjoyable and the city is quite amazing to see. I will be back to beat 3.52 next year.

This was my first marathon, and what a way to start. The course is stunning, and the crowd support was really good even for me who ran in the back of the field (5:39). Great medal, but the medal engraving at the end was chaotic. Plenty of drinks and food along the route. I loved every second of it, and I'd love to go back every year.

As has been noted by many, the Rome Marathon route appears to have been designed by the tourism bureau - most of the well known attractions are featured, which helps to make the experience more enjoyable. The course is basically flat, but the cobblestones are a different experience - watch for the occasional "bump" and be prepared for some additional unfamiliar soreness after the race. Apart from the exit after the race, organization was very good throughout. Sponge stops were appreciated. The expo's location is accessible by metro but it's too bad it couldn't be located more centrally. I've run London, Paris and most of the large North American races - and Rome is the best "tourist city race" I've done. Lastly, for those anglophones considering this, I found the volunteers and runners unfailingly hospitable. Bottom line, this is a great destination race for anyone's bucket list.

Incredible marathon!!! Nothing could beat this route!