There's a lot to see at the running expo! The goody bag is fine enough.
At the start, there were just too many people, it took me some time to find the starting point.
The course is rather flat, though not very beautiful. There were many bands on the way, which made the race festive and fun.
Gel was provided after 15km(not sure if I remember it right).
The finishing place is just too big. You had to walk around the square to get everything. Also, you need to go up to the hall for other stuff......which could be difficult for someone having just finished a marathon.

The BMW Frankfurt Marathon delivered everything that was promised and more. This race has the feel of a major without all the congestion and hassle. It is primarily flat with excellent PB potential. Travelling to Frankfurt was a breeze. The Expo was a good size with lots of interesting stalls. On the day, the weather was cold and sunny which was perfect. We stayed right near the start which was perfect for a last minute pitstop. The course was really well supported with fans and music. It is probably more a 4.5 than a 5, although I gave it a 5 for the laser light finish in the Festehalle! It starts off winding around the city, and then heads out along the river and then back for a few more loops around the city. At times there was some narrowing of the course where I had to slow down, but I did not mind this because it was in the beginning and helped me keep my pace in check. I never had to stop or anything - just slight congestion. Some people have complained about a dreary part around 30-35 km, but I didn't notice this at all. Even still, they added bands here every 500 meters to make it more interesting, which demonstrates the organisers' commitment to improvement. The finish in the Festehalle was spectacular, as were the goodies on offer after - bread and alcohol-free beer to name a few. I wasn't such a fan of the painted hard boiled eggs in the pre-race goodie bag, but you can't have everything.

My only complaint is that the bag drop off was very overcrowded, and I wish they would only permit non-runners into this area. It was probably more crowded than usual because of the cold weather, but there was a serious risk of a stampede trying to get to the start.

Apart from that, everything was great and I would highly recommend this race to anyone looking for a good time in Europe.

One very good feature of this Marathon is the finish inside the Feste Hall, when you run indoors on the red carpet with thumping music, cheerleaders and flashing lights.

On the not so good side, this was the first marathon for me where the shirt cost 30 euros and chip rental was six euros, normally these are included in the entry price. The chip needed to be returned to avoid another 25 euros cost, which would not be a problem except that the return location was on the third floor of the building which even with escalators, was not easy as there were very many people about. The course is extremely flat but as you can see from the map, it has many turns during the first 8 miles. These turns and the very narrow course lanes made for a slow first 3-4 miles. This is probably not a marathon worth travelling to.

The race was great, very flat course, ideal weather-end of October, expo very cool- open even on Sunday after the race,spectators were unbelievable, one of them gave me a musli bar at ca. 28th km :-D. I already ran in Berlin, Rotterdam, etc. and have to say that Frankfurt is fully comparable to Berlin as for the quality and overall impressions, just a bit smaller. Very well organized, start and finish is directly at the Frankfurt expo premises. All in all, a perfect experience. I can warmly recommend this race to both beginners and experienced marathoners. Well done, Frankfurt!

this has to be one of the best organized races i have ever had the pleasure of running in. Jo Schindler's team do an excellent job. The expo is cool; the race directions clear and simple; the support on the route is better than i would have ever considered. The breakfast run a day before is also worth taking part in. I am great fan of the Frankfurt race and i would do it again and again. See you all soon.
Nym

This was my first marathon and it couldn't have been more enjoyable! The weather was perfect, the crowds in the street were really motivating, and the organization was very good, especially with the huge number of runners there. I really liked that drinking stations were found every 5K. The red carpet finish was also nice, although I think I prefer the Frankfurt Half-Marathon finish in the Commerzbank Arena.

The loops in the city center are not so bad, and it actually helps to meet friends and family along the way. That's where most of the supporters are anyway!

My only complaint is that there were no vegetarian options at the food stands at the arrival - apart from bananas, that is!

I've just run Frankfurt, and I must said: it's a very good race and it's my 12th marathon so far.

We stayed at the Movenpick, which is conveniently located 300 meters away from the start and the finish of the race (and from the expo, where the races finishes)

Excellent organization. The only downside is that there's little in the way of communication and signals in English (everything is in German).

The race is very flat but for a small hill in the first kilometers (around 5K in - but is very small) and there's another even smaller one somewhere after 38. Overall, flat as a pancake and great for a personal best. I PRed, anyway.

Drink stations are conveniently located every 5K, and you have cups (not bottles - sorry!) with water and some German isotonic drink.

The finish inside the expo is spectacular.

Regarding the turns that we all feared, they were not bad at all. In net, one of the best races to run if you want to make a personal best.

I thought the course for the Frankfurt Marathon was really great. No problem at all with the turns around the center - in fact, this was the most fun part. Occasionally the course was a little crowded in some narrow sections, so make sure you are in the good starting group. Organization was excellent.

Only negative: the relay runners. Some of the relay teams get together again to cross the finish line, so I finished amongst a bunch of fresh relay runners, not beaten-down marathon runners like me. Would be better if relay runners could run separately.

This was my second marathon in Germany, having run the Hamburg Marathon last year. I love running in Germany as compared to Sweden - the spectators are so much more supportive there
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To be honest, I was not too excited about the course. I thought there were too many twists and turns in the city center. Also, from a psychological point of view, it is not good to run close to the finish area when you still have about 7 KM to run. The course was also fairly boring with nothing much to look at. However. the course was very flat and I ran a PB of exactly 8 minutes, so it was a great experience anyway.

I could see myself coming back to Frankfurt to run again.

I agree with the previous commentator regarding the twists and turns. This was especially pronounced in the last three to four kilometers, when we retraced the starting route before heading into Festhelle for the grand finale. Spectators along the course were non-stop, and the makeshift neighborhood tents and benches serving beer looked so enticing...! Music along the course was great - almost felt like a "Rock and Roll Marathon" here in the States.

Speaking of the grand finale, I have not seen a better finish. Indoor arena, lined with spectators, red carpets for the last ~50 yards, sparkling confetti, plumes of dry ice, cheerleaders, no fewer than four video cameras projecting your image, live, on four large displays, all in a festival hall intended for a grand Oktoberfest party...!

Aid stations were very organized and well staffed and abundant. Between Prague, Torino, Great Wall, and my other 14 marathons in the US, Frankfurt definitely had them beat in this arena.

Weather was great - it led to the top three finishers all breaking last year's new course record, with the winner taking home US $142,000!

TV coverage was great. Actual course video results of your run and the available DVD are cool for a traveling marathoner to take home as a memento. Oh, and the medal was big and nice, too!

Great marathon for anyone running marathons to tour different countries.