Marathon Niedersachsen (Hannover)

This was my second marathon, I did Brighton last year. It was a hot day. The marathon course converged with the half marathon route on a number of occasions with the runners of both running alongside each other. I hadn't realised this was going to happen so confused and frustrated me a little at first but then the fresher runners helped to pull me along a little. It did cause a little congestion on the approach to the finishing line but I won't blame that on my slower time. I found there was a lot of support from the crowd. In some places it was so good I thought I was at the finishing approach already, alas false hope lol. In all a fairly well organised event, even as a none German speaker I was able to find my way around ok(ish) my thanks to the great crowd.

Hannover was my 20th marathon. All-in-all it was a good experience. Beforehand, I expected little crowd support, but the sunny weather helped to draw the people out of their homes. The police reported a total of 100.000 spectators. There were many cheerful senior citizens, every now and then a drumband and, in the city center near the finish area, even large crowds. Although it was sunny all morning, the heat was bearable, partly because there was some shade most of the time. The course was very fast (PR-material with only two not-too-high bridges and some sharp curves to slow you down) and offered enough variety for my taste. The only section I could have done without were the tough kilometers 36-39 through the pretty but spectatorless Herrenhäuser park. The organization was adequate, nothing fancy. My conclusion: a friendly and fast city marathon. It's probably not the right choice for those who will run a marathon only a few times in their life (for those I recommend Berlin, Hamburg of Cologne in Germany), but for others, it's a fine, worry-free choice.

If the weather is nice - this year 2005 there cold wind but sunshine - this is one of the best marathons. Very good organization, plenty of drinks and food along the course, very good massage...