I absolutely loved running this marathon. Great organization, efficient race packet pickup, easy bag drop off, start and finish at same location, smooth operation on race morning, frequent aid stations, fan support, and convenience to public transportation were all Excellent. Fan support was better than any race I've ever run. I loved the water and/or water/ISO drink station every 2.5K starting the 5K marker (all other races I've run in Europe are only every 5K). Having my name and country of origin announced as I was approaching the finish line was incredible (I'm far from being a fast runner).

The one (minor) improvement I would suggest is the toilets along the route. There was a port-a-potty situated at every KM marker. Adding 1 extra potty at every KM would be awesome. This is rather nit-picky considering many other marathons do not even provide toilets every KM and most of the time only 2-3 people during this race were waiting to use the toilet.

I would definitely love to run this one again. My compliments to the race organizers for putting on a great event and the people of Hamburg who came out in droves to support us runners. Cheers.

I can only say that almost everything was perfect: the greatest cheering crowd I've ever seen, plenty of water/gels/fruits, perfect separation between fast/medium/slow runners, start and finish at the same point (to be able to change your clothes early in the morning in a closed enviroment is quite a good thing), a great atmoshpere indeed.
There were only 2 points that concerned me before the start: the English website was not updated as frequently as the German one and it took a while to reach the block at the start.
If I do not run Boston next year, I will be there again.

Everyone should run the Hamburg Marathon once in their life. The race has everything - a great course weaving past the most interesting landmarks in the city, decent crowd support, good organization, and an excellent T-shirt. On top of it all, the race starts and ends at the town's famed Reeperbahn (the heart of the red light district)!

On the morning of 29 April 2012, 10,724 marathon runners and 1,073 relay teams (relay total was 4,292) crossed the starting line and approximately 10,400 marathon runners and 1,067 relay teams successfully finished the race. The race did not feel very crowded because runners were divided into groups and released every few minutes. For such a large number of runners, I was quite surprised at the speed of the start. The thousands of running shoes shuffling past the starting line is still quite fresh in my memory.

After the first PG-rated kilometer lined with sex shops in the Reeperbahn, the rest of the race was a nice sightseeing experience through the port city. Runners were offered a glimpse of life in Hamburg by passing through the port area, the old cannery buildings, the heart of the downtown center, a lake and a nice residential neighborhood before arriving at the finish line near the St. Pauli soccer stadium. Water was offered to runners every 5km (along with water bins for sponge dunking) and some refreshment areas even included bananas, High5 gels, Coke, and electrolyte drinks. Finishers were offered medals, fruit, electrolyte drinks, water and even non-alcoholic beer!

The bag drop-off area was well organized although it did take some time to recover my checked-in items. At least the time waiting in line was interesting as many German runners had no inhibitions when it came to changing out of their running clothes from the handful of naked finishers I saw (both male and female!).

My only complaint with the race was the expo. Runners were herded through a convention center at the Hamburg Exhibition Halls where they picked up their registration packets and the items ordered previously online. I was forced to pay one Euro just because I'd forgotten to print out my registration card! Then runners passed through a large exhibition area with several performance apparel booths (e.g. Asics) and promotion booths for other marathons (e.g. Munich marathon). I was disappointed with the limited items on sale at the Hamburg Marathon shop - it was not possible to buy additional items that were not pre-purchased online during registration. To make matters worse, the line to pick up the personalized Asics wrist-bands (displaying pace times) was so long that I completely skipped it.

However, the rest of the marathon experience was excellent.

Compliments to organization, volunteers and spectators.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experiences through the streets of Hamburg this year. The course is incredibly picturesque for a big city event and it's really well organized - for one thing the pens were well marshalled, without the pushing I've seen elsewhere. The expo was small and manageable but slightly strange, being located in a fairground site which seemed a lot bigger than necessary. As for the crowd support it was absolutely incredible - lots of people and absolutely enthusiastic too. For the first time ever I had my name called out on multiple occasions. There were also impromptu refreshment tables set up by residents along the 'nicer' parts of town. Watermelon slices definitely did the trick on such a hot day.

Hamburg is a very convenient mid-sized marathon. You can literally get off the subway at 8:55 and be in your coral at 9:00. Some of the first miles are a little tight, but it's all VERY flat. There is water every 2.5k, and water and Powerade every 5k. Every water stop also has a large tub of water for dipping hats, sponges, etc. Mileage markers are, of course, in kilometers.

Hamburg residents come out to watch, and some set up very elaborate picnics along the route. Germans seem to be big on noisemakers. U.S. people will be surprised to find out that the Expo features literally no marathon merchandise. No hats, no tee-shirts - nothing. Other things such as sneakers are nearly double the price that they would be in the US. Point is, you won't be buying much. Btw, you get zero with the price of registration. There isn't a free tee-shirt, and the goodie bag really has nothing in it. Baggage check is super convenient. The old chip system is used, but no affixing items are given, so you are expected lace it on your shoe. The last thing a marathoner wants is to get down and untie laces after the race.

This is my third time running this marathon, and the residents of Hamburg never fail to come out in droves to support the marathon runners. It's like a 26 mile long party! It was sunny and warm this year, and there were long stretches without any shade, so the going was a bit tougher than in previous years. Still, there were ample water stations, and the organization was fantastic. It's a flat course for the most part, so this isn't too challenging in terms of terrain, but the weather certainly made up for that this year!

Word was that the Hamburg and Berlin Marathons would be the best in Germany. I haven't run Berlin yet, but Hamburg rocked. It's a very old merchant city that's quite rich and scenic. The course is flat, and all of the streets are wide and well cared for. The Germans don't do potholes at all. I have never seen a more enthusiastic crowd. They were all along the course, packed multiple rows deep, screaming loudly and firing me on. Some had breakfast tables set up and ate while watching us. it was surreal, a real party. The day was hot, but there were many drink stations.

I have no complaints about my run 2010. Seriously, try this marathon if you want a great experience.

I do hear, though, that they want to change the date by a week or two, so confirm if you already registered.

This race was so much fun because of the beautiful City of Hamburg and its wonderful residents. There were over 800,000 people lining the streets, cheering the runners on from start to finish. The race was extremely well organized - something you would expect for a race in GERMANY! The course was flat and picturesque. The after party was the best I have experienced. GREAT JOB, race organizers. As a runner, you make it easy to concentrate on running and not getting bogged down in other details.

This is a great marathon. I have only previous experience from Stockholm but this marathon is better in so many ways. First, the crowd is amazing. A local paper said there were over 800,000 spectators and I truly believe that. But it was not just the sheer number of the spectators; they were also very supportive. Many were screaming, "Du schafft est" ("You will make it").
The course is also great - running along Lake Alster and the river is great.