This is a great marathon and is no surprise that it´s the fastest growing marathon in Spain - the number of runners has tripled in the past few years and Valencia now has the Bronze IAAF award. The course is fast and flat and a PB is definitely possible ( I took off 9 mins and got 3.20.30)


Weather was ideal maybe a little too warm for some, about 16C at the start and reached 19C about 3 hours later, but no wind and thankfully the sunshine was hazy.


There was a false start which delayed things by 5 mins. If there is anything that could be improved it is the start area, as it was poorly planned. The 4.30 pacer was next to the 3 hour pacer! This must be a first for a big city marathon. Thankfully this wasn´t as bad as it could have been, the slower pacer and runners quickly moved to the side to allow the faster runners through. Though I did pass a barefoot runner 30m from the start line going about 10 min/mile pace (no idea why he lined up or was allowed to line up next to 3 hour runners) Also there could be some more pace groups for mid packers. There was a 3.45, 3.30 and then a 3.10.


The expo was efficient and no problem with race bib pick up.


The fans in general are vocal and it´s a well supported race (there are some quiet areas but not too many). There could be some more music along the course or at least some more variety - Chariots of Fire is played on a constant loop. There is a tunnel around the 30km that lasts for about 1km so this may well cause problems if you run with a GPS.


The end of the race is truly spectacular - it really is just as it appears on the webpage. One word of caution is to keep running until you see the clock. There are a few twists and turns in the last few hundred meters and also a few inflatable arches that can easily be mistake as the finish line, especially when you see runners slowing down or walking.


Valencia is a very popular tourist destination and English is spoken in many hotels, restaurants etc. The race is popular with tourists too. The PA at the start line repeated everything in about 4 languages.


I´ve run the marathon in Paris, New York, Chicago, Madrid and Valencia is one of my favourites. If you want to do a marathon in Spain I´d highly recommend Valencia or Barcelona.

Everything was well organized (without the false start), weather and temperature were perfect, music-tunnel and finish on the water are amazing. Not good: a few km in the middle of the route Marathon and cars are sharing the street. Viewers could have been more.

Fantastic marathon. Great route, super conditions, amazing support and the finish is spectacular. The real downside though was looking for a sub 3 hr PB. The course clocked in at over 26.7 miles - so you need to run sub 6.42 miles rather than 6.50s. Other than that, can't say enough about it.

What a great race. It is a very fast course through a very beautiful city. with the exception of coming out of two tunnels (very mild and short incline)the course is completely flat. I prefer water more often than every 5km as they had, but they did have firetruck along the course spraying water to help keep you cool. Temp can get warm, it was 21 cel, 69 F, so plan for a warm race (They grow oranges). You finish running over water which is awesome. They did run out of beer at the end of the race. If you want a must do marathon this is it.

I can't complain about anything. Everything before, during and after the race was just great. The organization, weather, course, and the usual just worked out fine.

What really stood out for me was the loudspeakers at the tunnel. It's just amazing when you run down the tunnel and loud music is being played :) By fare the best experience for myself.

Valencia Marathon was a positive surprise! The organization has made some successful changes from autumn 2011, among others, changed the start and finish to the spectacular Modernist area of 'City of Arts and Sience', changed the race date from February to November and changed the course of being faster and simultaneously pass various cultural sights. Both 10 km and marathon was fully subscribed with respectively 5,500 and 7,000 participants. Expo was well organized, not the greatest, but okay. We obtained the starting number on Friday, when there was plenty of space and few people, in relation to the Saturday which was really crowded. We got a free t-shirt, cap and a small luggage bag as well as various commercials and magazines. And a ticket for pasta party in the park Saturday!
The start for the fastest participants took place on a bridge, and there was a little cramped and chaotic to get into the right corral; calculate well before the start. The10 k and Marathon started at the same time, but in each separate trail and it worked fine. There were drink stations every 5k plus water at 2.5 K. It worked great for me, but I heard that participants about 4 and a half hour lacked sports drink. Great with water bottles and not cups!
The trail was mostly flat, but the two tunnels was a bit hilly. The trail passed several of the city's sights and finish was very special with the spectacular surroundings!
After passing the finish line, we got a bag of food (mostly fruits) and beverages, and a towel, which I appreciated. It could have been some fewer oranges (ok, we're in Spain!), and a bit more 'regular' carbohydrates and chocomilk or the like. Another negative thing is that there is no advantage for the runners to share the road with cars. Admittedly, there were not many or long distances this was the case, but it should have been avoided. It should also be more toilets at the start and especially during the course! The amount of spectators is not quite as in the big races, but some places it was really good atmosphere! The organizers had also done much for music and entertainment along the trail! Temperature and weather was absolutely ideal with the sun and between 10 to 17 degree C.
And I beat my record, 1 1 / 2 minutes faster than Berlin last year! (2:53)

This was my first marathon, and it was a bit scary because everyone seemed so athletic. There were not many women at all - mainly fit, serious, Spanish men. I believed the course would be completely flat, but there were a few little testers just when you didn't need them. The weather was just right - 14 degrees when I started and about 19 when I finished. A well-organized run, with plenty of water stops and sprays to keep you cool. Crowds were a bit down on a lot of the route. There were a lot of straight, long stretches, which were hard going. Overall, I enjoyed the run and enjoyed the number of people that ran. Just enough for a first marathon.

The first half is interesting, but the second half is long, straight and a bit boring. Well organized and the city is well worth the weekend away. Weather was great - 17C and sunny.

Done 7 marathons and this was distinctly average. The course was very flat and great for a PB. The route didn't take in anything special and mostly suburbia. Crowds were not that great until the running into the stadium - a great way to finish. OK overall but not one I'd do again. The gifts given were the best ever (better than NYC, London, Rome).

Very impressed with how well organized this event was, given the size (and compared with larger events like London or Amsterdam). The pre- and post-race goody bags were the best I have had. For those arriving by car, there was a car park right at the start, which was only just over 1K from the finish, so you could leave your belongings locked in the car. There was free hot chocolate and churros at the start area. The course itself is flat and very well marshaled. The relatively small field (just less than 3,000 finished the 2008 race) meant that you could run at your own steady, consistent pace. I wish all events were as good as this. Hope to be back next year. If there is a drawback, it would be that the spectators are scarce at some parts of the course.