Bonner Stadt-Marathon - Race Reviews

I ran the half marathon. It was extremely well organized and had good fan support all around. The half marathon course runs back against the starters of the marathon course on the bridge which sort of "squeezed" runners together a bit on the bridge. Be prepared for larger stretches between water breaks, as is common in European marathons and half marathons. If running a race in Europe, plan your training to reflect this. Lots of activities pre- and post-race. The city center is very nice and quaint. Lots of help and assistance everywhere. I'd run it again.

This is a small-city race with all the frills of a big marathon, such as the Marine Corps Marathon. There is a decent expo, a nice technical shirt, a medal at the finish, and a rockin' after-race party. The course is flat and runs through the districts that make up the city. The start is understandably staggered due to the narrow streets. I ran at a 5:30 per KM (9:00 per mile) pace and never once felt the field was too crowded. There were plenty of volunteers to provide bananas, water, tea, RedBull, and Coke at every drink station. The spectators are out in force to cheer you on (quite literally, since your first name is printed on the bib), making you feel that the entire city is really excited about the race. For runners with small children, there is even a place to drop the kids off while you run the race. I would recommend the race to anyone who is interested in trying something a bit more low-key but still exciting, wants to set a PR (I finally broke the four-hour barrier), or who needs childcare during the race.

Superb medium-sized marathon. Hot weather was not a problem, as the race is held in early spring. Bonn has a small-town feel; it was very friendly and the citizens came out in force to support the race. Well coralled start - we were ushered into side street areas when the quicker runners started; this led to an uncongested run, which was on closed roads and excellently marshalled. Nice after-run party (free beer or cola and a plate of pasta). The expo was in the city center and there was tons to buy. The goodie bag a bit poor; the website was only in German but easy to suss out, and I thought the course could have incorporated the Rhine a bit more.

First international marathon. Heard how nice German marathons were but I was still overwhelmed with how well the towns of Bonn and Beuel came out for the marathon. In addition to all of Mr. Dearth's comments below (which described my experiences in the 2004 marathon right on), the spectators cheered you on with bells, horns, drums, cowbells, rhythmic clapping, and overall enthusiasm. They cheered from balconies and open windows as well as on the sidewalks. Several times, I also saw people in windows that weren't open cheering for me. No traffic problems whatsoever. Near the finish, there was an open path about 2 runners wide with spectators cheering you from each side. With buildings on both sides of this narrow street, the cheers were echoing off of the buildings giving a real adrenaline rush. I had so much fun running this marathon that I didn't want it to end. One note is that the URL was incorrect (it should've been www.rheinenergie-marathon-bonn.de).

Being my first under-four-hour marathon (3:58!), of course I will always keep this race in good memory. But beyond this personal side, organization was truly terrific along the course as well as after the race with refreshments right in the finishing zone (plus beer!) and at the after-run party in a festival tent within 100 yards from the finish. The course itself is quite fast. It could stay longer along the Rhine and the crowds can naturally not compare with big city marathons.

Ran the Bonn Marathon last week. Race officials and overall organization was terrific, making the process easy even for us non-German speakers. Bonn is a beautiful city on the Rhine and crossing the river twice provides some lovely views. Fans were out in great numbers and obviously enjoying themselves. There were many parties along the way and lots spectators were quite drunk as the day wore on. With only 5000 runners, the race course was never overly crowded for us middle-pack runners, unlike Rotterdam the following Sunday. Brats and beer is not what I normally consume after a marathon, but they went down quite easily after the race! There is much to like about the Bonn Marathon.

I did run it yesterday, so the impressions are still fresh. I enjoyed the course through Bonn and its neighborhood, and in my opinion the spectators did a great job in supporting the runners. It could have been a little bit warmer, but that is nothing the race organizers could influence. I felt there was an extensive effort in organizing the event (roadblocks, public transportation). But it was ineffective and inconvenient after finishing the race to get a coupon and walk around to get the finisher t-shirt - it could have been distributed right away.