3-Laender-Marathon - Race Reviews

I give this race mixed reviews. The pre-race email communications were excellent. The volunteers and aid stations along the way were top notch. And the spectators were amazing! The negatives: Packet pickup was a bit confusing in that the volunteer at # pickup demanded to see my registration email which I hurridly tried to pull up while other runners waited behind me. I never received the t-shirt I paid for. And when I lined up for the 'free' pasta dinner, I was asked if I had ordered it ahead (this was not mentioned in the race emails). Morning of ship transfer was smooth. There was a little confusion trying to find the clothing drop off trucks, but eventually I found them. For some reason the truck for my # seemed to have a long line of runners waiting to drop off clothes, while other trucks were near empty. Same for after race pickup - long line waiting for clothing while we were all freezing. The race itself was nice. Views were a bit limited due to cloud cover. There were long stretches of industrial type areas and few spectators, but the ones that were out were super motivating! Aid stations were numerous and well stocked, with plenty of volunteers. But - very few port-a-potties! Men pulled over to pee all over the place, but ladies had to wait forever for a toilet. The finish area in the stadium was not well organized. I was expecting food, beer and a massage, but decided to look for my clothing bag first because it was so cold. For this I had to climb up and out and walk around the stadium only to stand in that long line. At that point I did not want to go back in the stadium. Overall, I would recommend the marathon for its unique venus, but expect several complications along the way.

My first time running in Europe. My wife and I respectively ran the 42km and she ran the 21km . The start was awesome, good vibe along the route and the spectators was just brilliant. I loved everything about this race . I will sing the 3-Lander-Marathon praises back home in South Africa. Well done to everyone that made this race possible and for all your efforts. It was also a very scenic and beautiful route . I'd love to do it again next year. Salute champions salute

The course along Lake Constance/Bodensee was very scenic, passing along the lake, past farmland, and through villages. There were some areas with gravel and a couple short cobblestone areas, but the vast majority was asphalt. There were a few small hills but overall it was a 'flat' race. Plus, there's great bragging rights for running through 3 countries in one race! This year the marathoners started about 90 minutes before the half marathoners, which helped minimize congestion on the course and made the pre-race staging incredibly easy. The half marathoners merged in around the 36km mark, and seeing the fresher runners helped with the mental game late in the race. The weather was nearly perfect for running, with cool temperatures and overcast skies (with rain in the afternoon after everybody had finished). The spectators were great, with small clusters of enthusiastic and persistent people every 100-200m nearly the entire course. Event logistics were well executed, with easy transportation to the start, a clearly marked and well staffed course, well stocked drink stations, and a great finish area, complete with food, drinks, beer, showers, and entertainment. It had the comfort, ease, and price of a small local event with the great logistics you'd expect from a world-class race. There was limited printed information in English in the months before the event, but an English version of the event guide was posted online in the days before the race and the volunteers/staff were all incredibly helpful. After arriving in Bregenz everything was easy to understand and the event's energy was contagious. Highly recommended!

I loved this race taking me through the Bodesse. Great destination marathon.

This marathon was my goal race for the season. Spent a few days in Munich then off to Lindau. Stopped at packet pick up the Saturday before the race and had the included pasta dinner on the ship looking out on Lake Constance. The language barrier was not much of an issue because there were plenty of signs pointing you to the packet pick up and pasta dinner location. Took the 10 min train ride to Bregenz (at the finish line) to spend the night before the race. If staying in Bregenz, the race fee includes the train ride to the start line. Tons of people on the train heading to the race that morning so it was impossible to get lost. There was a little drizzle on race day but the race gave rain ponchos to keep everyone dry. The race was well organized at the start line and set the runners off in time waves. It was nice to see how people adhered to their estimated finish time and didn't have to spend time navigating around other runners. The course itself was very scenic and flat. The course included some cobblestone road, gravel trail and asphalt. Different from others posts, I didn't feel like I was running alone at any time on the course. I felt like I was running with the same group of people throughout the whole race! At one point around mile 20 when I was taking a walk break, an Italian runner that I 'd been running alongside motivated me with an 'andiamo! andiamo!' It was a very fun and welcoming environment. The town residents were out along the course cheering the runners along. Refreshments on the course included water, tea, powerade, and coca cola. The first water station wasn't until about the 5k mark but were at more regular intervals from that. There were distance markers at regular intervals but clocks only at the half marathon mark. The finish line is inside the Casino stadium. There was music and refreshments at the finish line. Interestingly, the finish line beer was alcohol free and electrolyte enhanced! This was a really fun race that I would recommend as a vacation run.

Before I begin, I have to caveat this by saying I may not be able to give the most unbiased review considering that it rained throughout this year's marathon. Obviously, the weather was very disappointing, particularly because the day before the race was simply picture perfect weather. The day of the race, the rain barely let up. The positives: the race was very well organized. Lindau is a marvelous town. The expo was nearby and getting the start materials was easy. The course offered ample refreshments and willing volunteers. The negatives: I thought I would welcome running a small marathon for a change (880 total), but I did not. Once the full & half marathon people split up, I often felt that I was in no man's land, and sometimes never saw anyone in front of me. It takes a great deal of mental fortitude to run with no one in sight during a marathon. I can't really objectively judge the scenery as it was all I could do to keep my head down to avoid the rain and cold. After the race, they were quite stingy with handing out the mylar blankets (hello, hypothermia). Someone told me you had to go to the first aid tent to retrieve one. And finally, they required the runners to go to the clear opposite side of the stadium, up and over stairs to get their gear check bags. This seemed utterly ridiculous, as there appeared to be a whole center stadium full of space they could have brought the vans to. The pasta dinner was decent. I was surprised that they didn't even offer a free beverage, but maybe that's just a European thing.

This was my eighth marathon and I enjoyed it very much. It went from Lindau through Bregenz into a tiny bit of Switzerland and then finished in Bregenz. I stayed 2 days in Lindau, where you pick up the start numbers and then I drove and parked at the finish in Bregenz and took the boat to the start at Lindau. The part along the Bodensee was very nice and then it went through some small towns and several miles in the fields. My only negative was I ran off course when one of the ladies giving directions told me to turn left, when I should have gone straight, effectively adding a mile to my run before I corrected and ran back where I was supposed to be. (Added 10 minutes to my time). Another young man ran the wrong way at a different point in the course but quickly corrected. The course at times was open, in that kids and families cycled through it on bikes, etc. and at a couple of critical junctures, there was no one to ensure you knew which way to go. Overall, organization was good, volunteers were excellent, and the finish in the stadium was very good.

A business trip allowed me to be in the area for this event. It was about a flawless a race as I have ever run. The course is pancake flat with postcard views of snow-covered peaks, rolling hills and beautiful Lake Constance. We had about 1,000 marathoners plus another 4,000 in shorter distances and a relay. The water stops offered multiple choices of beverage and also fruit later on the course. Crowd support was great in the towns. Stadium finish with good food and showers available. This is a terrific race.

This marathon is set in some stunning scenery, along Lake Constance and always surrounded by some beautiful mountains, yet the course itself is flat as a pancake. The start and finish are about 7 miles from each other, and the organizers urge everyone to park their cars near the finish and get a (free) boat to the starting line. I followed that advice, and was completely taken aback by the queue, as the other 5,000 participants seemed to have followed the same advice. I think they had to organize an extra boat in the end, because the one I went on left well after all the other ones, but it still got us to the start in time. The information pack was supposed to include a map of Lindau (start) and Bregenz (finish), but I didn't receive any maps in mine, which made hunting for a suitable parking space a bit of a shot in the dark (though I did manage just fine). They also did not include any information on how to attach the running chip to the shoe. If this had been my first marathon, I would not have had a clue on what to do. The first 9 miles or so were run on small pathways or even dirt roads that were not really suited for the number of participants. I really got stuck in the crowd and was not able to run at my planned pace - though that was probably a good thing, because I would have started too fast otherwise. Next year they are planning to run on the main road, which would definitely be advisable, especially if the number of runners keeps increasing. The water stations were very frequent, and stocked with a big variety of drinks: water, sports drink, fruit tea (warm, which was actually helpful, because it was a cold day) and cola were always available, as well as dextrose, bananas and carbohydrate bars. The number of helpers along the course was massive; on each tiny crossroad there was at least one person standing, directing everyone onto the right track, even if nobody in their right minds would have gone off the course on most of them. The spectators were fantastic; the weather was dreadful on the day, cold and raining heavily, but a big number of spectators turned up anyway and gave encouragement to all the runners. The organization at the finish was great too; there was free food for every runner (even beer, which I regretfully had to decline as I had to drive home afterwards) and the clothes bag had been delivered safely from the start, which was definitely a good thing as it contained my mobile phone as well as my car keys. I would have been rightly buggered if they had gone missing! If it hadn't been for the dreadful weather conditions, this would have been a fantastic run. Next year, if the course will run on the main road rather than some dirt roads, it should be even better. I can definitely recommend it. That was the fifth time the marathon has been organized, and four of those were affected by bad weather. Their luck is bound to change soon. ;-)

The 2004 3-Lander Marathon is the 4th marathon that I've run in the past three years. And it was certainly in the most beautiful location. The course runs along the gorgeous Bodensee starting in Lindau, Germany, and running back through Brengez, Austria, then briefly through Switzerland, and then finishing in a stadium back in Bregenz. You can get by with speaking English, but it certainly helps to know some German. I knew enough German that it allowed me to start up conversations with people and then switch back and forth between the two languages as needed. Although the area is surrounded by high mountains, the course itself is almost completely flat, staying along the Bodensee and in the valley areas. The only 'hills' are where you have to go up and over rivers or roads on bridges. Most of the path is asphalt, but some is cobblestone, and some is dirt/gravel as it follows along the lake, over small rivers, and through the towns. Some of the path is open, but other portions are lined with beautiful trees and therefore well shaded. Since the weather was perfect this year, there were actually quite a few spectators along the way, standing their backyards along narrow cobblestone streets, yelling (I think) 'Ab, Ab' and 'Super' as you run by. Last year (2003) apparently it was about 40 degrees and pouring down rain ... so weather can be an issue. It should be possible to run a personal best on this course, but you'll need to watch out because several areas are pretty narrow. There were around 5,000 people running this year (1/2 and full), so the start is pretty crowded. Although the first two water stations were at 5K and 10K, after that there were water/juice stations about every 2K. Be warned however, that you might end up with warm tea if you're not careful! They also provided bananas at several of the later stops. The nudel party (pasta party) was pretty low key, but I did meet and talk (combination of German and English) to many people. The exibition was almost nonexistent, but that's not why I went. The finisher medal was large, and rather average in appearance, but it is one I will treasure since it is my first 'international' marathon. Although the website indicated there was supposed to be a finisher T-Shirt, I did not receive one when I crossed the line. This was possibly a language problem on my end, but I'm following up to see if I can still get it. I stayed at the Mercure hotel/casino in Bregenz which was only a 5 minute walk from the finishing line, so I had no problems going back to my hotel to shower and change. There were also showers and change facilities available at the finish area. The hotel area was very noisy at night on Friday and Saturday due to the Casino next door, so if you have trouble sleeping you might want to try a different location. If my business travel plans allow, I'd certainly run this one again!