Milano City Marathon - Race Reviews

1. Registration process was ridicolously bureaucratic, confused and very poorly communicated. Several prerequisites including a medical certificate from your doctor. Despite submitting several weeks before the race, approval was not provided until 4 (!) days before the race. Email replies were not helpful. 2. The expo had lots of stalls. The officlal Asics gear available for purchase was a SS shirt, a hat ... and that's it. 3. The official rules were clear that you had to be at your designated entry date to the park by 7:45am. Turned out (a) the park was basically accessible from any entrance, and (b) if you weren't dropping off gear, you could have simply entered your start corrall a few minutes before the 9am start. 4. The start corrals included a mix of marathon and relay runners. Once you get to the start itself, the field splits into relay on the left, marathon on the right. There is very little warning of this - by the time you get there, if you're on the wrong side, it's impossible to fight through the crowd to get in the right lane. I ended up crossing the mat in the relay lane which I think is why my time is missing from the results. 5. The course is generally flat. There are several cobble/tram track sections in the centre of the city. Aid stations are good including water bottles. 6. The relay starts quite a while after the marathon which results in fast relay runners barging through the marathon pack. I was bumped from behind quite heavily, no apology, just sped through. 7. Shirt and medal are given at the end and both are nice. 8. By my watch (and others seemed similar), distance measured about 42.8km. So a mixed experience overall. Glad to have done it but would not repeat.

This marathon course really has it all, wonderful buildings like the Duomo and San Siro, mostly flat and well organised. Lots of drinks, fruit and food available for the runners. Nice under armour running shirt in the bag.

I knew Milano was not a big marathon, but I didn't expect that. Organization was pretty good, the expo was fine and getting the bib number was fast and easy which is what I like. Water and fruit stations during the race were great too. What I really missed during the race are some spectators and support, I find nobody from km 8 to km 39, which make the marathon a bit hard, on the other side the route during the 42K is just awful. It could not have been worst. Moreover the results are not correct for many runners, they don't show the net time for many of us which I found pitiful and it seems a third division marathon. To end up, happy to have run another marathon but I don't recommend Milano Marathon to anyone.

Milan is a beautiful city but the course could be better laid out. Although the roads were 'closed' to traffic and the public, the course was frequently interrupted by walkers, cyclists and even cars with the race marshals either unable, unwilling to stop the intrusions. Some runners were running with their dogs which I found strange. After the halt-way point, there were few or no toilets, which was hard going when the weather was so warm and humid and you had to drink a lot to stay hydrated. I have run marathons all over the world and this was the worst in terms of spectator numbers and support. Finally, days later, I am unable to be sure what my actual time for the marathon was as the 'official' result (for everyone) is listed as the gun time and not the from the actual time that one crossed the start line. I am glad I ran this marathon and I enjoyed my girlie weekend trip to Milan but I would advise that this marathon is probably not the best choice for a novice marathoner.

It was my third marathon, first outside Argentina, the circuit was very nice, shirt, bag and medals of quality, is perhaps a bit complicated registration. But overall my experience in Milan was very good!

What was good? - The Expo was easy to find, well organised and friendly. The course was flat and run on mainly wide avenues with little congestion. The water and food stations were well stocked and frequent. The city is an excellent destination; just the right size for a weekend, well priced, excellent restaurants, great sights and friendly locals. What was bad? - The heat; at 25 degrees it cost me my time by 2 mins....can't really blame the organisers for this one! The public! As with most city marathons there are always idiots walking out in front of runners; Italy is particularly renowned for this....Milan is no exception....look out! Cobblestones just at the wrong time on the course. Italian runners racing in much the same way as Italian drivers drive! I had to elbow and push my way through a couple of times as little men with big egos felt they could barge me during the race....they couldn't! Overall I'd certainly recommend it although now I've ticked it off I don't plan to go back.

Weather was near perfect except for some wind. Expo was good and friendly except I see one lady having huge problems with an Italian passoprt and English medical certificate. She was given only one option of paying for new certificate from an Italian doctor which they kindly provided access to. Identification must match location of address/medical certificate location - Italian Law. Organisation at start was good, not crowded, a relaxed mood. Crowd support was minimal except for a few locations where it sounded great. I was surprised with 2 KM or less to go and no crowd support. No mile markers ever mile. Fluid stations were good with water bottles which I believe is best solution but bottles were too big therefore I emptied most and continued with bottle in hand. They also had cups of some carbohydrate drink. My own race resulted in 2:47 instead of 2:43 or so, mainly because of being under-trained and cobble-stones possibly brought on hamstring cramps. There were more cobble stones than I expected but not miles of them - difficult to run on. Winds which seemed present for majority of race did have an impact but cannot be fully blamed for my slower than expected time. 2 minor hills surprised me. No problems with traffic, coarse was closed to traffic. Afterwards there was a nice park to relax with food stands and believe it, yes there were crowded showers for anyone who wanted to follow the sign and walk 800m. I say every marathon should do like Milan and supply showers!!!! I would recommend Milan for a fast time but not a perfect coarse because of cobble-stones and fluid stations only every 5 KM. Overall a great production and congradulations to the Milan people who I liked alot and I will return one day.

This was my 10th Marathon and I chose it because of previous reviewers comments about a fast course. It is amazing to run 26 miles completely on the flat (with the exception of one slight road underpass). You start outside the city at the Expo Rho, which is a bit boring and almost no spectators. Once you get into the historic centre your family can easily see you 3 or 4 times by just walking a few 100 meters. Drinks were bottles (which is unusual in Italy) and they had lots of fruit (who has time to eat a banana!) I ran with the 3 hour pace makers, who were great, got me home in 2:58. They ran a perfect even pace and encouraged you towards the end (in Italian - sorry). You finish in the historic centre next to the Castle. Medal best in the world. Goody bag OK (great coolmax t-shirt). Daughters liked the fact you could shop in Abercrombie post-race.

Milano City Marathon just gets better and better each year. Very well organized, really impressed with the event. New in 2013 was that the marathon was added to a so-called 'green sunday' which means that the center is closed for regular passenger vehicles. One huge advantage, both in terms of air quality, noise, and general well-being. Free ticket for all public transportation race day came in the goody bag! The t-shirt is the best and coolest free race t-shirt I got. The course is point to point, starting in an exhibition area outside the city and into the city center and passes most major sights before closing off the walls of the old city that today is a great park. Drinking water stations had both in bottles and paper cups, sports drinks in paper cups. This year the weather was ideal, with cloudy and about 8-9 degrees celcius at the start, and eventually the sun and around 15 degrees at the finish. Plenty of space and very well organized finish. For two years side was all speaker information in the starting area in Italian, this year it was also in English. The medal was great. My time was 2:57.

This was my first international marathon of 26 completed. I would recommend Milan for a first time int'l event. The destination is really great and easy to get there. Lots of hotels to choose from. You can stay at any hotel near a Metro station because you go to the Expo and start line via the Metro sub-way. I would stay at the Sheraton at the Duomo if I were to do it again. That is the best tourist area, and you run past the Duomo at mile 16, so your family can cheer you on! The best part of this course is that it is totally flat, the entire distance, no kidding. Also, you get water bottles at the aid stations, rather than cups (like the US). This is also a relatively small marathon with 3,900 runners this year. Pay attention to the weather, as it can be warm the middle of April in Milan. I happended to catch a rainy day, which is better than too much sun. Think thru your logistics. Hard to pickup items last minute if you haven't prepared. Example, I didn't prepare for the rain and had to buy an umbrella day before the race. Should have brought one of those trash bags to wear at the start line. Also, be prepared to follow the crowd. Instructions at the start line are given in Italian only, so don't be afraid to make a friend who speaks a little English. Expo is very disappointing. No shoe/apparel/nutrition vendors, so if you forgot something, you won't find it last minute at the expo. Took me 10 minutes to pickup my race packet and walk thru the expo. Final comment: Two thumbs up for this marathon, super user friendly.

Very fast and flat course. Quite boring for the first 10K but with good sections, in town centre. Crowd - when present - not very supportive. Great job from the volunteers with good support all along the race. Good refreshments, with bottled water (no cups) I will run it again one day, when I want to improve my PB

Milano City Marathon is getting better each year and is all in all a good marathon, but it is surprisingly small (in terms of number of partcipiants) for such a big city. The plus: fast race, extremely helpful pacemakers, good water stations with bottles (as opposed to cups), some scenic segments (including the one under the dome and the finish), very helpful organization staff, decent race bag, good bag deposit service, very good deals for the hotels. The minus: website and registration procedures are far from smooth, the start and first 15 km are very boring, the spectators are few, closing the streets to traffic irritates many cardrivers who honk and shout in frustration. All in all, I would definitely recommend this race to any runner who likes a middle-size (4000 participants) and very fast marathon, in a beautiful city which is easy to travel to and with plenty of additional activities to offer. The organization is doing a very good job for improving this relatively young race from year to year.

The organizers held a brilliant expo, and visiting Milan was a big highlight. The start is a little odd, but funny in hindsight. I would highly recommend this marathon to anyone.

Milano was not my first choice for my spring marathon - but i'm so glad that I ran it. Fast course, very flat. Very good organization and a fun city to visit - make a great weekend. This year was a bit windy for most of the way, but the weather is good.

A great surprise - I didn't plan on Milano as a place for my spring marathon, but I am very happy that I did. Great course - flat and fast (this year was a bit windy). Milano is a wonderful city to visit, and the organization was excellent. I'll do it again!

Fine weather - crispy cool in the beginning and sunshine. Flat course, with beautiful mountain scenery on the way. The organization was excellent and the race shirt was very nice. Not many spectators, but as a woman, the other women lining the course really supported me. Even though some drivers where impatient, honking the car horns, I look at it as support and took it to my advantage. I found the city expensive, but I will be back again. Thank you for some good memories.

I have completed several marathons and half-marathons and did not enjoy Milan at all. I do not enjoy being in fear that I may be hit by an outraged motorist who was not informed of the race. There is no support for this race by the locals. I ran Florence last year and will go back there instead of Milan; the course is a bit slower with more cobblestone, but the people were great and it felt more like a carnival.

This was my very first marathon. Granted, it was not my first choice, but having wanted to do a marathon before the end of 2007, I thought I'd give it a go. It was a good course that went all the way around Milan. Unfortunately, the only interesting part of the run was the first 10 KM; after that it was very very boring, ugly and disappointing. I was filled with pride for making the whole of Milan a standstill while drivers beeped their horns with impatience. Apparently the city was unaware that there was a marathon. The event would have been that much better had the Milanese been out on the streets cheering than in their cars attempting to run over the runners in their way at certain intersections. Even at the end, there were very few people cheering. In fact, the organizers need to move the end to a better position, the 2007 finish was quite anti-climatic. Despite the very rude Milanese and their dislike of the marathon, the organizers did a great job. Great water stations, toilets, etc.... The goodie bag was cool with a very bright orange yet functional running shirt. Could have made the expo bigger. If you are searching for a fast course to make a PB, then this is for you, but if you are searching for a scenic run, or fantastic spectators, then this is not for you. I will not be back again to run this marathon. Next time I'll head to Rome, Florence, Venice etc.... As a first-time marathon runner, I felt very pleased with myself and I am now planning a new year with more to come.

It was my first marathon abroad, so I took it as an adventure with my wife. There was a strike on Friday, which canceled our flight, so we had to do all sightseeing and shopping on Saturday and Sunday; but that's life. Organization was great, though there wasn't a big enough shirt for me (only L), so my wife got both nice shirts. The course was fantastic, flat, and we saw many fabulous places - but also "normal" city as well as new city - while running. We didn't mind about the cars; it was entertaining to hear horns and watch "negotiations" between police and drivers. Italian runners were also shouting back at the drivers - funny! There wasn't a huge crowd, but the few there were nice and supportive. It was a fine 5,000-runner, city marathon!

Despite hitting "the wall" shortly after halfway, my first marathon was a fantastic experience and has hooked me. I arrived in Milan not really knowing what to expect, but was really pleased to see that the event was well organized and full of perks that I didn't expect, i.e., all the freebies. The registration process was very straightforward, although they denied receiving my payment. The instructions were well documented, the volunteers all spoke good English and there was a positive buzz around the whole place. The course itself was good. Milan wasn't as pretty as I expected but the course showed us all the elements of the city - ugly, pretty, industrial and chic. The support was sporadic, but wherever they were found, they offered words of encouragement such as "Di" and "Forza" - both of which helped push me on to the end. The only negative point I could find relates to the pace makers. At the 32-KM point, the 5-hour pacemakers passed me and raced off into the distance never to be seen again. I don't know what time they came in, but I finished in 4:58 and was way behind them. The finish was welcome! Nice quality medal and volunteers to assist with chip return, etc. Replenishment was provided - tasted foul but was apparently full of carbs, and was semi-raw rice, for the same reason. All in all, a good race to run if you want to make a weekend of it and take in the city at the same time.

A great, fast, flat course, though such a contrast with the scenery of Rome. Well organized and marshaled, with an excellent goody bag. However, poor facilities at the start and finish, and a long walk to them. Main problem was aggressive motorists blaring their horns, and even breaking through the police controls. Having to avoid a car heading for you at 23 miles is no fun at all. Spots of spectators, but a lot of barren areas too. Recommend it for a fast, flat course and lots of commitment from the city.

This marathon was a good one... but I have the following comments. Course: Course was great. It was very flat with a couple overpasses, but given that people run sub-2:10's on it, it is possible to PR on the course. Very flat. Water points: Definitely an abundance of water and sponges. Spectators: They were there at critical junctions and throughout the race. Post-race: Given no finisher's medal... sort of a bummer. Cool t-shirt, but post-race refreshments sort of... no, they do suck. You finish, you get a bag, in the bag is one orange, one banana, and two half-liter waters... and they send you on your way sans medal. Course again: In the city... the air is definitely nasty from cars. They do a great job stopping cars, but the air is disgusting. Weather: Starts at 0930. It was cool, but by the end of the race I was appreciating the shade on the course. Good marathon. Glad I did it, but next time I will try another one. I am jokingly, but also seriously, bitter about the lack of medal (that is like standard operating procedure for marathons, and the lack of post-race support).

I ran the 2005 Maratona di Milano. A cold and foggy day. A very flat and fast course. Did a personal best of 3:18. About half the race was outside Milano on roads. Spectacular finish by the magnificent cathedral at Piazza Duomo. Generous bags before and after the race. Friendly personnel. Super-cool race shirt! Only grave minus is that I was not able to find the showers; someone directed me here, another one there. WHERE WERE THE BUSES? Changed quickly, dirty and unshowered in a hotel bathroom. Had checked out from my hotel. Second minus was that the water had outside temperature (which was just above freezing).

This was my 7th marathon and definitely the one with the least spectators but definitely one of the best to run. (I did Berlin, R'dam....) The weather was cold, but the course was fine; the organization was very good. Few spectators but maybe due to the bad and cold weather. Congratulations Italians!

It was my first marathon, so I had an unforgettable experience. Flat course, good organization and spectacular finish line in front of the Duomo Cathedral. I do think that the organization members have no responsibility for the people who got angry because of the traffic problems cause by the marathon. I prefer to remember the thousands of spectators giving support and shouting 'bravi, bravi' to the runners during the race!!!!

I very much enjoyed the 2004 edition of the Milan Marathon due to the flat course and, for my experience, rather smooth organization with well-equipped refreshment stands. The main thing to be improved for next year is the finish area which becomes very crowded... it's difficult to see how to get in line for refreshments, massage, etc. During the course: It seemed like a lot of Italian car drivers use their horns when they have to wait because runners are passing by ;-) whatever that means or does/helps, I hardly know Italian language or culture ;-) probably support for the runners ;-)

That's the second Milan Marathon for me, and the only thing I really appreciated is the fast course. Organizational level has been worsening from last year, refreshments and volounteers support apart. Thousands of car drivers freaking out and shouting very bad things to runners, very poor expo area, small changing areas and chaos to have our bags at the finish line. Did my PB, but probably won't run here again in the future. Rome, Venice and Florence are really on another level, at least in Italy, spectators included.

Running in a polluted city with open traffic, wild car drivers, no spectators, no reference line, bad clothing facilities, and kilometer signs taken off before the end of the race is something I won't do anymore. Congratulations, never seen such a mess in the civil world.

The course in 2003 was slightly different from that of 2002, but still very well laid out. Also, race day 2003 was a care-free day in Milan, which was a welcome change from the noise and exhaust fumes (almost no catalytic converters in Italian cars!) of the year before. Organization and the like is superb, but spectators are few and puzzled to indifferent, (i.e., the exact opposite of what most of us would expect from a marathon in Italy). The long-sleeved pink Microfiber race shirt is a mite showy, but is wonderful to be worn under other garments when training in winter.

I finished my second marathon this year in Milan. The course was nice and flat. More spectators on the streets than I expected. The refreshement points were good and had plenty of water, Gatorade (and food starting at 25km). Extra water-only points between standard every-5km refreshment stations starting at 32.5km.

I enjoyed the first edition: very efficient organization, one of the fastest courses I experienced, good pre and after race facilities, good value for money. So I did not hesitate to join the second edition which, I think, reached the same high standard. A negative vote to the public, somewhat indifferent, and some car drivers who did not show much understanding.

Read a lot before about the 'best ever tee-shirt' for this event -- true .. if you like shocking pink!! Overall, however, this is definitely a great European winter event and highly recommended. Around 4,500 runners this year. Started and finished at the picturesque Castella Sforezca, with a real city streets course. One drawback was the use of several 'hairpins', where you run up one side of the road while your leaders/followers run down the other; OK once, but seemed to do this a lot. Spectators looked bemused or annoyed, rather than supportive, so expect a generally quiet run. Great water and Gartorade points every 5km, but surprising that absolutely nothing after the finish line -- not even a glass of water. However, was balanced by the fact that, rather than a space blanket, a basic shower-proof (and re-usable) running jacket was provided at the end. Only other gripe was the fact the traffic police stopped me twice to allow trams to pass. Otherwise, a highly recommended race.