Perth CIty to Surf Marathon

Plenty of positives: - It started at 6am so it never got too hot - The first half is dead flat and very pretty going along the Swan River and through a university (although there is a very short patch of offroad action and a few steps). The early start also means you get a spectacular sunrise over the water. - Water and energy drink at every aid station, plus gels at maybe 4 stations throughout. - There are barricades separating the marathon and half marathon runners from the 12km runners. - Great organisation with lots and lots of buses back to the city after the race. There were however a few things that were not so positive: - The start included a bizarre marshalling system where they made all runners assemble at the Convention Centre before walking en masse up to the start line. It meant that most people coming from hotels did a kilometre before starting the race and it was impossible to self seed once arriving at the start. - Sometime in the second half, the half marathoners start pouring through which is great if you enjoy pushing against faster folk, but it can be a bit disheartening to be overtaken by so many people. - Very little spectator support. There were maybe three musical groups providing entertainment along the way. Overall it was a well organised (except for the marshalling start), enjoyable race with some beautiful scenery. Make sure you prepare for hills, hills and more hills at the end of your long runs!

Sensational course that showcased the best of Perth City. First ½ was flat and fast, out and back along the Swan River before heading into Kings Park for a rather challenging next 10K. Couple of long, grinding hills but the bush setting was a welcome distraction. The final portion of the race was fairly flat again with only one heartbreaking hill near the 38K stage. Aid stations were well stocked with plenty of water, sports drink and GUs. The marathon is part of a 40,000-strong running festival with a great atmosphere. When the marathon merged with other events in the later stages the marathon runners remained separated by a divided road, so no worries about your time being spoiled by other foot traffic. Even with 40,000 finishers, I still only had to wait 2 minutes for the free bus to take me back to the city - impressive. Nice medal!

I ran the City to Surf Marathon 2010 on 29 August. The field was small, around 900 runners, but there was a half, 12K and a fun run that swelled the numbers to over 40,000 (40 thousand). The marathon started at first light, 6.30 a.m., and as a result crowd support was a bit thin on the ground (although the stewards offered encouragement). The course itself was excellent, starting from the city center and heading out towards the WACA before turning and following the Swan River, offering fantastic views of the river and the early-morning-mist-covered city skyline before heading into the University of WA grounds. The course then headed, via a killer hill, towards the beautiful Kings Park, following tree-lined avenues up another killer hill before runners made their way towards City Beach. From Kings Park onward, the half marathoners joined the route, and later so did the fun runners, so support was more populous. The organization was excellent - full and half marathoners were separated from fun runners to ensure adequate drink availability and less congestion - and meeting family afterward was easy, just as the complementary massage for all finishers was very much appreciated! All in all, this is an excellent race that I would recommend.