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International Zurich Marathon Runner Comments
Back to International Zurich Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.1 
Organization 4.4 
Spectators 4.1
Number of comments: 36 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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D. G. from Texas, USA
(5/1/2006)
"Fun destination marathon; chance for a PR" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 International Zurich Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 My husband and I ran in the rain in 2006. It was our 10+ marathon and one of our favorites to date. The race was well organized - very Swiss! We arranged our hotel through the marathon website (and got a bus to the start which was great), packet pickup was easy, the start was quite organized despite the weather, and the course was well marked. Water/food along the course was evenly spaced out. Having the start/finish right at a train stop was good as well because at the finish we could just hop on a train back to the hotel. The course is flat and with just 6-7K runners, so you can enjoy the company of runners for the entire race and still get a decent time. | |
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S. J. from CHAMPAIGN, IL
(4/14/2006)
"Some things that you can control" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Yes, it was raining - at times, pouring. But this is one thing that you CANNOT control; nor the general weather overall. You CAN control the pasta party... where you have to purchase drinks? I was told that this fact is normal for Swiss races. To the organizers: Please take the time to "borrow" and use the donated VITTAL water for the pasta party. To the racer who missed the after-race drink - unfortunately you did not miss much... approximately 8 ounces of something warm. It did not help too much in the grand scheme. What did help, and I agree with the racer's remarks, was the post-race message tent - it was a godsend! Just the warmth and eucalyptus. I agree that the last 12K of the course are/were/could be disconcerting. A computer error, since resolved, allowed me to complete my 8th marathon with a 1-hour-and-15-minute PR! I even have the engraved medal (another great feature available) to prove it. It now serves as a comic relief because I know the time in which I finished. Computer errors are to be expected; if I was the only unfortunate person to be victim of this, then the percentage is minuscule and I am proud to have my error'ed medal. What else? The transportation voucher would be even more valuable for those if trying to stay a little bit farther from the city center... Zone 21 as well as Zone 10. I found many other reasonably priced hotels out of the city center. And to the citizens of Zurich and all the towns I passed through along the way: THANK YOU for coming out on your Palm Sunday to cheer everyone along! | |
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J. T. from Scandinavia
(4/12/2006)
"A real disappointment" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 International Zurich Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Course: first 15km straight into one direction along Lake Zurich (would have been a nice view if it hadn´t been for the terrible weather). Then back along the exact same street, very boring. After 30km, it was like running in a labyrinth with nothing but turns - I almost went crazy. And all the time you had to face other runners coming back from farther ahead. At least it was very flat. Nutrition: best part of all, very good. Start/ Finish: a real chaos. Partly due to the rain, but one has to be prepared for that. Apparently the dressing rooms could only be reached by shuttle bus from the (very!) far end of the area. Travel pass: a 3 day travel pass for the city of Zurich (FR-SU) was sent to every participant, which I find a very good idea. Spectators: not too many all in all due to rain and early start time. Thanks to those who were there to support us! Starting time: at 8:30 AM, unbelievable! And a time limit of 5h. The reason: not everyone in Zurich is pleased with having the streets blocked for a while because of a marathon... | |
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Conor Gilmartin from Dublin, Ireland
(4/11/2006)
"Great Race" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 International Zurich Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I arrived on Saturday afternoon and my hotel was just around the corner from the Salsportshalle. Good Start. I made my way then to the Pasta party and back to the hotel for an early night. THey even had an early breakfast for the marathon runner. This was a nice touch, again a very friendly nation of people (thanks also for the ladies who helped me with the tram directions when I was lost). I was prepared for the rain, it was exactly the same for my last marathon in Dublin. My trusted cap and gloves protected me from the elements (at least psychologically), and Prince (3121 and live music) pumping out from my MP3 player. I set out a comfortable 4.30s Km pace. I kept this up for about the first 30k which was relatively straight with no major climbs. I found the zig-zagging around the streets in that last 12 k difficult and tiring. It was hard to know what distance you were at. The crowds were great and the Swiss people are very friendly. I dipped to a couple of 6minue K's near the end but got back to sub 5minute K's and managed to finish in 03:15:19 which was 27 mins better than my record. I was delighted. I will probably return again, with my wife and kid for next years race, or the year after. Overall, It was organised excellently and the refreshments (water, fruit, Energy drinks) were plentiful. While the rain was a pity, for an Irishman, it was maybe an advantage, I amy have found the 18 heat of Saturday more difficult. I though it was also good that they had a tent near the start with free 'Deep Heat' type muscle rub. It was little touches like that that made this race stand out for me. | |
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M. E. from Israel
(4/10/2006)
"'Start' disorganized unmarked categories & pacers" (about: 2006)
1 previous marathon
| 1 International Zurich Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 2006 - Over all, brilliant Swiss organization all round except for the 'start' and the weather! (the former is in your control the latter not) Categories at the start should be marked either by lines or flags so that runners can identify and join their respective groups. The 'Start' was disappointing and badly organised in this respect. Also the pacers lost their balloons after 8 & 20 minutes and got swallowed up in the crowd. Perhaps the pacer should run with a flag or balloon attached to his waist all the way. I personally climbed over a gate to get in line at the start - where were the openings?! Water and food stations were well managed and plentiful. Well done! Music from live bands on the way was inspiring and supportive.Fans plentiful despite the rain. After the finish, handing out medals, removing chips, giving out T shirts, food and drink was fantastic; after which I was supposed to get a hot free drink somewhere...couldn't find where! Would have been nice considering the weather conditions!! Would I do the Zurich marathon again? Yes most definitely! | |
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T. L. from Heidelberg, Germany
(4/20/2005)
"Great location, but marathon needs improvement" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 International Zurich Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Zurich was my 6th marathon. I've run a small one (Loch Ness, its 1st year) and 4 larger ones (London, Berlin, Boston, and Dublin). The scenery in Zurich is lovely, but as another runner mentioned, it's not a focal point if you're trying to make a strong effort for time. I was mentally disheartened by the needless zig-zagging of the final 12km of the course. It left me feeling disoriented and tired. There must be a way for the organizers to extend the straight stretches of the course. Perhaps a simple out-and-back instead? The crowds were good for a fairly new marathon. The expo was disappointing, in both scale and content. There were no t-shirts for purchase that just said Zurich Marathon. I like to have the option to purchase one in a size that fits me, because the finisher's shirts are often sized for men, and produced in limited quantities. At the finish, the smallest size available was a men's medium; it was also an unattractive dull orange color. Having options to purchase even hats or jackets would be good. Also, some expos have a stand set up and allow you to have your race number silkscreened onto your race shirt. You pick up your number & race day package, and turn it in at the stand (so no one can sneak in). Then there are no pins to worry about. One great idea at this marathon was the 3-day public transportation pass. It was an opportunity to see the city free in the two days before the race. That was much appreciated. | |
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C. A. from Zurich, Switzerland
(4/11/2005)
"Perfection" (about: 2005)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 There is not much to add to the other comments - perfect weather, not too cold or too hot, water stations every 3.5 km, and great bands along the lake. I wished they had had an extra 'energy goo' early on, but I had taken two gel packs with me, which was all I needed in addition to the food provided. This time, there was also enough room in the start/finish area, unlike last year. | |
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Mario Badosa Cases from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
(4/4/2005)
"Zurich, I will be there in 2006" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 International Zurich Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my third marathon. The 2003 and 2004 in Barcelona. Our local politicians didn't want a new 2005 edition in BCN, so I decided to run the marathon of my best Swiss marathoning girl friend's city, Zurich. I ran it yesterday, and now I'm still dreaming. Perfect weather, incredible landscape, besides the lake and the snow-covered Alps in the background... Lots of wonderful people and music bands supporting us - I was very surprised about that. I had never seen anything similar in my country. In my opinion, the Swiss people were the best of the race... The organization was superb and the web page very is complete too. If it's possible, I will be in the Zurich Marathon in 2006. | |
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Ken Forster from Zurich, Switzerland & Atlanta, GA
(4/3/2005)
"Great Race - and a PR!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 International Zurich Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is the third year of the Zurich Marathon and my all accounts the best event they've held yet. It featured Swiss precision in all respects. From registration (maximum 7,000 runners - sells out early), to number pick-up, start location, bag check, start grouping and marshaling, race routing, pedestrian control and race finish and festivities, it was a well-run race. The race starts at 8:30AM on the west side of Lake Zurich (Zurich-see) in Wollishofen (right next to the train station), proceeds downtown across the head of the lake, and goes down the east side to Meilen. It then reverses route heading back to downtown, goes through a series of loops through the old downtown area and finally ends up back where it started. The route is relatively flat with a couple small hills but no more than 30-meter rise or drop. The first 30KM of the race are relatively serene with beautiful lake views, lots of Ompa, jazz and even steel drum bands. The water breaks are generous (every 5K) with bottled water, Powerbars and bananas - and the crowds were both warm and supportive with lots of calls to 'Pull, Pull, Pull' and ringing of big cow bells. Oh, and the weather was perfect with clear sky (the route is largely shaded) and temperatures ranging from 8C (46F) to 22C (72F) at 2PM, all with a cool alpine wind. The last 10K of the race works its way through the downtown area which can be quite a maze. This is the only complaint I have about the race as this is a relatively tough part of the race to be wandering the city streets with no real coordinates of how you are doing except the occasional KM marker flag. While this is a very nice area with traditional old European streets, it's largely lost when your muscles are screaming to stop and your pace group is passing you by - at least the crowds were great. I ran with the 3:29 pace group which helped immensely to keep a good time. The lesson learned, however, was to run in front of the pace group, not behind it where there is a gaggle of runners all trying to keep pace. All-in-all, a highly-recommended race with all the right organization, wonderful geography and great people! | |
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Brian Herro from Chicago, Illinois
(4/26/2004)
"Great First Marathon" (about: 2004)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 Hello all you marathon buffs. I just wanted to give my experience about the Zurich Marathon. The greatest part is the views and scenery. Most of the race was along Lake Zurich with snow-covered mountains in the background. The weather was perfect, overcast and cool. The course was flat and had a fair share of spectators, bands, and water/food stations. I know that others have already said this, but one major thing they need to improve before next year is the storage holding areas. There was too little space for the amount of people trying to check their gear. One idea is to have it in the big park on the other side of the race course. Also, at the finish line there was hardly enough room to slow down and cool off a little bit. Other than that it was a great first marathon. I will surely do it again in the future. |
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