Hamburg Marathon

Loved....the support. Hated...that there were too many runners, not enough water stations, water stations were too small so couldn't use half of them without stopping, no bottles, bag drop miles from start, no crowd control, no signs at chaotic running village and when you finish you're hearded extremely slowly through massive crowds for about a km where the only place you can sit is on a massive concrete floor. They must have made a lot of money as the care for runners was so minimal it was verging on negligent. Other than that it was great.

Don't expect personal best. It's hilly and over crowded. Bring a hydration pack because you'll use it and still not take on enough fluids.

I'd say if your hotel is less than a mile from the course start then don't bother spending 45 minutes on a bag drop excursion before you even start running. Just go back to hotel.

I really enjoyed running this course, and it's easy to get around Hamburg. I chose a hotel in the center of town and just ran a shakeout to the Expo to pick up my bib. The morning of the race, it was a short walk and 1 stop on subway to get to start back at the expo (which is also the finish). Everything was well organized, there was plenty of water, and the crowds were really supportive, despite a chilly rain through most of my race. The road was never too crowded and I could run tangents daily easily. The turns felt gentle. It's marketed as a fairly flat course but there are some mild hills. For some reason, I often felt like I was running a slight incline with few downhills, but if you look at the elevation profile, that's not accurate. Is it as fast as Berlin? Of course not. (But I did beat my Berlin time by about 30 sec. for a new PR).

Highly recommended despite the rain (it cleared up for a beautiful afternoon after the race). The course is a pleasure to run, passing through some interesting neighborhoods, and Hamburg is definitely worth a visit.

I didn't actually see any pacers, but I wasn't looking too hard either, since I was using my FindMyMarathon pace band (which worked well). Bring a couple tops for different weather, as it's unpredictable. You won't need a jacket, but I ended up using a long sleeve tech shirt from a prior race because the rain was a bit cold. I also wore a running cap for this one, which I wouldn't have done if it weren't raining. Bag check super organized and quick at the Expo, so you don't need to get there super early. That said, the Expo space is large so you'll need time to find your bag check area, and there are queues for the toilets before the starting gun. There are plenty of good restaurants in town but I'd recommend making a reservation for Saturday night. I had a great meal at Capriccio on Saturday (https://goo.gl/maps/9ziDnEwghg7MLR2S7). Nearby, for vegetarians, is Loving Hut. Note that much of the city is closed on Sunday. After the race, we went for a very good hamburger (with good vegetarian options as well) at Hans im Gluck (https://goo.gl/maps/s7QHKEx6hKi5v1xC6), one of the few places we found open. Then we went to look at the ruin of the Cathedral, St. Nikolai Memorial, nearby, and finally had a coffee at Nord Coast Coffee Roastary, also nearby, before picking up our bags at the hotel for an evening flight out. Also recommend dropping by the Elbphilharmonie to check out the views.

Book your hotel early; they aren't cheap, but there are great options in the center of town, from where it's super easy to get to the start/finish. If I had more time, I would have tried to get in a day trip or two in nearby areas. In my case, I had to fly in Sat. and out Sunday. Let your hotel know in advance that you are running the marathon and, unless you are pretty fast, will not be able to check out by noon, if you're leaving Sunday.