Has anyone run Munich or Essen marathon?

[shelagh]

I will be arriving in Poland Oct 1, 2005 and returning to Canada from Amsterdam on Oct 15. I'm thinking of running Essen or Munich while I'm there. My husband is doing a course near Gdansk, and I haven't yet figured out how I will get to either marathon, but thought I'd see if anyone here has any experience or knowledge of these. Or, other suggestions are welcome.

[El Gordo]

Hi Shelagh,

Long time, no speak. Hope you're well, and glad to hear you're still running.

We keep talking about going to Poland, and it will happen sometime. I've also looked into doing races in Poland. The Warsaw marathon is in September usually, with Kracow in April.

Essen/Munchen I don't know anything about, I'm afraid. I suppose you've tried http://www.marathonguide.com? They have a lot of race reviews from runners. The other suggestion is that you visit the British Runner's World forum - http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum and do a search for Essen and Munchen/Munich. There are a few Germany-based runners that use the forums over there, so you may well find something. If they are anything like Hamburg, they'll be well organised events on well-designed courses.

As for transport, depends how much time you have. If I had the time, I would hire a car and meander across Northern Europe - there's a huge amount of interesting stuff to see. If time is a bit tighter, you'll find the train service fast and very efficient. At Hamburg Station you could buy train tickets for destinations all over Europe. It would also give you the chance to see the countryside.

Do let us know how it goes.

Andy

[shelagh]

Hi Andy
Yes, I did check there but couldnt' find anything. Not sure what I'll do but I'll keep searching for info. Thanks

[shelagh]

went back to marathon guide which I thought I had checked, and did indeed find some reviews of Munich. It was the Runners world site where I found nothing. I would type in Munich and get many supposed matching threads, but none seemed to relate to Munich. Perhaps I was doing something wrong and should try again.

[El Gordo]

Shelagh

When you get hits returned at the RW site, all you know is that somewhere in that thread, Munich is mentioned. You have to read throught h thread to find the reference - annoying if it's a long one. Even when you find it, there's no guarantee that it will be relevant/useful.

I've asked one of the Germany-based marathoners if she's done Munich or Essen, and will let you know if I get a response.

[shelagh]

Thanks! I'm leaning more towards Munich as I think it will be an easier sell to my husband, I can get the website in English, and there seems to be a greater variety of scenery there vs Essen. Any extra info will help, though.