Co-Skipper
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I did this marathon back in 2006. I would say that it all depends on what you are trying to achieve from the marathon itself.
If you are after a nice marathon experience with a lot of support, then it is worth doing. The Italian PA announcer whips everybody up into a storm - the crowd and the athletes, and even though you cannot understand a word of it - the roars around you as you prepare to start really do lift you. Many nationalities do this event - very few Brits that I could see - so when you do spot a Union Jack by the side it feels like a special moment. There tends to be much cameraderie between the runners. And last but not least, you run past some amazing sights - starting and finishing at the Colesseum.
If you are after a fast course, and a PB, I would say forget it. Although the course is not the hilliest you've ever seen, there are some very unwelcome slopes to content with through narrow streets as you re-enter the city during the last few miles. Some parts are also laden with cobbles which disrupts the rhythm somewhat. You are also exposed to the temperature during the middle sections of the race which leave Rome and follow a dual carriageway to the Stadio Olympico and back along an open path.
And one last tip - do not go for any hotel below a 3* in the vicinity of the Termini!
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