Definitely a route for PB chasers being pretty much a flat course, with plenty of long straights.

There was also plenty of music and DJs on the course to keep you happily running along.

The support was hit and miss, the further you went out from the centre there was little interest or support, but this was nullified by the amount of music on route.

The water stations were well stocked and plenty of marshalls.

This is a must do marathon and went straight into my 2nd favourite after London.

One of the flatest races out there (but by no means completely flat - there are some minor bumps); but also a very popular race which means it gets very busy and overcrowded in places. I wasn't a fan of the smell of smoke (not just tobacco) around the central areas, or the diesel fumes along the Amstel section.

The start and finish are amazing in the stadium however, and due to the time of year you've got a reasonable chance of great running conditions.

I can’t explain why I liked the Amsterdam Half Marathon so much… maybe because it kept to its promise of being friendly, flat and fast.

All I do know is that I’d love to go back and do it again as it was a most enjoyable race, except for the fact that I started so far back (in actual fact in the last starting pen, which was puzzling given my estimated finishing time and the fact I overtook so many people along the course).

Anyway, the full marathon starts in the Olympic Stadium and the half a few hundred metres outside on a closed main road. Both races end with around half a lap around the stadium to the finish line.

On fully closed roads the race takes you through built up areas, around various waterways, through an industrial estate and various parks and eventually on the final leg of your journey through Vondelpark.

At various points along the route you will be cheered on by crowds – mostly at major road junctions – and by people shouting from the windows of their homes! Amazing how many managed to read my name on the bib!

Despite the flat course claims there are a couple of spots with what I would describe as a slope, even though a few runners were walking up them!

There were plenty of water and aid stations dotted at very regular intervals and I spotted plenty of medical teams too. Lots of bands and DJs to keep you going as well.

It’s a shame so many of the aid spots were littered with cups and wet debris making them slippery – although the organisers had clean-up teams working to try and keep the areas clean.

There were plenty of updates on the event via emails and their Facebook page before the race and there was a massive area for the pick-up of race numbers and shirts.

Sadly the bag drop was one stumbling block – only a rare irate local runner in front of me managed to get them to stay open a bit longer before the start. It’s a shame he wasn’t there to speed them up at the end! Still it wasn’t too bad.

As always, there was a need for more toilet facilities before the start – although there were Portaloos dotted all over the place, even at regular intervals on the course.

Overall, a lovely race, with only a few minor hiccups which you may well expect with a total over more than 40,000 competitors in the full, half, 8k and kids races.

I’m just not sure about the half starting between 1.20pm and 2pm…even though I did notch a few PBs!