Wasn't sure what to expect with the Barcelona Marathon, it was only my 3rd marathon and first one overseas, so not a lot to compare it to. But it goes straight to the top of my list! Lots of communication before hand, website is good and in English, there is an app although they was tricky to get the settings into English. Was an early start and I got there with plenty of time, so much so there was no queue for the toilets! Took a while to get going and past the start line, but the atmosphere was building the whole time. Nice route through Barcelona itself, past lots of landmarks, easy to miss some! Water stations went on for ages and no problem getting water, energy drinks or gels if you wanted - I just stuck to the water and my own gels. The weather was warm even at that time of day so taking on fluids was key. The crowd was good and very encouraging. Slightly different safety rules to England, as in the crowd just seemed to cross the road as and when they wanted to, rather than wait for a gap or have crossing points. Nice medal at the end, picked up the t-shirt the day before at the expo which was easy enough. Very enjoyable race and spoke to more people while running this event that my previous ones. Had to stop at mile 18 for a bit as was feeling it, but after that managed to push on and finished with a PB. Would recommend this race.

Great communication via email about advice for accommodation, nutrition, offers etc. This was my first international marathon & I only have my experiences of London marathon to compare it to. I attended the expo on the Friday afternoon; it was easy to find, not busy & welcoming. I needed my passport to get my number but my friend didn't have to show here on Sat. The 'goodie bag was given at the start of the expo; lots of leaflets & some pistachio nuts, lol! I collected my t-shirt at the end of the expo, it makes you go through all the stalls. Asics was main sponsor so of course lots of merchandise to buy if you wanted to. We were able to buy a discount travel pass for 13 euros which gave you 48hrs on public transport from the time you activated it; this was useful as we used it to get the metro back to the airport. Race day: Arrived at 7.30am in order to drop off bag by 8.15am. This was a little chaotic as the marshals blocked use from entering & only let us through in waves; I'm sure this was done to allow people to clear the bag drop but it caused pushing and a cramped environment whilst waiting to go through. Although there had been pictures about the starting gates I didn't see any signs as to where to go & just followed others. Eventually got to the back of field (I'm a slow runner!) of approx 17,500 runners & could see the last pacer at 4.30 hr finish time. It took 20mins to get over the start line to the sounds of Queen's Barcelona!!! & a blast of confetti, great atmosphere. During race: All road running, lots of water stations which was a relief as it was sooo hot. Powerade stations and fresh fruit, all lovely. Km markers were clear & there were a few mile markers. The route took you round all the major sights & there were lots of musical entertainers along the way with loud drums & singing. It was a flat course & as a result the runners thinned out very quickly which meant no weaving to move round people. As time went on & I continued my plod it appeared that the crowds tolerance perhaps dropped & at times I was have to dodge people crossing the roads, kids on bikes & a mini shopping trolley! This was due to the route not being barriered; there were never any issues with traffic though. It was a little disappointing that the clear up bus crew did tell us at one point the we either needed to run faster, get on the pavement it get in the bus as we were at the cut off time for the race. The issue here was that the cut over started at the start of the race not from when the last person had started! This did annoy me & my friend & did give us a bit of a kick but we then didn't really enjoy the last part of the race as we were constantly looking behind us! The clear up bus meant that as the bus went through all the water stations, timing pads etc were then cleared up too. When I filled in my application I don't recall a cut off time so I felt bad for those runners who had trained but then were forced to quit, perhaps the organisers could look at increasing the allowed time. At the end of the race it wasn't really clear as the where to go as the event was winding down. I got water & more powerade plus a nice medal & more fruit & went up to collect my bag. There were lots of toilets around the route & some even still had toilet rolls in them by the time I got there;. Run through showers at 35km & 39km were lovely! I didn't notice many medical support apart from the Vaseline crew; I'm sure that if you did need help the volunteers would have helped, thankfully I only ever needed the keep going & we'll done bit! After the event: Quickly emails dropped through with a well done, finish time & a video clip of my finish! Then later some pictures & more video clips of me racing through the event; a nice touch. By Monday evening my sourness of the pick up bus had passed & on reflection I really enjoyed it! Definitely recommend it to others especially those looking for a quick time.

I loved this marathon. Great course through a fabulous city with amazing support, particularly through the tough last few miles. It was easy to sign up via the race website. I picked up my number at the expo the day before the race. It was well organised and easy to do this. You got your number and a goodie bag, though the bag consisted basically of leaflets with discounts in Spain so was not much use as a tourist. The pasta party at the expo was included, but while there was pasta there was no real party atmosphere, just a plate of pasta, bottle of water, slice of bread and a piece of fruit. Do not pay the extra 9Euros for a friend, go and eat at one of the many great restaurants in the city. I started in the final pen - for runners over more than four hours - and had no problems getting into the pen. There was a great atmosphere at the start with confetti cannons and the song "Barcelona" belting out. It was a hot day but there were plenty of water stations with water, energy drinks and fruit. They were also well marked, with signs 100m out telling you that you were approaching them. The first ten miles of the course had a lot of shade, but there was a lot less in the second half so it heated up. A couple of boring sections of up and back loops, but other than that the course was good and went past many of the city's sights. The highlight were the crowds with incredible support and people cheering us on and offering encouragement -"Venga, venga" which means "come on" rang out a lot!! This really helped keep me going on the closing miles. At the end there was water, energy drinks and fruit and while at the finish there were some people running with their children, adults who tried to join their friends were stewarded away on the approach to the end. At the end it was easy to get the medal and then meet up with my wife. After the race I got detailed timing splits for every 5k, including my position, plus a video showing me running from a few different parts of the race itself, including the finish. And this was for free. There is also the usual marathon photos available. I would really recommend this if you want to do a race abroad. There is tiered pricing so the earlier you sign up the cheaper it is. The course is fairly flat with no major hills involved, though the final 3k is steadily uphill. Loved it

This was my first ever overseas race, and what an introduction. Pre-race information was plentiful with regular news letter emails. Race number had to be collected at the expo on Friday or Saturday. Expo was a decent size with all the usual things you'd expect. On collecting the race number, participants received a Barcelona 2019 tech shirt and smart trainer Barca Marathon bag containing race magazine, leaflets ect. The day before the race they had the 'breakfast run'. This was a short easy paced run which ended in the Olympic Stadium, followed by food. This was FREE but you had to register beforehand. The race itself was very well organised. Baggage deposit/collection was very easy. There was an awesome pre-race atmosphere and the runners entered their respective starting pen. Each wave was started with confetti cannon and the sound of 'Barcelona' by Freddie Mercury. It felt a special thing to be part of. The course itself was fast and flat, with only marginal inclines to navigate. It was a very hot day but tall buildings provided bit of shade for long sections of the race. Route saw glimpses of many Barcelona landmarks. Aid stations were every 2-3 km and were stocked with water, gels, fruit, energy drink. Without doubt, the best I have ever witnessed. Marshals were brilliant and the crowd support from the Barcelona public was simply incredible. Finish line was back at iconic towers. Great setting to complete a marathon. Finishers received a solid medal, various bits of nutrition. In summary - Well organised, big city race. Awesome event, fast course which will appeal to PB chasers. Amazing support from locals and marshals. It's hard to pick any faults in all honestly. It's a race I would certainly do again.

A group of 16 of us went to Barcelona to run in the marathon in March 2018.

The start of the race was something to remember, each wave had its own start complete with music and confetti cannons and they made a big deal of each of the starts with a great buzz of an atmosphere.

 

The water stations on the route were very good and they all had toilets too.

 

I enjoyed the route of the marathon and it varied around the inner city streets then out to the beach front and it passed many sights of the city.

 

The race was pretty good value, and it had a very friendly feel about it on the day. I would go back there as I love Barcalona and I enjoyed this marathon!

It was a quite a challenging course for me. I was trying to beat my record time so I tried to keep my pace from the very beginning under-estimate the ascents during the course. I think I burned a lot of my energy during the ascent heading to the Barcelona stadium. Barcelona city has a lot of up and downs and you need to plan your energy resource accordingly. The city without question is beautiful and you have a lot of monuments and scene which can make encourage your endeavor. Overall, it was another great experience in a great city.