GSO OPAP Limassol Marathon

I came to Limassol to run my first ever marathon. I booked it through the UKRunChat package that I saw advertised and shared amongst people I followed on Twitter.

I had running a marathon on my bucket list for about 5 years at this point and had decided if I was going to do it, it would be somewhere abroad.

Crowds and course

As expected Limassol was quieter than most international races and I'd heard it was a very flat course, both of these things had me sold.

The course was indeed nice and flat with only two or three places that I could feel a gradient, perfect for a first timer.

The route took us on what was quite an unsceneic first 16-18k past an inductrial dockyard and a the islands brewery before undulating  up onto the main straight of the hotels, right up to the Limassol ruins before heading back down to the scenic coastal start/finish line.

There could have been more local support, I've only ever ran races in big cities so initially, admittedly naively, I was expecting the same level of excitement and crowds.

Marshals & Water Stations

There were plenty of marshalls and rehydration stops but very few of them seemed to be friendly and the volunteers at the water stations often distracted, although I was in such a great mood due to the event it didn't really occour to me afterwards that most of my smiles and "thanks" had gone unnoticed.

The toilets could have been a bit more numerous and would've been great if the marshalls had popped more than one loo roll in each and left it at that. Thats all I'll say about that...

Lifechanging

All in all this was a lifechanging experience for myself as i can no say I've ran a marathon and allbeit abroad. The medal and merchandise are beautiful and as are my memories of the OPAP Limassol Marathon GSO.

If I ever get the chance I will return to run this race again.