It’s time to set a goal for the overtime of this project. As previously estimated we look at a spring marathon with a decent flat course and a good starter field. Since training over the winter sucks, especially in the Nordic, the final marathon should be as late as possible. May/June would be great. However, the European road race calendar doesn’t show much in that time frame that would meet the just mentioned requirements. The Stockholm Marathon is a nice run if after sightseeing while running the marathon. But this one bridge Västerbron, which is built twice into the run, is quite a killer. Almost 1km steady uphill, was it 35-40m or so elevated. Then 800m downhill. Not exactly optimal. In April there are a couple of good ones, Hamburg, London, Rotterdam and Vienna. My best guess right now is to short list those that are time wise the latest ones the calendar. That would be Vienna, on April 18, and London and Hamburg on April 25. The trouble with London is that it’s fully booked. No starter spots left, even the “good for age entries” - if you’ve done a marathon race between 2:45 and 3:00h as a male 18 to 40 years old - have expired on August 21, roughly 4 months after the previous year’s run!
It points all to either the Vienna Marathon or Hamburg Marathon. Any experiences?
