Richard Miller's Staging Area

Istanbul has a rich culture and history, making it a great destination to run a marathon. It is the only marathon that covers two continents, and running across the Bosporus bridge – between Asia and Europe – was a highlight. The course has some inclines, both at the start and towards the finish – with the steepest being in the last 500 meters. Plenty of water stations with bottled water, and many with sponges, apples, bananas, and sugar cubes (no sport drinks). Route is mostly along the river, and while scenic, I don’t recall many prominent landmarks. It ends at the Hippodrome, fittingly the place of gladiators and chariot races. Very good crowd support in spots. Best part was experiencing Istanbul in the days leading up to the race, the food before and after, and treating myself to a post-race Turkish bath and massage. One hassle was that the exhibition hall to pick up the bib was a hard to reach by public transport, but we managed. Overall, a fun and unique cultural experience and a well-organized race where I did a personal best (after Vienna, Florence and NYC).