Maasmarathon de Visé

This week, Tony Guarino, the president of the organization committee presents us the Maas Marathon he is in charge of. Tony is passionated by marathon, travels ans human relations. After 75 marathons run all over the planet, he is always pleased to see brotherhood and respect between marathoners of all races and all levels. Due to his experience, he knows that marathon running fundamentally changes people. Hello, on May 10th 2009 you’ll be organizing the Maas Marathon. Can you tell us where it is located? The starting line is in Visé in Belgium. The route leads the runners to Maastricht in Netherlands and then comes back to Visé. When was the marathon first organized and why was it created in the first place? In 2009 it will be the 11th edition of the race. Our goal at first was to create a cross-border marathon that would be bucolic and festive. What kind of route have you set up for the runners? How would you describe it? Fast, beautiful but with some paved sections. How many runners do you expect on Sunday morning? What type of runners do you plan to attract? Around 1000 for the marathon and about the same for the half-marathon. Do you organize other races during the Week-End? If so, on what distances? Four alternative races are organized : half-marathon, 10, 5 kilometers and mini-jogging for the kids. At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect? Most of the time the weather is sunny, sometimes too hot. Have you planned festivities around the marathon? We organize a free Pasta party on Saturday. Orchestras and dancers will entertain runners on Sunday and we plan a post-marathon party. The marathon finished, what advice would you give a runner who has never been to Liège before? A good restaurant, a fancy sightseeing? There are too many good restaurants in Liège to name a few. I encourage runners to visit Blegny-mine. In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of 42k195 to make them register for the Maas Marathon ? Gorgeous route, excellent logistics and a festive atmosphere. The runners are well taken care of. Thank you Tony If you need more information : Official Website of the Maas Marathon Maas Marathon on 42k195.com