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Nishant - 21031 This was my first half marathon in Kochi. It started on time but the road immediately after was very bad - full of potholes and no light... I had to walk some distance as was afraid of hurting myself. After that the road was good. Lots of hydration points in between really helped with the humid weather. Loved the post run with flash mob, rock bands, panchavadyam, pulli kalli. Overall a good run.

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Nishant - 21031 This was my first half marathon in Kochi. It started on time but the road immediately after was very bad - full of potholes and no light... I had to walk some distance as was afraid of hurting myself. After that the road was good. Lots of hydration points in between really helped with the humid weather. Loved the post run with flash mob, rock bands, panchavadyam, pulli kalli. Overall a good run.

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hi,i was a first timer. everybody told me spice coast marathon would be the nicest marathon event in south india. i could understand their words of praise and its meaning.it was well organised. there were a number of volunteers. road was straight. i think, route should have been a little more arranged. you could have avoided going in one route and returning the same route.on my return my mind was occupied with the route i need to cover. moreover last route lacked sufficient number of volunteers to cheer me up !. due to lack of encouragement , along with others i ended up walking to get the finishing line. on the contrary first half was joyous. navy guys were seen cheering us up. hats off to them for their support. i could take speed thanks to their good words. you should be careful in the next event to distribute smiling guys in the last kilometres.

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my first marathon. i expected the morning to be cooler but the humidity and heat was crazy.  i was feeling the pressure and pain by the end of it. when done i was like im never doing this again. 10 minutes later i was like i NEED to do this again. so.. thanks for setting this up. so well done. not a single hiccup. hope you guys do ultra marathons now.

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Enjoyed my first half marathon to the core.

I am native to the city and I love Kochi, so yes there's already a positive inclination to any major event in the city :)

The arrangements were spot on and thoughtful - could understand that it was organised by people with good running experience.

Punctuality - hats off.

Refreshments and hydration counters were awesome. Supplies were amazing esp the oranges. They were even peeled clean!

Volunteers everywhere were the highlight - they were geniunely eager to help and it counts. Smiling faces, cheering words - I thought it mattered to them too that each of us completed our run on high :)

Toilets at start point were awesome - inspite of the crowd, there wasnt a punchant smell or anything.

Breakfast - unbelievably awesome!!

The start lanes could have been lit better.

Traffic could have been managed alittle more better - there were cross roads where two wheelers werent exactly very kind to runners. although I understand that one would need a lot bigger fleet to manage every small junction.

Overall amazing running experience - will certainly return.

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Its been amazing to be part of SCM 2016 and Soles of Kochi put their heart and soul in organising the event. Personal touch was seen at every aspect, with minutest detail worked out, which only dedicated serious runners can assimilate. Whether it was water point, lighting arng at dark points in morn, start at 0300am for slow runners etc the list is long. Spirit of volunteers was commendable. Hydration issue for FM runners was fully catered. Thanks for a lovely effort to entire team of SCM 2016.

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I enjoyed my first half marathon thoroughly. Kudos to the punctuality. Cheers from the volunteers, the high-fives from the Navy and the Coast Guard did freshen the runners very much. The route was well-marked and no runner would lose their way anywhere. Distance-covered markers were useful too. The starting point could have been better lit. A really memorable event.

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It was one the best organized event! thoroughly enjoyed running the Kochi roads. My Rs.500 :) here ! 1. Traffic was left open very early. Around 12 KM mark there was a Bus behind us and it was scary. I was one of the early finishers in HM category . Don't know if other runners behind me had difficulty. Could have been managed well 2. FM folks who came in Top 50 got an extra medal and it was awesome idea. Wish the same was done for HM runners as well :) I finished less than 50!
3. Veloscope didnt post a single Photo yet. They had sent mail to get our FB authorization. When the Pics will be loaded?

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Punctuality and refresher stall arrangements were definite pluses.
However, the one sore thumb continues to stick out, same as last year - inadequate distance marker boards. Please, please do consider indicators at 2-3 km distance. It would be of immense help for the average runner.

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It was a great event, wonderful support all throughout.

Now I do understand the difficulty in arrangements while the route enters city area. While the police were vigilant and supportive all throughout, there was one instance when a bus plied through the area meant for running and even stopped there on way ! Barring this one, I had nothing to complain of, you just rocked !! Hope for an even grander 2017 edition.

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SCM 2016 was organized very well.  Sole of Cochin made the event a memorable one.  I participated in all editions of SCM's organized by Sole of Cochin.  In every year they are fine tuning the event.  I hope nxt SCM will be greater than this one.

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Its a great experience more than a run with lots of support from locals,Navy men and specially the soles who made this marathon role model to every marathon,specially" you are the runners for the runners by the runners"

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Spice Coast Marathon 2016 was a well organised event from all aspects by Soles Of Cochin . For that matter any runner looks at few important things (1) Ease in procuring BIB (2) venue parking and its ambiance (3) Aid and medical stations through out the route , its cleanliness & functioning till end (4) solid breakfast available till the last runner was fed , (5) Availability of team of physio's for helping the runners in post run stretching . All those were manned by the runners themselves that made the things excellent for the participants . it was all organised clear , simple and straight .

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Until around a month and a half ago, I literally knew nothing about marathons. It was my long-time cycling-friend Vidhya Palaparambil, who has turned into a really serious runner now a days (doing marathons all over the country) who introduced me to Soles. Not soon after taking up running, the SCM announcement came up and Vidhyaji suggested that I try the half marathon. I like taking up challenges, and although I never ran more than a 10k until then, I thought I would be able to make it since I had around 45 days or so left to train until the SCM. So I registered for the half marathon. A week before the SCM, I managed to run up to a max distance of around 15k and was then almost confident that I would be able to complete the required 21.1k distance for the HM. My only concern was if I would end up pushing too hard and not make it to the finish, or even worse, injure myself, or if I take it too slow and finish with a really bad timing.  Anyways, on Nov 13, I reached the venue at 4:30 am (HM starts at 5:00) and I was astonished by the energy at the venue.  It was like a rockshow happening in town..full onnn.. The whole place was filled with runners of all ages..literally thousands of 'em. So I roamed about for a few minutes, and at 4:45, on announcement by Ajay Appaden, all HM runners including myself assembled at the starting point.  At sharp 05:00 am, the run commenced. I started at a pace that I wasnt used to (as all around me were faster runners I guess), and I started to get hints of cramps.  So I slowed down a bit, and things were back to normal.  There were police personnel at every corner, guys cheering at every other 500 metres or so, hydration cum nutrition points around every kilometre, the navy guys spread through the streets cheering the runners, cochin bikers club members zooming all over the place checking if anyone needed anything, and the motivational messages from the veteran runners i met in between (thats actually what kept me going), and after 2 hours and 24 minutes, I reached the finishing point.  The joy i felt then is nothing that can be described in words and now I understand why these runners go marathon after marathon...I'm extremely happy with my timing, I never ever did a sub 7:00/km run (also never ran more than 15k) during all the training but at the SCM, my avg pace was 6:40/km.  Altogether the event was well planned and executed (hats off to all who made this happen) with more than 3000 people, and I now understand that the event fees we pay is nothing compared to what they give.  This event is the result of days and weeks and months of hardwork and dedication and planning by the Soles of Cochin crew who are all passionate runners, and no money can buy that kind of dedication. Thank you all for everything, the volunteers, Soles of cochin for making this mega event happen, Vidhyabro for all the support and encouragement, and Dr. Sajil who helped me reach the venue in time and also snapped some awesome photographs.

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What worked well

Easy to access venue for both bib collection and race

Scenic race route

Smiling and helpful volunteers

Punctuality - starting the race on time .

Availability of breakfast for marathoners

I felt that traffic was well maintained. I personally didn't have any issue.

What needs more attention

I felt that instead of the paperpamlets in the goody bag an email(pdf) be sent to all runners .

Biscuits and chocolates were missing in water points.

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Nicely organized event. So many fuel stations stocked with refreshments and excellent volunteers this is one event I would love to come back for. I will also remember this event for the challenging weather condition (Very humid). Adequate parking and toilet facilities and nice route. I have run in close to 25+ events. Dont remember when was the last time I enjoyed running on the road. :)

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Hello...twas my first time here and loved the way the cheerleaders did the job on the way...not forgetting to mention the navy &amp; coast guard boys who lined up outside to cheer us. Finish area was also managed well. Areas of improvement-lighting on the roads, SAG support.

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It was a wonderful experience running my first Spice Coast marathon yesterday. It was extremely well organized, right from pre-race -the tie up with OYO rooms helped outstation participants with accomodation easily. The bib pick up was smooth and it was an inspiration to see so many volunteers working so hard and so cheerfully to make it comfortable for runners. Hats off to the young ones- making quinoa burgers... !The morning arrangements at the start point were good too. The bib pick up arrangements at the venue for those who could not pick up for unforeseen circumstances was very thoughtful. Have not seen it in any organized event. The efforts to make the race as green as possible has been a hallmark of this run and they have stuck to this effort to minimize our running eco footprint. The aid stations were well stocked with water, energy drinks, bananas , oranges and most importantly staffed  eager,ever ready volunteers to hand out these to runners so that they dont waste too much time at the stations. The course was well marked- no chance of runners losing their way. The km markers were a bit off-though it did not matter much to me, it may matter to others. The cheering from the navy and their high fives  really gave us  runners a boost. The course is beautiful running through historical attractions of Kochi. Wish the road surfaces were better. Saw some barefooters struggling.  When will the municipalities realise the importance of maintenance of roads/footpaths? The cheering crowds at the finish line gave me the much needed impetus to finish strong with a 500 meter sprint! The post run hot breakfast was delicous and well managed. This is clearly an event managed by runners, for runners! Thanks Soles Of Cochin and all the volunteers. Will definitely consider returning next year, better trained.

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Wonderful event well supported by enthusiastic volunteers and cheering crowd. Only wish roads were not so cruel to barefoot runners! Cheers for a great event:)

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The route was runner friendly, breakfast super, crowd and hospitality fantastic, but small things such as the following could be improved upon - when then serve energy drinks let it be just that and not a pinch of salt or electrol in a glass of water, the venue and bib collection venue so far apart so, spent a better part of the day travelling from hotel in fort kochi and oberon mall and also I hope you could provide some bus faciliites from ernakulam and fort kochi from the central place to the venue at the early hours and also to go back. Assistance in finding a suitable place to stay is welcome. This is not to undermine your effort but something which would draw more people. Overall it was something to remember

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Hello all,
To start with SCM was my first ever half marathon. Thank you IDBI FLI and Soles of Cochin for organising it very well. Hats off to all the crew members for getting things done. The volunteers, medical trust and all the partners you guys were so supportive. I truly enjoyed the 21.097 kms of run/walk. And would definitely join next year as well.
Good job everyone.

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Great run.
It was my first half marathon run. Really enjoyed it. Very good support from the organizing team. Street run through the Fort Kochi - Mattanchery route was very nice. But I felt the initial stage of almost 1-2 kms was really narrow for such a big crowd and poorly lit up too. There were a lot of camera clicks en-route and waiting for the pics.!!

Thanks team.

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Very well organized. Excellent Route, awesome sag support. At places the roads were uneven but I guess we do not have any control over them. I enjoyed the run.