I signed up for this race because I wanted something that was one of a kind and something that most people would never think of doing...run a full marathon at the stroke of midnight in Zürich, Switzerland.

Sign up process: Easy, they have English options which really made it easy for me. This race is a little different than most because you have the option to pay extra for the medal or not get one at all. You also have options to pay extra for a race shirt, and a commemorative bottle of champagne. I just went for it all.

Communication: Race coordinators did a great job providing information to the runners via Facebook updates, race website, or email newsletters. Again they provide an English version which really helped.

Event location/bib pickup/bag drop: I took the train from my hotel downtown which took about 10 mins, but then had to walk about a mile to the actual event location from the station. Bib pickup was easy, and they provide a valuables drop off for things like wallets and keys, not bags. There is no official bad drop, you have to either leave it in the main event hall or in one of the dressing/shower/locker rooms. Bags are not monitored, but I was told Switzerland has a very low crime rate and that I shouldn't worry about leaving my bag unattended. The location opened at 7pm and provided the option to buy food there. They had spaghetti, hot dogs and sandwiches, as well as cakes/desserts.

Race: All runners (5k, 10k, half, and full) line up in the sports hall they do the New Years countdown, and once it hits midnight the race gun goes off and your off!! Headlamp is highly recommended!!! Trail is barely lit so if you don't have a headlamp you'll be running in the dark. It's a series of 4 laps around a river. It was a fun experience the first two laps because there were plenty of runners along the trail...but once the 5k, 10k, and half people were gone...it became super dark and lonely out on the trails. There weren't too many full marathoners so the spacing between runners the last two laps made you feel like you were running completely alone. And it was cold....cold and alone on New Years....so sad hahaha

Aid stations: Located every 5km. This didn't bother me much. I found it a good way to pace myself for hydrating and taking my GU at the end of each lap. They provide warm water and ISO drinks (electrolyte drinks)... so be ready for a very warm drink! Bananas and granola bars were available at each station.

Overall: Finished under the time cutoff of 5 hours. Think if they up that to maybe 6 they could get more casual runners to join. Medal is super small and light. A 5 franc piece (quarter dollar) is bigger than the medal if you need a reference. So if you're a bling chaser this race probably isn't for you. It was fun to do this once but I'll never do it again. The lack of scenery, and people on the course take the fun out of it. One great thing is the race pictures. They do a great job with set up of the stations along the course and they are high quality images if you buy them.

Should you travel all the way to Zürich to do this on New Years? No. But if you're already in the region, go for it!! I'm live in Germany so getting there was cheap, but couldn't imagine shelling out too much money to come just for this event.