New role for iconic Erasmus Bridge at 38th NN Marathon Rotterdam
9/26/2017Coolsingel will remain the beating heart of The Marathon Weekend in 2018
The 38th edition of the NN Marathon Rotterdam will feature a new and inspiring start location. At 10am on Sunday, 8 April 2018, many thousands of runners participating in the country’s greatest, fastest and most popular marathon will start from the beginning of the iconic Erasmus Bridge. The starting cannon and the lifting ramp with Lee Towers, who will once again perform You’ll Never Walk Alone as tradition demands, will also move to the new start location.
Coolsingel will remain the beating heart of The Marathon Weekend in 2018. On Sunday, participants in both the full marathon and the 1/4 marathon will cross the finish line at the Coolsingel. On Saturday, thousands of kids will get moving during the two NN Kids’ Runs (1K and 2.5K, respectively), followed by the 4.2K AD City Run.
Moving the start by about one kilometre will improve the flow of participants at the finish line and will create more space for runners who have completed the quarter marathon. These participants will start running at 9.30am in the 2018 edition.
As an added bonus, the new starting point will grant spectators watching from the Erasmus Bridge a splendid view of the runners who are embarking on their race. The bridge, also known as ‘The Swan’, has always been a prominent landmark along the course. In 2018 it will take pride of place as the race’s starting point.
One of the reasons why the organisers of the NN Marathon Rotterdam decided to relocate the race’s starting point was to prepare for the redevelopment of the Coolsingel. Over the next few years, extensive road works will be carried out along the boulevard, which are expected to affect the annual running event.
The organisers expect to welcome a total of 45,000 runners over the marathon weekend. Registrations opens at 14.00 hrs. The number of participants has been capped for both the full marathon and the 1/4 marathon. Bib numbers for these two very popular races are expected to sell out very quickly, as they did in previous editions.
