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Philadelphia Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Philadelphia Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.3 
Organization 3.6 
Spectators 3.8
Number of comments: 749 [displaying comments 11 to 21]
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Wayne Wright from Palmdale, California USA
(12/29/2017)
 "A Bell Ringer" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 INTRODUCTION: I am a race-walker with a median marathon completion time of 5:18:46. The Philadelphia Marathon was my forty-seventh 26.2-miler accomplished. COURSE: It was a great day for a marathon: weather at the start line was 54 degrees, 62 percent relative humidity, wind from the west at 31 mph with gusts up to 41 mph and mostly cloudy. Thankfully, it had stopped raining just fifteen minutes before the race. Starting in front of the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, we proceeded along the entire length of the national-flagged-lined, museum-fronted Benjamin Franklin Parkway where we then proceeded east on Arch Street. Just before mile 2, we had the opportunity to see the front of Independence Hall from a two block distance before turning past the US Mint. Soon, we reached Christopher Columbus Boulevard, heading south, alongside the Delaware River. Just before mile 4, we reversed course, heading north through Queens Village and Society Hill neighborhood, striding by Independence Hall, before turning west on Chestnut Street past mile 5. We stayed in Center City on Chestnut Street for about two miles, crossing over the Schuylkill River into University City where we passed by University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, where upon heading north on 34th Street, as we climbed approximately 75 feet in elevation over the next three quarter mile, we passed by the fraternity row. Before mile 9, we passed by the Philadelphia Zoo and entered into Fairmount Park, where we would spend the most of the remainder of the marathon. Past the halfway mark, we crossed back over the Schuylkill River and returned to the Rocky Steps and headed north on Kelly Drive for a 12 mile out-and-back alongside the Schuylkill River, turning around in Manayunk at mile 20. Finish line temperature was 53 degrees, 41 percent relative humidity, wind from the west at 24 mph with gusts up to 31 mph and mostly cloudy. ORGANIZATION: Somewhat mixed. Good expo-well executed. For those of us who arrived at the start area around 5:30 a.m., we had no difficulty getting checked through security, and we were allowed to sit out through the rain storms in the post-race tents. Some of the early mile markers appeared to be missing. And at the finish, while the band was playing and Yards Brewing Company was still serving beer in their tent, it was amusing to see A Royal Flush Company anxious to remove their port-o-lets from the premises well over an hour before the race conclusion. SPECTATORS: Fan support in Center City, Drexel University's fraternity row, and Manayunk. Otherwise, mostly quiet. CONCLUSION: Well-designed course, with half of the course showcasing historic Philadelphia and the other half in peaceful Fairmount Park. Very creative medal handed out as well: an operational replica of the Liberty Bell-it was not hard to tell who had finished the half marathon on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday. It is clearly evident the organizers put a lot of thought into this race. Well done, Philadelphia. | |
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J. A. from Panama
(11/28/2017)
 "Mostly flat with a slight incline" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is a great race. It is mostly flat with just a slight incline by the park. The course takes you by Philadelphia's best sights and the crowds were awesome and supportive. Do prepare for a cold weather run! On this particular occasion it was quite cold and windy but the crowds were there anyway. There were frequent water/Gatorade stations. My only complaint is about the second half, where you run nearly 10k towards Manyunk from the Art Museum, turn and head back towards the finish line at the Art Museum on the same 10K you just ran. I don't like marathons where I'm running in the opposite direction of other runners. Philadelphia has so much to offer, I wish they could have worked a different route for those last 10K. | |
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T. G. from Newark Delaware
(11/21/2017)
"13th consecutive Philly. Worst starting experience" (about: 2017)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Philly was my first marathon and I have run every one since 2005. In 2016 the Philly organizers moved the half marathon from running consecutively with the full marathon on Sunday to separately on Saturday presumably to allow for easier parking and reduced congestion. Nevertheless, in spite of no half M runners and the number of full finishers dropping every year since 2012 the congestion and confusion at the start line has gotten worse. This year it was a labyrinth of tents and passageways to get anywhere and especially to the drop-bag trucks. These trucks were in contrast to previous years set way back from the starting line. When approaching the trucks one had to tramp at times through mud and figure out how best to get to a truck when negotiating the limited number of access points and herd of other runners trying to do the same thing. In addition I arrived early enough to avoid standing in the rain for an hour before the start and was able to use a port-o-potty before there were long lines. To my surprise the first five had no toilet paper. Apparently no one had planned to refill them after the half marathon the previous day. I had a similar experience in 2016 and had assumed it was an aberration. Apparently not. And Philly organizers please, please bring back an arch to run under both at the start and the finish. It is really good to be able to see both. A starting arch gives one a marker to fixate on when coming from a parking place or drop bag trucks especially when it is still mostly dark. This year I was half guessing as to where the finish line was and my tired legs felt like they were filled with lead. However, I must say that over all I enjoy this marathon in spite of its newest problems. There are always plenty of aid stations, the volunteers are simply awesome, the Expo is excellent, the shirt and finisher's medal are delightful, running down South Street and in Manayunk are wonderful experiences and I will be back next year. Thank you :-) | |
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R. p. from Brooklyn, NY
(11/19/2017)
 "Great course, poor organization" (about: 2017)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 This was my 4th Philly marathon, so I knew what to expect. It is a PR course, and I BQd despite the powerful wind gusts. I don't generally write reviews, but the organization this year was truly awful and if you run next year, make sure you get to the start at least 2 hours beforehand, meaning 5am. I boarded a shuttle bus from my hotel but the police stopped it, and did not allow us to go forward. The bus driver tried to explain, but she was not successful. This wasted about 20 minutes. There were other buses behind us as well. So we all got out and walked to the start. Philly, if you are going to offer a bus, please coordinate with the city so it goes the entire way as promised. I would have left earlier and walked to the start had I known it would be such a debacle. Once I got to the start area, the security check line was massive. Philly, can you have more people working this? There are 30,000 runners, you know. Esp. b/c the security check is such a joke. But the worst part was the baggage check: we all had to wait in bottleneck lines in the mud a REALLY long time to drop off our bags. They started the race while I was still waiting. At the trucks, they gave us a wristband, a step that delayed things immensely - couldn't this have been done at the expo? The unhelpful course manual did not explain any of this. Nor did the course map give street specifics so it was difficult to make meeting/spotting plans. Plus the mile markers in the beginning were either non-existent or hard to spot. Finally, the only race email communications I got were donation solicitations. I really like the race, so I will probably run it again, but the organizers need to step it up. | |
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B. M. from New York
(4/3/2017)
 "My favorite of all" (about: 2016)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2016 was my fourth ever (first Philly) and my favorite of all. Weather was miserable, but it wasn't too busy and wasn't too sparse. It was just right. Expo: In and out with registration. Plenty to see and buy otherwise. The expo shirt was a quality long sleeve and is now in the rotation. Before the race: The night before, we did a nice buffet dinner at Maggiano's, which is right next to the expo center. Highly recommended. The morning of, there was a fairly robust breakfast at our hotel, the Hampton Inn, and a bus whisked us from there to the start line in no time. Very well set up. Race size: Like I said, just right. New York is a MOB. This wasn't that. There was plenty of energy in the morning on a cold day, but once you got out on the course, you had space all around you. Weather: Chilly. As someone said before, what do you expect from a November morning in the Northeast? Cold and blustery beats the heat however. I loved it. Course: It's very, very flat. There was one modest climb around the colleges, but it isn't too much trouble for anyone who's put in the work. Philly is set up for you to PR. The first part of the race takes you east toward the Delaware River, and then back west over the Schuylkill and into University City. For the latter half, you cross back over the Schuylkill and do an up-and-back to/from *lively* Manayunk. Crowd: It was fantastic. On a cold day, fans came out in droves. There were also some quieter times, and I liked the balance. Support was pretty sparse on the aforementioned up-and-back, but the turnaround in Manayunk is a SCENE. Incredible boost for the final five or six miles. Overall: Just a wonderful race. Despite the chill and fierce winds, I broke four hours for the first time. Won't always be able to do that, but will always know that I did :) | |
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J. F. from MA
(2/19/2017)
"My Most Fun Marathon Ever!" (about: 2015)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was the first marathon that I ran just to finish, without worrying about time, and it was a blast. This is a nice course with lost of great spectator support along the way. It is not New York, Boston, or Chicago, but it is an excellent, fun course. | |
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Jeff Newcorn from Chicago
(12/29/2016)
 "Unremarkable" (about: 2016)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Apparently there are other really good marathons in Pennsylvania. I unwittingly chose Philly for the 'feel good' moments of hearing 'Gonna Fly Now' of Rocky fame. Based on my time waiting at the start and input from my wife who was at the finish (early enough to see the winners and me, 2 1/2 hours later) that cheesy song never played. The Good, Bad, Odd: Good- Frequent Water stations and volunteers. Virtually flat course. Security pretty visible and tight. Chicken broth and soft pretzels at finish. Expo. Signs making fun of Pence (You're running faster than Pence did from theater!) Bad- Windy (no fault of organizers). Still left wondering if the course could have shown more highlights or ethnicity of City of Brotherly Love Odd- no START overhead banner and no FINISH LINE banner or structure | |
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M. S. from Philadelphia
(12/7/2016)
"Home cooking" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Registration: No issues Expo: at the conventions center. Lots of vendors Race T-shirt: Very nice long sleeve technical Pre-race support/setup: Nicely done Weather for 2016: Cold for the first half, and Really windy for 2nd half. Have to expect this stuff in November for the northeast Course: Nice tour of all of the philly landmarks. Starts and finishes in front of the Art Museum of Rocky fame. Some of the areas on the river drives were a little sparse of spectators due to weather and access points. Some of the mile markers and the finishing chute blew down because of the wind Post-race support: Cover-up/food/fluids were fine. Medal: Very nice. Location: Its my hometown so I am biased Overall, quite nice,big city marathon | |
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R. G. from Philadelphia
(11/30/2016)
"Way to go Philly!" (about: 2016)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This year was my eighth time running the Philly marathon. This was the first year that any significant changes were made and thumbs up to the organizers to strive (and succeed!) to improve this big city event. Changes: Most significantly, the other weekend events (1/2 marathon and 8K) were held on Saturday, leaving a marathon-only event for Sunday. This reduced the number of people at the start by half, providing for a much more manageable environment. I was concerned this would impact crowd turnout, as spectator support is somewhat sparse by big city standards. However, Chestnut street was totally rocking and as always, was one of the highlights of the race. Another significant change was removal of the dreaded Falls Bridge dog-leg (a section of the old course that was clearly tacked on to fill in some needed distance). It might not seem like that big of a change if you aren't familiar with the course, but I considered it a major improvement. Pre-race: It's always a bit of a rough pre-race wait for this race, so the nice, warm and big tent that was setup was really key to making it considerably more tolerable. During the race: I want to point out that it was noticeable how well the aid stations were run. Congratulations to the volunteers for a textbook performance! Finish/Post-race: The finish line lacked the finish line structure you would expect to see that makes the finish clearly visible. There were just timing mats. I suspect this may have been due to the high winds that were experienced all day. The race medal, as always, was very nice. My only complaint would be the food tent area. It was immediately available, but somewhat cramped and away from the clothing trucks. I think the best arrangement would've been to have everything setup in Eakin's Oval to make the post race more convenient. Also, creating a bit more of a post-race party atmosphere would've really set it over the top (for example, music/beer tent). Nonetheless, much appreciated was the Bigelow tea truck and hot chicken broth! The take away here is that this is a great event that has been made even better with recent changes. Whether you just want an enjoyable race experience or are looking to run a PR (or both!), the potential is here. | |
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R. H. from Milwaukee, WI
(11/23/2016)
"Amazing" (about: 2016)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 An amazing marathon that runs through many of the most historic landmarks in Philly! A well-thought out course with just the right amount of crowd support. This has become my favorite marathon thus far and I recommend this to any and all! |
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