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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 51 to 61]
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T. K. from Cincinnati, OH
(11/26/2013)
 "Philadelphia Freedom Shine on Me" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my 37th marathon and my 19th state. The Philadelphia marathon is good but not great. It was a yin/yang experience actually: Pros The course - first half through the city past the historical sites and the canyons of buildings echoing the cheers of the crowds, an opportunity to get energized - fantastic. The second half a completely different experience - quiet, bucolic, an opportunity to reflect - also fantastic. Start/Finish - at the base of the Rocky steps - can't get much better than that! Expo - wide, uncramped aisles The Medal - huge Cons The course - it will test your marathon 'metal' to be so close but yet so far away from the Finish at the halfway mark and then to run that 6.5 mile out and back seeing all the runners ahead of you, realizing you have to retrace every single step you take out as you come back. Marathons are supposed to be not only physically tough but mentally tough - Philly will no doubt challenge your mental toughness. Start/Finish - as previously said, I too haven't seen such long lines for the Portalets. Also you are so close to the Rocky steps but you are fenced in for security reasons so it is a bit of challenge to get to the Rocky statue and steps - I made sure I made the visit the day before The Medal - huge but nothing special especially for the 2oth anniversary. Why not take a lesson from Detroit or Cincinnati which highlight better the unique aspects of their cities? Water stations - on only one side of the road which often made it impossible to get to if one was running on the opposite side. Request for 5AM runner arrival - It's bad enough to ask us to arrive this early, another to deny access to the start area for another 20 minutes or so. Not sure that all the effort afforded a feeling of a tremendous increase in security. Expo - need better signage as to where the packet pickup is | |
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K. S. from Takoma Park, MD
(11/24/2013)
 "Philadelphia knows how to run a marathon!" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I've been running marathons for three years, and done Philly each of those years (2011-2013). This race is the best I've experienced on many counts. It's extremely well-organized, it's a very attractive course (and fast!), the crowds are excellent, and you can usually count on very good weather. Three years, three PRs I can't argue with that! The highlights for me are start/finish along BF Pkwy, the crowds on Chestnut St and Main St Manayunk, and the long lovely stretch along the Schuylkill River. I know some people find the second half boring, but I find it Zen-like. The only minor glitch this year concerned the recommendation to arrive at 5:00am two hours before starting time because of extra security issues. First, some (maybe all?) of the subway trains were not starting until after 5:00am. At my stop near Independence Hall the first train was scheduled to come by at 5:20am. If they are going to go with an early runner check-in then they should organize transit accordingly, even if it costs $. Second, after taking a taxi to get there by 5:00, they weren't ready to let runners in until 5:15 or so. But that's more understandable. I expect I'll keep coming back. I expect some year I'll want to try someplace else for a fall marathon, but even then I would probably come to Philly a few weeks afterwards for a comfortably-paced 26.2. | |
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A. S. from FL
(11/22/2013)
"I live and breathe this Philadelphia freedom" (about: 2013)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I selected Philadelphia to run my 25th marathon. I was hoping for a fun race with a scenic course, and good organization. I got exactly that. Packet pick-up was a breeze and it was a nice Expo. It was great to hear the review of the course, while at the Expo. It was easy to walk to the start of the race from downtown Philly. Getting to the bag check area was a bit time consuming as it is a maze getting through the start area. But that is due to the location of the start/finish area. Not sure if there is opportunity to re-work the location of the back check. There could have been more portolets at the start. But I have a trick for that. As long as you're not at the front of the pack, wait to use the bathroom until the race starts when the toilets clear out. The course was relatively flat,but beware of the hill at mile 9 and the gradual incline from mile 13 to 20. But then you have the gradual decline coming back to the finish. It is tough mentally at the 13 mile mark seeing that you can turn right and finish half the distance. Nice course that runs through the city and North of the city along the Schuylkill River. Loved seeing fall foliage running through neighborhoods and parks. Good crowds and excellent support at all of the water/Gatorade stations. Smooth and organized finish area. I liked the shirt and checked bag. Loved the special 20th anniversary medal. I would do this race again. | |
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A. C. from Connecticut
(11/22/2013)
"Philly: A Fun Race" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Philly Marathon and 8th overall. This was probably the most fun I've had while being in so much pain. The corral start was run well and the course did not jam up at all. The water and aide stations were plentiful and manned by friendly volunteers. I enjoyed the crowds as they were surely into the race. The medals were impressive as was the shirt with the race course printed on the back. The port-o-potty situation did make me nervous but my OCD paid off as I got in line plenty early. Philly, I'll be back! | |
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B. G. from New York, NY
(11/21/2013)
 "Beautiful course, Great City, Highly Recommend" (about: 2013)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Pros -Course: Two separate races. First half wends through Philadelphias most notable sites and highlights of the surrounding neighborhoods. At 13.1, Marathon runners head along the Schuylkill River for an almost bucolic experience. Both halves were great. -Crowds: Terrific fans for much of the route. Thanks, Philadelphia! -Hills: Somewhat steep for a PR, but otherwise just moderate inclines to break up the distance. -Organization: Generally very good. Good start and finish lines, ample, well-manned water stations. Friendly volunteers at finish lines. -Post-race massage: Sincere thanks to Cresus for a thorough, urgently needed treatment. Moderate 30 minute line, well worth the wait. -Weather: 2013 was postcard perfect. Average -Pre-race goodies and post-race food: OK. -Bottlenecks: Much of the race is borderline crowded at 3:35 pace, but only a few jams. -Start line: 30+ minute walk from most downtown hotels, no transit buses. However, there was no urgent need to arrive well in advance of start. Cons -Pre-Race: Long lines for porta-potties. Corrals not well guarded for pace jumpers. -Mileage markers: Several were misplaced or difficult to find. | |
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J. S. from Ohio
(11/20/2013)
"Great race will need improvements" (about: 2013)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Heard all the hype of an amazing marathon so thought I'd try it. Heard nothing but 'fast and flat'. Boy was that wrong. There were lots of rolling hills. I would not give this race anything of flat. Portapotts during the race were very skim. And I mean skim. Never seen less portapots on a course. Lines were super long for them also, so it was find a bush. You'd think with 35,000+ runners they would accomodate the bathrooms on the course. Post race food, it was nothing. A bag of bad snacks. No 'food' was given. No snacks were given on the course either except oranges which were gone by the time I got there. Cliff shots twice were nice. Water stops and gatorade were plenty, but no warning. Expo wasn't great, I've seen better at a smaller race. So I know I've said some negative comments, but it was really a great race. What makes up for these negatives was the crowd support. It was amazing. They shouted your name and cheered you on when you had the look of doom! It was well organized, security was great, plenty of police presence, baggage drop was great, you ran past Rocky's steps at the half and finish. I would do it again. | |
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A. S. from Williamsport, PA
(11/20/2013)
"I loved this course!!" (about: 2013)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This is my third marathon, and I loved it! I thought it was very well organized, considering the number of participants. The personalized bib was a plus, as I had many people cheering 'GO AMANDA!!' which I liked. Some of the signs along the course were some of the funniest things I've ever read!! I think this course would make a great first time marathon. One word of advice: use the bathroom before the start. I waited in line for 30 minutes to use a porta potty. Oh well. | |
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J. P. from Phoenix, AZ
(11/19/2013)
"Fun, loud race" (about: 2013)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my third race, and it was better than I expected. The city part of the course is amazing, and the run down the hallway-like Chestnut Street was the highlight for me. The river section was nice and scenic as well. The best part of this race is the spectators. It got loud on Chestnut Street, in Manayunk, and anywhere within a mile of the start/finish. The finish area was a little weak, but I didn't have much time to hang around there anyways. Highly recommend doing this race at least once. I'd consider coming back. | |
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P. K. from Philadelphia area
(11/19/2013)
"Great race if you didn't need a porta potty" (about: 2013)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The crowd support was wonderful. The mayor gave high fives at the start and finish. Plenty of water and Gatorade But the porta potty lines! Oy! The lines were completely random so people stood on line for 40 minutes before the start waiting for one. All the organizers need to do is station a volunteer to organize some lines. | |
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Mike Enright from Portland, Connecticut
(11/19/2013)
"Great race with a lot of crowd energy" (about: 2013)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was a really enjoyable race experience. The organizational aspects are not as strong as Chicago or MCM, but they are more than adequate. It would be better if out-of-towners had easy access to information regarding parking at the expo, for example. Better signage at the expo and for entry to the corrals on race day morning would be good improvements. Bigger mile markers would be a good idea. Also, the course is a bit narrow in a few places, especially during the half. However, the race experience overall is really excellent. Great energy from the crowd, and nice support for most of the race. Registration and packet and t-shirt pick up were all easy once you figured out where to go. Volunteers were uniformly excellent. Weather was good. The course is just a little hilly, but not too much. I loved this race. Easy to get to the start and clear out at the end, and good public transportation. One warning - hotels are expensive in Philly on race weekend! |
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