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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 91 to 101]
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C. O. from Ridgewood, NJ
(11/19/2012)
 "Fun, energetic race!!!" (about: 2012)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This is my first big city marathon, and I was really pleased with the organization and energy of the race. The course had spectators cheering almost every inch of 26.2 miles. I didn't even need my iPod to get me motivated. Also, there was a water point at every mile, which I really appreciated. The course was relatively flat, however there were a few rolling hills that were challenging half way through the course. I have two critics: More porta potties, it took me 30 minutes of waiting in line before the race to go. Also, the water points were always placed on the downhill which interrupts your rest and momentum of the run. I recommend they put any water point on the uphill because the pace is slow anyways, and you can walk thru with relatively no inpact to your time. Last recommendation is to make sure you arrive to the start point with plenty of time. Parking is a nightmare. | |
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C. C. from Pittsburgh, PA
(11/19/2012)
 "Disappointing!" (about: 2012)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran this marathon last year and really enjoyed it. This year was another story. All my hard work was disappointing when my official race results were never posted. Could not find anyone to call from the Philly marathon website. Crowd support was also sparse in more areas than I would have thought, not that I need that. Aid stations could have been on both sides in some areas as well. It was hard to get to them with the many runners practically tripping over each other to get to them. Some areas on the course I wonder why they made certain sections part of the course. One part was where we ran across a little bridge down a ways and then turned back. No real reason, other than to make up distance for the 26.2. And plenty of hairpin turns that could easily slow up runners. | |
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K. H. from Wilmette, IL
(11/18/2012)
 "Good big city race" (about: 2012)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Just got back from Philly and have a shiny new PR to show for it. Wahoo! The good - pretty fast course, a couple of hills in the first half but nothing too scary. Scenery was nice. Spectators not everywhere but in spots were very enthusiastic. Good pace teams...I followed the 3:00 pacer who was great. The not so good - A couple of the aid stations were a little disheveled...like 100 people handing out Gatorade and maybe 3 or 4 handing out water. Certainly not their fault as volunteers are always appreciated but they probably just needed to be trained a little better. Honestly this is a little nitpicky though, overall the aid on the course was great. Recommended! | |
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E. S. from Dallas, TX
(2/2/2012)
"Great race!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 7th marathon. Not from Philly so was excited to be able to see the city. Pros: -expo was big and well run for being so crowded (we went Sat morning) -loved being able to be dropped off by an entrance of the race -corral start was fine. No problems at all (was in the last one). Met great people while we were waiting. -lucked out and had perfect weather -course was beautiful -volunteers were fantastic -crowds were so great Cons: -picked a womens Med shirt. Was HUGE (could have fit my husband) and they would not let me get a womens small. And were quite rude about it too. Even spoke to 'the person in charge of shirts' and she was not pleasant at all. Be aware of the out & back from 13-26. The people finishing as you are going out are on the other side of you for most of the way. Was a bit of a mind screw but then I got used to it. And there are some hills in Manayunk. Not bad but still hills at 19-21-the crowds help a lot! Overall, great race. Would definitely go back! | |
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Allen Babaran from Belmont, CA
(1/8/2012)
"Fast Course with great weather" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I'm not certain what hills folks were surprised by in the first half. There was nothing too notable, IMO. All in all the course was wonderful, giving the spectators scenic views of the city, Shulkill river and the Philly museum. The expo was near the Redding Terminal Market and was rather hard to park for unless you were willing to shell out $$ just to get your bib. The fans were out, but not couldn't be everywhere. Still, what they lacked in numbers they made up for exuberance. All in all, a very good experience. I'd certainly do this race again. | |
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S. D. from Cambridge, MA
(12/15/2011)
 "The Last But Not Least Marathon of the Fall!" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 After a late decision to do my first marathon this Fall, all of the major city marathons (MCM, Chicago, NYC, etc) were all out of the question. I knew I wanted a big-city marathon and Philadelphia was just the ticket. Reviews claimed the course was great for BQs and I totally agree. Many complained about the hills but if you do any sort of hill training, you should be fine. The corrals were well organized at the beginning and the entire area never felt chaotic. I was even able to be dropped off by car right near the start. I would say the start is not very stressful, even if you are unfamiliar with the area. The ONLY thing I was disappointed with were the race photos! As a seasoned race participant I know to expect unglamorous shots, but the lack of photos was so disappointing. It was my first marathon and was hope to have a plethora of marathon photos to purchase. I was in the first 1000 of finishers and never felt as if there were a ton of people around me so much as it would be difficult for a photographer to grab a picture of me. I also didn't see a photographer until mil1 18 and then again at the finish. I hope Philly can take a closer look at this for next year and step up their game. I don't have one photo from my first marathon. That being said, other than photographs, which is not extremely important to many, this was a GREAT race! | |
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K. K. from Fort Drum, NY
(12/13/2011)
"Not as good as 2009" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 The Expo was pretty good. No complaints about it. Tech shirt nice again, like it was in 2009. Stayed downtown for ease of travel to and from the marathon, which was wicked expensive, but fun for the atmosphere. I find it disheartening that when the National Anthem is being played/sung, there are hundreds of people still moving around and ignoring it!! As a military member, I find this especially disrespectful. Some people didn't even remove their hats! Many walked with their hand across their heart, as if that 'counted' as showing respect to the flag and our country. This seemed to be a race designed to cater to the fast runners. We slow folks faced water points with no cups (I personally passed 3 waterstations with no cups) in the final third of the race! Dangerous! And this race had 2 deaths-lucky it wasn't more with no water at the end water points! The volunteers were doing their best, but they held out gallon jugs of water to be shared, ewwww. I bragged after 2009 marathon in Philly that they handed out famous Philly soft pretzels at the end.....not this year. Bagged pretzels at the end of 26.2. No thanks! Overall, I still enjoyed the run. I am from Philly and live in NY and like coming home to do this race. Great spectators! | |
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J. V. from PGH, PA, USA
(12/12/2011)
"An overall good marathon" (about: 2011)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This was my second marathon, and overall it was a good experience. You could not ask for better weather, and the varied scenery along the course makes for a nice run. The expo was smooth sailing mid-afternoon Friday. There were some great areas for crowd support. Big props to the Drexel frats for getting into the spirit, and while maybe not the best idea, I thoroughly enjoyed the 'Beer Only' table in the Manayunk area (I don't think it was an official aid station). I started and finished near the end of the pack, so its kind of hard for me to gauge the start and finish. As the last Corral, we didn't cross the start until about half an hour after the official start, but no biggie. By the time I finished the finish line area was still strong with people cheering, but not overwhelming for getting out and on your way. I only really have on word of advice and one critique. My advice is be very aware of how the course is laid out. The straight out and back that runs almost entirely parallel for the second half can be a bit of a mind screw if you're not expecting it. I know for some people that doesn't make a difference, but for some it does. The only real issue I had with anything within the control of organizers (at least to an extent) RANDOM ASS PEOPLE WANDERING ACROSS THE ROUTE. The one other marathon I ran (Pittsburgh '11) did a great job of keeping pedestrians off of the course and out of the way of runners. Several times people just wandered out in front of runners to cross the street, take pictures, look at clouds, etc. Overall though, good marathon, great city. | |
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K. S. from Takoma Park, MD, US
(12/5/2011)
"a great race all the ingredients were excellent" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was only my second marathon, and I'd love to come back to Philly. The course is lovely, with a good mix of urban concrete and brick, historic sites, urban parks, and the long out-and-back on the Schuylkill. And the start/finish on BF Pkwy near the art museum is spectacular. The crowds are excellent throughout, especially along Chestnut St, through the universities, near Eakins Oval, and in Manayunk. The weather was pretty good. In 2011 it got a bit warm (low-50s) for my tastes, but I'm sure some years it's too cold. The organization on the course was very good. Lots of volunteer support, well-supplied hydration and medical points, people directing runners (esp on the little jog over the river and back around mile 17). The organization at the packet pickup was a little uneven. Packet pickup was a breeze, but the queues for shirts were incomprehensibly long. Oh, and the shirt sizing is WAY big. There was an organizational snafu with the hotel bookings that were handled through the race web site. My original hotel severely overbooked, so that 6 weeks before the race I was scrambling to book another, at a much higher rate. The only other organizational glitch was not enough tables/stations for the post-race food. | |
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D. B. from Nashville, Tennessee
(11/28/2011)
"Excellent! Well done, Philly!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Fun, interesting course. Very good organization. Great fans. Note that there are a couple of hills in the first half to keep it interesting. Very good finish line experience. I had read comments from previous years complaining about the start corrals. I saw no problems - very smooth, fast start. Highly recommended. |
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