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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 101 to 111]
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E. B. from Birmingham, Alabama
(11/27/2011)
 "Easy Marathon" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 A perfect course for a fast race. It is wise to budget for a few mild hills in the second half. I liked the two out-and-back turns, they make it interesting to watch others (and the elite!). Stayed at the Sheraton Hotel, 1/2 mile from start/finish. Very nice. | |
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Joanne Fitzgerald from Clifton Park New York
(11/23/2011)
 "Great time in Philly!" (about: 2011)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 LOVED this marathon!! It was well organized from the start and the good vibe continued from there. The course is fairly flat and visually stimulating with a variety of scenery starting in city streets lined with sky scrapers, to the historic brick buildings of old Philadelphia, out to open spaces in Fairmont Park, to the party atmosphere of Manyunk and finally the long straight away that paralleled the river to the finish. This marathon had spunk and I have very positive memories from the event! Plus: qualified for Boston! Only negative has nothing to do with the race: Driving through Philly's continuous grid lock traffic! | |
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J. M. from Washington DC
(11/23/2011)
"Highly recommended!" (about: 2011)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My only marathon experience before Philly was New York two years ago, which was fabulous. So I was prepared to be a bit underwhelmed by some aspects of this race. I could not have been more wrong. This is a great race. Pros: - very nice course mixing urban and nature - near flawless organization: start very easy to access; packet drop and pick up a breeze; orderly and non-packed corrals despite 28000 runners; plenty of gatorade/water stops and 3 gel stations; no overcrowding anywhere on the course (except a light slowing down at one turn downtown). - nice and easily accessible expo. Got my race packet in 2 mns. - great crowd - nice race tee (long sleeves: perfect for the winter) - great city - fast course (beware the small hills though) and PR!!! Cons: - none | |
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R. j. from new jersey
(11/23/2011)
"fantastic first time experience" (about: 2011)
First Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first full marathon so I don't have anything to compare it to but I thought the whole experience was great. The EXPO was well organized and experienced Philly marathoner Mark Sullivan was there to answer all of my newbie questions. The technical shirt was one of the best I've received and the personalized bibs were great for spectators to call out your name. The course was scenic and the Philly spectators are awesome. The medal at the finish was really nice too. Thank you Philly and all the volunteers for making my first marathon a fantastic experience! | |
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M. G. from St. Paul, MN
(11/22/2011)
 "Fun race, beautiful scenery, hilly" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 First time running Philly. Hoping to run sub 2:46, the course had some hills that I recommend planning for in your training, and three cone turnarounds, not my favorite. Beautiful scenery. Great expo very kid friendly. Fun course. | |
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Francis Kwok from New York, NY
(11/22/2011)
"Another excellent Philly Marathon" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This year's Philadelphia Marathon was my second and 9th overall. I was recovering from patella tendenitis and was just cleared to run the full marathon a few days before, so I wasn't going all out as I had planned, but rather satisfied to finish. The course is 95% flat, with 3 hills, and one rear-end kicking down hill after mile 10. There are two out and backs, but very manageable. It was neat seeing the elite runners soaring down Kelly Drive towards the finish as I was by mile 14. The crowds were awesome as always. I usually finish at the back of the pack of races and there aren't that many people left cheering me but the people and volunteers of Philly really were outstanding in supporting the last runners. The expo was better than last year with more booths and a nicer goody bag. They had actual paramedics and roving medical staff and volunteers along the course. It was very sad to hear two seemingly fit runners die at the finish. I saw four to five runners being loaded onto the back of ambulances and had to run to the aid station at mile 24 to tell them of a down runner at mile 24.5. It was low 50's at the start and at least 60 degrees with partly cloudy skies when I dragged my sorry carcass across the finish line 6 hours and 12 minutes later. I think if you want a well run race, great fan support and a relatively flat course and excellent organization, then run Philly. I will probably not run it in 2012 as I plan to run the Marine Corp Marathon, but I plan to run Philly again eventually. | |
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J. W. from FL
(11/21/2011)
 "Great big-ish city race" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I thought the whole race weekend was great. The expo was nice but not overwhelming. We brought our kids to this one and they were excited about the kid area and getting their own shirts and goodie bags. The kids race on Saturday was also a nice touch. I'm not sure if things have changed since last year but I thought the crowds were great. There were people cheering all along and the bibs with the names on it made you feel like you had friends cheering for you all along the way. Hearing people screaming your name the whole last mile makes a huge difference. My one complaint - get shirts that fit xs women!!!! We pay the same money that everyone else does so why can't we get a shirt that fits??? | |
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S. C. from Westchester, NY
(11/21/2011)
"I LOVED this marathon and Philly!" (about: 2011)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Great marathon...Plenty of police to keep the roads safe, cheery volunteers, medics everywhere and a fan crowd that was supportive and plentiful! Check in was a breeze and the expo was huge and so good, I went twice! The race is large but I never felt like it was overwhelming...Spend some touristy time in Philly...its a great city! | |
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R. R. from New York, NY
(11/21/2011)
"Great weather, course and fans - Way to go Philly!" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Pros * Relatively flat, scenic course * Wave start * Very good expo * High fives from the mayor at race start Cons * many water stops after 15 miles ran out of cups for those running 4:30+ * as expected, finish line goodies were sparse for we slower runners * host hotel that I stayed in (Crowne Plaza) didn't act much like a host at all .. attitudes at front desk and restaurant (of course, probably overworked and underpaid, but aren't we all?) Overall: 5 stars; great day, great course, great fans ... way to go Philly!! | |
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m. s. from boston, MA
(11/21/2011)
"23 MIN PR..enuff said" (about: 2011)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 what a great race! I LOVE PHILLY!!!!! course there is one hill (if you could even call it that) at mile 9. literally all downhill after the half. corrals disaster. had walkers in the corral in front of me..no monitoring, so anyone could enter any corral..i hope they can fix this in the future. its not a huge deal to me, because as i said..23 MINUTE PR!!! spectators there were spots without spectators..but i was fine with that..the course is interesting enough.. manayunk was awesome! guys handing out beer, families cheering..awesome stuff. other plenty of aid at the stations. no issues. the weather was absolutely beyond perfect. I know you can't do anything about the weather, but sometimes the stars just align for you. today they did for me. THANK YOU PHILLY FOR AN AMAZING RACE!!!! |
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