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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 701 to 711]
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A Runner from California
(8/13/2002)
 "Lonely Course" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 I was very excited to run this race, but by the end of the marathon I was frustrated by the large gaping holes in crowd support. For the first half of the race there were very few locations with any fans. Mantua -hats off to you - you were the best part of the front 13. Manyunk was fantastic, but the race course doubled back on itself for the last 12 miles making it demoralizing seeing runners coming at you but having so many miles to go. I can't say the course was unkind to me -I ran a PR. It's just the fact that overall it was one of the more mentally abusive courses I've run. | |
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A Runner from Dallas, Texas
(4/24/2002)
 "great marathon" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I have enjoyed the Philly marathon for the last three years. I have run NYC twice as well as Austin and Houston and think Philly was a great marathon. I would like to run it again. Crowd support - good at certain spots, but not exceptional. Physical beauty - I liked it. Running by the Schuykill river was nice. Fast course - Yes, I ran my PR by 10 min. I would like to run it again. | |
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A Runner from West Chester, PA
(3/30/2002)
 "Good run but could be better" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon, and now that I have had some time to reflect I can get a better perspective on what was good and bad. The course is relatively flat, a few hills but nothing to worry about. The start was a little silly. Like 40 Porta-johns and 4000 runners. How long can you hop up and down on one leg? The first 3 miles are pretty neat, running around the Philly art museum and Boathouse Row. For those that complained about the cobblestone at mile 5, one thought: STOP WHINING!. It wasn't even 60 seconds of running! The rest of the run is fine until mile 12. Which brings me to my biggest complaint. This is the part where you run 5 miles out and run 5 miles back while people are passing you and finishing on your right when you first go out. That is not fun and is mentally defeating. You really need to stay focused. A course should be constantly unique, not a do-over. Other than that I have no complaints. It's a great accomplishment no matter how you feel about the course. | |
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A Runner from Maryland
(2/15/2002)
 "In the words of Philly sports fans: BOOOO!" (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 This was my first marathon and as an alumni of Drexel Univ., I was really excited about going back to my old stomping grounds (something about now running past the frat houses that I had to be carried back to the dorms from). After completing the marathon, I can honestly say that I am amazed at how accurate most of the complaints were. First, packet pick up was a joke. Completely unorganized as people wandered around not knowing where to go. Second, porta-johns? I never even saw them (what few there were) until after the race started, during the out and back in the first 2 miles (don't bother trying to figure it out from the course map). Third, water stations were spaced too far apart. As a first timer, I had no idea how important this was along with the no gel or food (except for the woman with the bananas with peels still on them. I wanted to laugh because of the accuracy of one reviewer's comments, but it was mile 20, and it didn't seem as funny then). The cobblestone and Manyunk out and back weren't a big deal, though I can understand one reviewer's point about not having a 12 mile out and back in a marathon. As for fan support, I grew up near Philly so I knew to have low expectations. I did appreciate the ones that were there. What amazes me is that so many of these complaints can be addressed easily by race organizers yet they aren't. I'm glad I ran this marathon, it was a beautiful day and nice scenery but I won't be running Philly again until organizers get their act together. | |
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A Runner from Virginia
(1/17/2002)
 "Superb scenic course!" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This marathon was a back up for me in the event that the Marine Corps marathon was cancelled because of the 9/11 event. The course was exactly as depicted on the online map. I enjoyed every bit of it. There was a real shortage of porta-johns. Fans were great and the start, half-way and finish points were at good locations! The event needs to be advertised more throughout the city.... In the week leading up to the event I never saw a write-up in the On-line Inquirer or Daily News papers. | |
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run Billy run from Baltimore, Maryland
(12/20/2001)
"Excellent marathon for a major city" (General Comments)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I run a marathon every week. This is one of my favorite major city marathons so far. I have never been to Philly before (even though I live in Baltimore - GOOO Steelers) :) It still reminded me of Hartford, Richmond, and Raleigh a little though. The beginning and end were my favorite parts considering crowd support. I recommend this to everyone and I look forward to coming back next year. | |
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A Runner from Bloomfield, NJ
(12/12/2001)
"A race big enough to be an event" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Nice, sensible course that makes the most of historic Philadelphia. I've run three times ('97, '98, and '01) and the weather has always been perfect. Cool and clear. Nice start and finish in front of the Philadelphia Museum, you get to climb the steps ala 'Rocky' if you've got anything left at the end. I love Philly because it comes late enough in the fall so you don't have to be doing 20-milers in the heat of summer. Crowd support seems to be getting better each year, but there are some quiet sections. Those come in Fairmount Park, which occupies nearly half of the course; still, the park is so beautiful that you won't mind the fact that there aren't tons of people urging you to go faster. Good organization, a decent expo and pasta party, good shuttle service to and fro. The race is big enough event that runners will appreciate it, but it's not overwhelming, like say, NYC or Boston. | |
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www.runPHILLYrun.com from New Jersey
(12/1/2001)
"God, but not great (yet!)" (General Comments)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I've completed the Philadelphia marathon twice (2000 & 2001). If you read through the comments on these pages, in general you'll get a fair perspective on the race. The only thing that I'll add to the prior comments was that the hotel and local restaurants didn't seem to have a clue. Friday's (close to the finish line) was short of staff and they seemed surprised by the 'rush' on a Sunday afternoon. Hello? The lack of anticipation and planning by hotels and restaurants really shocked me for a city that wants to be a tourist/convention destination. It does seem to get a little better every year...and there's a nice 8K associated with the marathon that friends and family can enjoy. I loved the prior comment that: 'The race is much like Philadelphia-- a little gritty in spots, beautiful in others, and full of heart.' | |
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A Runner from Montreal, Canada
(11/30/2001)
"Great race, included this one in your top 10" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Great race. Good time of year. The course is fast (1-80 foot elevation at mile 9) no big deal. It is very scenic throughout downtown and along the river. The crowds are good, it's not New York, but good. Don't worry about cobble stones- 1 minute at most, again, no big deal. Porta-John's. Yeah there was a good line-up at 8:20, 10 minutes before the race, but not at 7:30- Over 5,000 people that drink a lot- maybe they could increase the number of Johns somewhat. The expo was good- Light dressing pasta dish for $2 was great, also good bargins to be had- good size- all the basics. They could use a sign at the entrance for the pick-up package location- no big deal, but I did hear a lot of people asking where to pick up. Good electronic pics of runners in the race classified by bib # for sale. Good free parking zone. Neither massage services after the race nor at the expo for those inclined. Could use wider starting gate. Decent hydration stations- still could be better, 2.5 miles is 18 minutes for me, still had to carry a water bottle. Good back and forth, you see the elites and there is a constant flow of runners on the way back also. Good for firsts and for PR's, great race, I highly recommend. I can't believe all the negative comments??? | |
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Runner from Virginia from Charlottesville, Va
(11/28/2001)
"Philly was a good first experience" (about: 2001)
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 As previously noted, the course was a spectacular mixture of city sophistication and country charm. My only complaints are in reference to the porta-johns (lack thereof...or even a slightly wooded area off the side of the course would have sufficed!) and the pathetically detailed race map. There have been multiple complaints about fan support of this race, but my assumption is that few knew where to go to follow the runners. My dearest mother sprinted around Philadelphia for 3 hours only to catch 2 glimpses of me, due largely to a completely unreadable race map. My advice: drive the course before racing it where possible. Because i am from central virginia, the hills were mild in comparison to my typical training runs, however, between miles 18-20 the steady uphill is hard to ignore (though at this point in the race an anthill might have seemed like a major mountain). The fans who did find their way to the course sidelines were phenomenal and very encouraging to me in my first (of many, no doubt) marathon. |
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