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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 191 to 201]
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F. D. from New York
(11/24/2009)
"Only complaint is about the FINAL RESULTS!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Philly was a great marathon. It is NOT flat by any means. It's not incredibly hilly, but compared to Chicago, this is NOT a flat marathon. There are some small, gradual inclines and hills that take you by surprise. Otherwise, this is a very well organized marathon from start to finish. From the expo to the start line, everything went off perfectly. Along the course there were more spectators than I expected. With your name on your bib, they all call out to you and cheer you on. The energy is amazing! There was plenty of water and Gatorade on the course. I don't take GU, but it was readily available at many points. Medics and porta-potties were abundant. The one and only complaint I have is with the final results. I'm not sure why they are so conflicting. Many people got results that were 3-10 minutes off either way. For some who tried to qualify, this really messed with your mind. Not sure if it had something to do with the D-tag, but it needs to be corrected so that 20,000 people are not confused as to what their final time was. What's worse is that many people have NO record at all of having run this marathon as their results are MIA! That's not right. Once they repair this problem, this would no doubt be a 5-star marathon. The city overall does a great job of hosting such a huge event. | |
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B. C. from Worcester, MA
(11/24/2009)
"Friendly, Fast and Flat" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Whoever reports that Philly is a hilly marathon clearly is inexperienced as a long-distance runner. Having one switchback at mile 10 and one more at mile 14 (that lasted about 300 meters) isn't enough to register this course on the hill meter. Enjoy the downhills that both of those "bumps" offer, and have a fast race. The rest is flatter than the Miami Marathon. Can't beat the weather. I was welcomed by the spectators cheering me by the name on my bib. Nice touch. The screaming fans at the mile 20 turnaround were very fun. Add this race to your marathon safari. Shop carefully for hotels... downtown Philly can be expensive. Great finisher medal. | |
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J. M. from Chicago
(11/24/2009)
"Not bad, but could have been much, much better" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I'd consider running this race again in the future if it's better organized (perhaps by professional race organizers as opposed to run by the city itself). They handled the basics well, but the experience lacked the little refinements that could have made for a much nicer experience. The course was somewhat narrow in places and featured more than one U-turn around an orange cone - not ideal when running in a pack. The cheer zones throughout the course provided nice pops of support, and the spectators were creative with costumes and signs (ringing a cow bell is nice, but ringing a cow bell in a cow costume... now that's really going all out!). While I greatly appreciate the efforts of the awesome volunteers at the aid stations, they seem to have been provided less than optimal structure and resources. Each aid station was organized a little differently, so it wasn't simple to figure out where to find water or Gatorade. (Again, these are seemingly little things, but after running for multiple hours, folks tend to look for simplicity.) I didn't see warning signs or flags announcing the aid stations, so they popped up all of a sudden, leading to lots of elbows and disruption as the pack organized to either use or avoid the beverages. At one station, I received water in a Gatorade cup. At another station, I received Gatorade in an unmarked (assumed water) cup. It's tricky to execute a nutrition plan and work with energy gels if you don't know what you're getting to drink! Sometimes there were more resources on the right. Sometimes there were more on the left. Take some pointers from the folks in Chicago - I volunteered at an aid station there last month, and it was run like a machine. They had tall flags leading up to the aid station and volunteers announcing the order of beverages (Gatorade and then water), volunteers standing along a line marked on the ground on each side of the course to minimize reaching and zig-zagging, and they had consistent presentation from station to station clearly outlined in the pre-race materials. (Or better yet, outsource the event to professional race organizers!) Full marks for the gear check set-up with UPS - that was really convenient. So, overall, the race nailed the basics. But with a little more attention to detail, it could have been a much better experience. | |
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T. H. from Chicago, Illinois
(11/24/2009)
"Great race, but not as flat as advertised!" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The race was well organized, and the course gave us a nice view of Philly. The weather was also great, which made for a picturesque view of the river during the last four to five miles or so. I was a bit surprised by the hills, as I've heard that the course was flat. I've run Chicago several times, and that's a flat course! Overall, a great race that I would recommend for folks looking for a well-organized, cool-weather, small, urban marathon. | |
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D. W. from Atlanta GA
(11/24/2009)
"FAST COURSE; WORLD-CLASS EVENT" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 To all of those who think this is not a fast course, you are just not trained properly. This is a great course and great event. This is my 16th marathon, including four Bostons, NYC, Chicago, St. George and London. It's definitely one to put on the bucket list. I ran a sub-3, so I am stoked. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oy, oy, oy! | |
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C. F. from seaside heights, nj
(11/23/2009)
"What a great experience!!!" (about: 2009)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 What an all-around amazing day! I think this is a great course for runners of all levels - a few hills but not too bad (just take 'em slow). After all, you are running a marathon; who said it would be easy? I definitely thought the wave start was a great idea. A great big "thank you" to everyone who helped make the day run so smoothly: the volunteers, the police, the EMT's, all of the city workers... thank you so much! And the spectators!! They were amazing! Thank you so much for you support; it means so much! Definitely will do this marathon again! | |
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D. W. from New York City, USA
(11/23/2009)
"Great Event" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Very good marathon. I have a lot of good things to say about it, but first I have two negative things, which in the end aren't that big of a deal. I thought that parked cars should not be parked on the course; maybe that's just me? Second, you had to keep an eye out for potholes, as there were many - the kind that could take you out of the race with one bad step! But if you could avoid the cars and the holes, what you got was a well run, flat, fast track, with plenty of crowd support! Water stations had many volunteers. Miles 15 - 26 look boring on map (out and back), but they were scenic. Great event for a PR/BQ. | |
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J. K. from Wv.
(11/23/2009)
"Outstanding" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This ranks as one of the best marathons that I have had the opportunity to tackle. Without reading others' posts, allow me to comment. I am not from Philly, but I have always admired the city for its rich history and great food. Here is a quick synopsis: PROS: There were hundreds of porta-jons. This is probably the biggest gripe people have about races, but it really wasn't an issue here. Granted, there were some lines, but I have been to several marathons where people have missed the start of the race because they had to "GO." This was not the case. People love to complain about the weather. Here it was 40, with a high for the day in the 50's - and NO rain! Aside from the occasional hill, it was a flat course. The course was wrapped in Philly's rich history, and my wife and I found that it took our minds off of the run. The fans were AMAZING! Thousands of people were screaming your name as you ran by (as names were on the bibs). What a great memory I will have for the rest of my life. CONS: The gray pack wasn't given an official start. We lined up after the "green" pack, and and the next thing we knew, we were being pushed through the start. You get 20K people anywhere and try to organize anything, mistakes will happen. This was a fantastic race, and the years of experience really showed. Thanks to everyone who was apart of this great race. Oh, and the health expo was incredible. | |
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E. D. from NYC
(11/23/2009)
"Overall, Good Big-City Marathon" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I thought pre-race was a little hectic. No clear signs for baggage area. They crammed the UPS trucks side by side in a small parking lot creating gridlock for runners looking to check bags and runners trying to get out. That was by far the worst thing about this marathon. I think some of the water stations were a little tight, especially in the later miles. Water was not always in the white cups, and Gatorade was not always in the green cups. The finishing area was a little chaotic. If you hate out-and-backs, it's probably not the race for you. From mile 13 to mile 20, the course was an out-and-back. But enough negativity: A great, big-city marathon - despite logistical inconveniences. I definitely recommend it. | |
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P. T. from Washington, DC
(11/23/2009)
"Great race, amazing crowds" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first race in Philly and I really enjoyed the scenic course (Disclaimer: I ran the half marathon). It was a crowded field, but the wave starts went off well and I was able to pace easily. Some of the water stops were a little narrow, but the crowd support throughout was amazing. Frat boys were offering beer, local bands and DJs were performing, and there were tons of people up and down Walnut Street. I enjoyed the more serene second half of the course, and the hills, and loved coming back to the museum and singing along to the music. A very fun race that I'd love to run again. My only complaint: the commentary at the beginning was too loud and too much. Those guys need to cut back on their coffee! Some runners like a more serene, humble start to the race. |
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