Sep 20, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
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 201 to 211]
|
M. F. from Butler, pa
(11/23/2009)
"Overall, a disappointing experience" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was our first (my wife and I) time running the Philly Marathon and overall we were pretty disappointed. As another poster stated, it wasn't as flat as they claimed, but not overly hilly. The crowd support was pretty much nonexistent... not even close to Boston, NYC or Pittsburgh. There were a ton of volunteers but you never got any sense of "community." The last half was out-and-back along the river, which would normally be scenic, but frankly got pretty boring after 13 miles. Surprisingly, the traffic was unbelievably bad. We got there Saturday night and left Sunday afternoon. It took over an hour to get into the city, and the same when we were leaving. On the plus side, I will say that the race was very well organized. Lots of post-race food, lots of volunteers, and a well marked course. We probably won't be going back to this one. | |
|
j. e. from Delaware
(11/23/2009)
"Overrated Race!!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Coming off of running the Steamtown Marathon, which was so phenomenally run, I wasn't sure what to expect from Philly. Ran this race in '05 and '06. The '05 edition was marathon-only and was a great race. In '06, they added the half and it was run fairly clumsily, and with a lot of confusion, which was to be expected. In both years the expo was horrible. I decided to take a break. I finally came back for this year's race because it is a local marathon. The expo was fantastic, but the course and organization were lacking. Some of the same problems were still there. Now, running this race before, I knew about the "hills." They are nothing to serious. I also knew that the half was going to be set off at the same time as the full, but I figured with the "new corrals" color-coding that they may have fixed the problem. It was even more confusing. I notice people everywhere in wrong corrals. No one was policing this. The wave start was little help. I found it very hard to get out to any pace as the roads were very narrow and the "slower" runners that should have been in corrals behind me were getting in the way. (Even the Marine Corps Marathon, with 35,000 people, wasn't as congested.) As I have suggested in the past (taking this from the Shamrock Marathon), they should start the half an hour earlier and/or have them run the back 13.1 of the marathon course. This prevents the logjams at the start of the race. The faster marathoners will pass the slower halfers, but at the end, when there is plenty of room. Another major beef about this race was that there were a handful of times where the aid stations had water on one side and Gatorade on the other, which caused some near misses as runners crossed over themselves. And finally, the food stations post-race were poorly placed. I still have no idea truly where they were, so they clearly were not in a great location. Also, they need to eliminate all of the 180-degree turnarounds. Add more distance through Fairmount Park. The medals were very nice and I was pleased to have it put around my neck for a change. (In '06 I had to grab the medal off of a table and take it out of a bag.) The fans were solid. Beautiful weather. All in all, disappointing. Good course for a PR if you get out ahead of the pack, and good for a first-timer, but I remembered why I stopped running after 2006. As you can see, most of the comments prior were from first-time Philly Marathoners who didn't know any better. There are many other great fall marathons to choose from. Save your money for one of those. Until the race directors straighten this mess out, I'm sad to say that I will not be back. | |
|
R. L. from Philadelphia, PA
(11/23/2009)
"Logistical Problems on Race Day" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I've run Philly 5 times (my hometown marathon), and the growth of the race has outpaced the ability of the organizers to support it. For example: - there was a corralled start, but neither runners nor volunteers knew where each runner should go. - the half-marathon starts at the same time, and finishes on the same finish line; therefore, you have marathoners running exactly twice as fast as half-marathoners sharing a narrowing finishing straight. - no water at the finish! The water tables were empty when I finished. This is inexcusable. The biggest problem seems (to me) that there is insufficient volunteer support for a race of this size. I hope the organizers take this feedback into account when planning next year's race. However, I'm not holding my breath because the trend has been for these problems to worsen as the race has grown. | |
|
K. A. from New York, NY
(11/23/2009)
"Awesome First Marathon!!" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon, and boy did Philly put on a great marathon for this momentous experience! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. The wave starts were great - I didn't have to weave through people like I have had to in other races. The volunteers were AMAZING and made it very easy to get water and gels. The only problem was that water and Gatorade were mixed up in the designated cups, so I would grab a Gatorade cup and it would have water in it. A few things they could fix for next year: Play music at the beginning - I didn't like the announcer continuously talking and would have liked music to get the crowd excited. Also, they need more toilet paper in the port-o-potties! They were very far away from the finish line and then didn't have any toilet paper in them! All in all, this was a great course. It's relatively flat, but there are some hills so don't expect it to be completely flat. Great fan support; I especially love the experience in Manayunk. I wish I would have grabbed a beer, but maybe I will next time! I loved the experience at the end of the race, and having the announcer welcome me back and give me a high five before I crossed the finish line. Will definitely return to this race in the next five years! Thanks, Philadelphia!! | |
|
j. c. from New York City, NY, USA
(11/23/2009)
"beautiful course, great organization, quiet crowd" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Having run the NYC (and watched it this year), I was hoping that the crowd would be as loud and involved, but I was disappointed. There were a few spots where the crowd was good, but several stretches where they were few and far between. I loved the course, and the expo was good. Technical shirt and gloves were a great plus, and only the NYC and Baltimore Marathons were better overall experiences thus far. | |
|
Glen Hoffman from Philadelphia
(11/23/2009)
"Top-flight city marathon course" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The course had a couple of hills in it, so it wasn't 100% flat. I feel that it is one of the best big-city courses I have run. The Marine Corps and NYC are outstanding, but the logistics of getting to and from the expos and starting lines there are more challenging than Philly. It is easy to get to the expo. The Reading Terminal Market across the street from the expo is a great spot to stop for lunch after picking up race packets. There is a lot to do in town for the non-runners along for support. I ran it in 1999 and 2000 and ran it again this year. This event has improved tremendously since 2000. People weren't elbow-to-elbow along the course, but there were a decent number of people out. There was plenty of water and gels were given out at two stops. Changing tents were a nice touch. The gear bag with a nice shirt and gloves was good. The course was excellent for a full or half marathon. This event has become a top-quality event. Outside of the big four, this is one of the best big-city marathons out there. I would do it again | |
|
z. c. from N.J., USA
(11/23/2009)
"My first experience, and it was great!!" (about: 2009)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, and I enjoyed the whole experience. Everything was well organized. The volunteers were great, and the crowd support was amazing. The only negative was not having water available at the end. The bananas and frozen juice did just fine, and later on I was able to find water. I will do it again! | |
|
Todd Kammeyer from Utah, United States
(11/23/2009)
"Philadelphia Marathon - Outstanding Race!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The 2009 Philadelphia Marathon was a great experience and I would highly recommend it to everyone! It featured flawless organization, a great medal, a nice shirt and bag, and a mostly flat course - all in a great US city. I was impressed from start to finish! | |
|
M. M. from Covington, KY
(11/23/2009)
"Perfect conditions" (about: 2009)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 First of all, the weather conditions were perfect. The cool air and sunny fall skies allowed the runners to be at their best while inviting a bounty of enthusiastic spectators. This was my first marathon, so I had a great time taking in all of the sights, sounds, and smells (excepting the brief nausea that followed taking a deep inhale at tables with free beer). The spectators downtown, in Manayunk, and at the finish line were energetic and very encouraging. There were a couple extended stretches where there was not heavy support though, especially the second half along the river. But the ones that were there were definitely into it. The only organizational flaw I was aware of was that some bibs, mine included, did not come with safety pins. So for us, there was no provided way to attach the bib to your shirt. I couldn't find any available on race morning either (I tried the medical, merchandise, and information tent) but luckily I had brought two from home in my overnight kit or else I might have needed to run with the bib tucked into my shorts. Overlooking the pins, though, I tip my hat to the organizers because water, Gatorade and energy gels were readily available, and I was pleasantly surprised at the ubiquity of portable toilets and the painlessness of the corralled start. At mile 14 or so I can remember thinking to myself that the person who labeled this course "flat" must have been a hot dog vendor at Phillies' games who spends their working hours treading around the upper decks for hours on end because scenic, fun, and challenging this course is, but flat it is not. The hills in Fairmount Park and the short one at about mile 14 certainly took an unexpectedly large amount of energy, having never been on the course before. Overall, it was a great experience in a fun city, and even though it feels like every one of my leg muscles has been crudely replaced with beef jerky, I would do it again in a heartbeat. | |
|
M. K. from Israel
(11/23/2009)
"Philadelphia Half Marathon 2009" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 It was well organized, with good weather this year, and an enjoyable course (it was scenic, with pleasant turns through the city). I thoroughly enjoyed it. The expo times were a bit restrictive on Friday; it would be great if it opened earlier. |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
