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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 271 to 281]
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A. N. from Menomonie, Wisconsin
(11/25/2008)
"Big-City Marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The weather was sort of cold, but what would you expect from a race in late November this far north? Nice job on the expo, but they should remember to give everyone pins in there bag. I had to go back to the expo and pick some up. Well-run race, but there are a few things to think about improving: 1.) Longer water stations (spread the volunteers out), since they were sort of congested. 2.) Corral starts are great, but they need to ensure that everyone is in the right section. 3.) Keep spectators out of the finishing area. Just too much congestion as you finish the race. 4.) Put the medal around the finishers' necks. Ran all that way and am too tired to carry a medal. Things that were great about this marathon: Nice expo, medal, and T-shirt;the volunteers were really nice; and the warm chicken broth was a lifesaver!!! Keep up the good work; nice job. | |
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S. B. from South Carolina
(11/25/2008)
"Philadelphia is beautiful! Don't miss it!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Don't believe any of the negative things you read about Philly. The expo was great (we enjoyed hearing Bart Yasso), the shirts were very nice quality (we weren't too excited about the "KICKED ASPHALT" theme, but loved everything else about the shirt), the course was AWESOME (historical areas, the stretch along the river and the view of the art museum as we approached it twice was incredible). The last 6 miles are flat, which was very nice. The medals were also neat. The people in Philly are friendly, and we were very impressed with this clean and beautiful historical city. The only negative was the finish line - as it filtered into Eakens Oval, it was a bit crowded with the spectators coming in. I wish there was a way to keep the area open only to the runners. The pretzels and chicken broth were a unique touch. There is a lot to see and do if you decide to stay or bring your family. | |
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R. B. from Montreal, Quebec
(11/25/2008)
"Great race!" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 It's my first time running Philadelphia and I was a bit worried about it after reading the reviews of the previous years. But they seem to have fixed almost all previous problems. My worries were mostly about the very crowded start. We started in corrals and the crowd was not a problem. There were lots of spectators all along the course. The bag drop was easy and required no wait. The expo had no line-up. The t-shirt is great. The course was good. Not the fastest/flattest I've run, but relatively flat. You get a couple of hills around miles 6-10. And one last hill at mile 19. The good news is that it's an out-and-back, and you basically go down that hill after mile 20. The rest is flat and fast. One thing that was still an issue were the porta-potties at the start. The number of toilets was huge, but that was still not enough. There were huge lines right until the start. I don't know how they could fix this. Just make sure to arrive ahead of time. | |
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J. J. from New Jersey
(11/25/2008)
"great marathon" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I last ran Philly when the half was first added. Improvements with the start (splitting the half and the full at the start) and some course adjustments (new small hills keep you honest) have really helped. Although it was very chilly, spectators still came out in force. The only problem I saw was a number of icy spots around some of the water stops; a couple runners went down hard. Best of all, I BQ'd. | |
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J. A. from Baltimore, MD
(11/25/2008)
"more hilly than advertised, but still a nice race" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my 2nd Philly Marathon in a row. Last year I got my PR; this year I didn't do as well and am still 7 minutes short of a BQ. Just a couple of quick comments: This is not as flat as advertised. There are some sizable hills at key points; it's pretty uphill towards "the wall" and at other sections. The reason it's advertised as # 2 in BQs is because of size, not percentage (just FYI, for those looking for BQ). It would be nice if volunteers could put the medal around your neck after having completed 26.2 instead of handing you a folded-up medal still in its wrapping - that's kind of cheesy. Every other aspect of the race's organization is terrific. I love the hot, soft pretzels in the food tent. Nice course, nice race, nice city. | |
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R. C. from Ontario, Canada
(11/25/2008)
"Great day/race; organization should have been bett" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Did I enjoy the race? Yes. But could the race experience have been made more enjoyable? YES. - There was no managing of runners in the corrals (i.e., it was one big free-for-all). - The weather was below freezing; was there not any thought that the water stations might become a hazard? They should be prepared to remedy the situation. - Out/back to Manayunk has large sections that are sparsely spectated; more music in this section would have made it more enjoyable. - Manage the course. Why were spectators sitting on the course for the last stretch? When I went through, we were reduced to single-file running to the finish line. This was my second time running the course and I had hoped for a faster PB (the black ice and the spectators seated on the course adversely impacted my result). This race isn't new (this was their 15th year); hopefully they are still striving to improve. | |
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J. M. from New York City
(11/24/2008)
"Organization needs lots of improvements" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 There are some serious improvements needed. Water stations were very icy and slippery. Organizers should have sanded or salted the areas. Runners didn't know half the time if they were getting water or Gatorade. It should always be organized the same at every station: Gatorade up front, water farther down the row. Beyond the finish, it was very poorly laid out. Runners need a corridor to walk it off a couple of hundred yards. Handing out medals folded up in plastic wrap is just poor presentation. They should be put around each finishers head. Volunteers should put the thermal sheet around the runners' shoulders and TAPE them. They should not be handed out for the frigid runners to do it themselves. Most important - half marathon and marathon should NOT run together. Too crowded and too dangerous in the narrow Philly streets. We are not deaf! The music at the start does NOT need to be at an extra loud, amplified, eardrum-piercing, distorted level! | |
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s. m. from NJ
(11/24/2008)
"great race!!" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Philly was my 14th marathon and I thought it was a great course! It was very crowded at the beginning because the marathoners started with the half-marathoners at the same time. But I think it is better to have that than to have them join us halfway through the race (which I know is disastrous because I have experienced it). Besides, it thins out rather quickly once everyone gets into their groove. The course was beautiful and there were plenty of water/Gatorade stations. Because it was such a cold day (27 degrees at the start), parts of the roads were icy around the stations from the disposed cups, but that was the weather/nature doing its thing! The expo was easy to get through and well-organized. And the finish area was well-organized as well. I would run this course again. | |
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C. K. from Oradell, NJ, USA
(11/24/2008)
"A major league course with minor league organizers" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 The Philadelphia Marathon has potential to be great if the race organizers pay attention to the details. 1) The website should be upgraded to provide timely and helpful information 2) The corrals should be better policed, as well as having separate entrances for each group. 3) When it is below freezing, the water stops must have calcium chloride to prevent dangerous icing. 4) The 1/2 marathon and marathon should either have separate courses or starts. The overcrowding hurts eveyone's pacing. The 8K should begin well after the other races have gone off. 5) The race director and other officials should spend some time visiting other big city marathons to pick up some ideas. I think that they could learn from the experience. 6) The mile markers should be huge and accurately placed. The ones in Philly were too small and not always accurate. Philly can become a real destination marathon if they become more professional. The organizers should look to Chicago, Boston, and New York to see how an urban race can be done. | |
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A. E. from NYC, NY
(11/24/2008)
"good not great" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 2 Organization was superb - water stations were well run, etc., but the course wasn't as enjoyable as others I've run. The first part of the course goes through the city, but the complete second half is a trek out to the boonies (Manayunk township) and back. There were almost no spectators out there and it just goes there and back. The course is very hilly as well. It's a solid race - hard to find any substantial faults, but I found the second half problematic. |
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