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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 281 to 291]
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i. v. from Stoudsburg,PA
(11/24/2008)
"Yo Philly! From Ukrania!" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 I have done a few of a distance runs in Philly and always loved them. So I figured a full marathon in Philly would be just great. Not so much. I do have to say that the course is great, and spectators were just fantastic. Organization, however, needs some major improvements: 1. The split clocks did not work properly for a first few miles (there is no way that I did mile 3 at 9-minute pace and mile 4 at 5,5 min). 2. In the food tent, they allowed ONE granola bar, ONE pretzel, etc. For the money paid, finishers should have more than one banana if they want. 3. The announcer kept saying that the winners of a race were from Ukrania. UKRANIA! It is Ukraine, not Ukrania. How did they make such an embarrassing mistake? | |
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Kapil Dev Singh from Philadelphia
(11/24/2008)
"Loved it" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second consecutive Philadelphia Marathon, and I had a really good experience. I thought the organizers listened to complaints from previous years and acted on them, which is great. I intend to be back. Pros 1. I went to the expo on Friday and there were no lines. It was smooth in and out. 2. Gear check was swift. No issues. 3. Runners were seeded this year, which was an improvement over previous years. 3. Water stations were well distributed throughout the course. 4. Nice, pretty course with some hills - none of which is a killer. 5. Lots of spectators. Crowd support was tremendous in Manayunk. People offering pretzels, beer, brownies, oranges, etc., and cheering wildly. 6. Food was plentiful. 7. I also got a massage. Last year the massage tent was empty when I finished. So it was an improvement. Cons 1. Weather: It was really cold this year. 2. There were a lot of empty cups on the road at every water station. Need to have waste buckets at every station. 3. There isn't enough food for vegetarians. Hot chocolate, pizza, etc. would be nice. Once again, an excellent job overall. | |
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R. M. from Chicago
(11/24/2008)
"Very poorly run." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 For a decent-sized marathon, this has to be the worst in the country. I've run 8, including Chicago and Boston, and it is disgraceful how poorly Philadelphia is organized. They messed up many mile markers (either too short or too long), had one missing entirely, and all the points the program listed for water/aid stations were totally off. This is unacceptable for runners who plan out when to take gels and so on. It shouldn't be too hard for them to figure this out. Just have someone run the course with a GPS watch the night before and put the mile markers accordingly. Plus the course itself is awful. An out-and-back for the last half is horrible. | |
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T. D. from Chester County, PA
(11/24/2008)
"Not what I was expecting" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 A few things that I found very disappointing: The course was not flat, and they needed more water stations (and they ran out at the first one). The real feel temp in the morning was 18 degrees and they ended up starting 10 - 15 minutes late. I think mixing the 1/2 and the full marathoners together is wrong; at the very least, they should start at different times because it is very mind-altering to hear "you've got a mile to go" when you have 14 miles ahead of you. In addition, my Garmin showed the course to be off by almost a 1/4 of a mile! I overheard other runners saying the same thing. I wish they would have it earlier in the year before the leaves fall from the trees so that people can enjoy the run along Kelly Drive (and this year, because of the cold temps, the crowds were sparse). Positives: They were very organized after you crossed the finish line (and I love the chicken soup). They had the tents and family reunion area clearly marked. And they had plenty of port-a-potties along the course. The only way I will run it again is if they had it earlier in the year and promised more water stations.... | |
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Frank Herold from New Jersey
(11/24/2008)
"What a mess" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 4-5 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I have run this marathon many times when it was smaller but will never run it again. The organization at the start was beyond stupid. Loud, blaring, painful music and unintelligible announcements. No one knew where to go. There were multiple starts and the clocks on the course were useless. Because of the many starts, we ran into many walkers and very slow runners, which created a real hazard in the beginning of the race. This marathon is usually cold and this year it was really cold. If you have to wait over a half-hour to get to a porta-john, you know what standing in the cold is all about. The water froze at the water stops and many water stops had ice on the street from spilled water. My running partner fell on uneven pavement and had to drop out. All in all, a miserable experience. | |
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J. C. from New Jersey
(11/24/2008)
"Amazing but some small concerns" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon, since I turned 18 the day before the race. I picked up my bib number and bag at the expo-center in the middle of town that was easy to get to. It was crowded but very organized, so I got everything I wanted in fewer than 10 minutes. The marathon shirt that they gave you is really of high quality. Race day was great and there were a lot of spectators; however, that day it was in the twenties, and the excess water/Gatorade in the cups froze (they should have put salt or a mat). Thus I slipped, busting up my hamstring badly. I finished the race hobbling and hurt. But overall, an amazing race, and I would do it over again any day of the year. Just not tomorrow. | |
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M. G. from Brooklyn, New York
(11/24/2008)
"Fast and flat, but needs better organization" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I ran Philly for the 2nd straight year on November 23rd, 2008. I love the course; it's mostly flat with few surprises, and I would recommend to anyone looking for a BQ. A few complaints though: 1. The 2nd half of the course, aside from miles 19 - 21 in Manayunk, is mostly unremarkable and desolate. If you're not running with friends, you're going to get bored. 2. Despite the introduction of wave starts this year, the first 7 or so miles were extremely clogged, thanks to the dual start with the half, and also the dubious choice of running down some one-way streets that still had cars parked on them. 3. The organization still leaves a lot to be desired. Post-race was a mess, with a huge bottleneck trying to get your medal. Also, spectators clogged the last .2 of the course, turning it into a single lane. 4. Post-race food consisted of frozen solid pretzels and chicken broth. Yuck. Nothing like the hearty spread I experienced in Hartford a few weeks back. 5. Crowds were unusually quiet; you actually had to yell at them to get them to cheer at some points. Not the best for much needed motivation at mile 22. 6. Freezing temperatures led to dangerous ice on the ground at water stations. Only a few of the volunteers were nice enough to warn us at some of the stations. They really need to rethink either starting this race a bit later, or moving it up a week, as it was dark and FREEZING at the starting line. | |
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J. F. from Philadelphia, PA
(11/24/2008)
"mediocre for the money" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I am a local resident and have run this marathon 3 times since they re-established it 15 years ago. The first two times were on the "old course" that they used prior to adding the half-marathon 3 years ago. That course was pretty decent, as long as you didn't mind a fairly dull out-and-back to Manayunk for the final 10 miles. Many people felt like the crowds in Manayunk made it worth the trip. But aside from that, you could run well and the course wasn't completely flat but still lent itself to fast times. Since adding the half 3 years ago, they have progressively added course changes that can only be viewed as negative for the marathoners: A silly second 180-degree turnaround by the art museum (in addition to the one in Manayunk) and a little but significant hill climb at mile 14 just to name two. The marathon is touted as the feature event and includes the majority of the race day participants, so I don't understand why they keep making the marathon course worse to accommodate the smaller half marathon. But as long as they continue to fill all events to capacity, I'm sure they will feel justified. Additionally, the race started 10 minutes late on a morning that included 20 degrees at the start. I was in the very front of the first corral and was still completely trapped in a congestion of runners for the first 3 miles due to the combined start of marathoners and half marathoners. Mile markers from 3-9 were all completely off for the second year in a row and mile 8 didn't even HAVE a clock. Once we got past the art museum, things seemed to settle down and go the way they should. I did sense that they finally sorted out pre-race details and baggage, which were well done this year, but there were several snafus with the course design and management that make me feel that there are a lot of other marathons out there that are a lot nicer for the money. It makes me sad because this is my hometown race, but as long as things continue the way they are, this is not an event that I will come back to. | |
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M. B. from USA
(11/24/2008)
"Unacceptable!" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 The first and most important responsibility of a marathon director is to assure that the marathon is the correct distance and the mile markers are accurate. This is also a very simple objective to achieve. If you cannot get the little things right, what does that say about the rest of the race? The first 5 miles markers were completely inaccurate. The start of a race is the most important part of a marathon. That typically sets the tone of the entire race, both physically and mentally. I believe that the marathon director owes an apology to all 18,000 runners and the pace teams! Their actions were completely unacceptable! P.S. It is Monday afternoon at 2:30 EST and the race results have not been added to the marathon website. It is 2008. This, too, is unacceptable! | |
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J. C. from New York
(11/24/2008)
"Race management continues to decline" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 4-5 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I have run the Philadelphia Marathon about 4 times since 1998. It has declined in management over the last 4 years. The inclusion of the half-marathon with the full marathon adds to overcrowding and chaos. I am not sure how the corrals are determined but it is not necessarily by pace. Runners need to be seeded by pace or the entire race is slowed down. Though the race has increased to about 18,000 starters, race management has not increased the number of water tables. One small water table is not acceptable at each stop - not to mention that you couldn't even see the tables until you went past them (unless you were right next to them). Take a hint from Boston and Chicago when it comes to fluid stations - several long tables should be set up on each side of the road. The spectators were, at times, on the course, allowing for additional bottlenecks on already narrow streets. I have no idea why the registration fee continues to rise when every year I get less for my money. If you want to be a big international race, you need to deliver like one. This will no longer be my fall race of choice. |
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