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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 301 to 311]
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M. S. from Minneapolis, MN
(11/24/2008)
"This is a great race" (about: 2008)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Twin Cities Marathon (my hometown race) is still the most beautiful urban marathon in America. But Philadelphia is a very close second. I had never run this before and was surprised at the relatively big hills past Drexel University, and the really big one around mile 14. But the course is very scenic and there were way more fans out there than I expected. Thanks, Philly. I'll be back. | |
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J. O. from Colorado
(11/24/2008)
"It's getting more organized" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 The package pickup was a huge improvement on last year (my biggest gripe then) and the start seemed somewhat more organized, though the corrals were not guarded to keep out those who did not line up according to time. (They could learn a lesson from Boston!) The finish though was more chaotic than before, with spectators in the medal pickup area (I almost missed the handouts due to crowding) and making a path about 3 runners-wide near the finish. Two easy solutions: they need to extend the barriers farther down the course away from the finish line to keep the spectators back a bit (it was impossible to sprint with the crowd of runners ahead) and they need to keep non-runners outside the blanket and medal distribution and food tent area. It might be that family members were crowding in to give warm clothes to their runners since it was so cold. Overall, though, let's give them credit for making improvements over previous years. Now, if only the first 5 miles were not so crowded on those narrow streets.... | |
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Emmanuel Withers from Philadelphia , Pa. USA.
(11/24/2008)
"To one day win." (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I am a student in the Philadelphia school system and I really enjoyed running with my friends. I hope to be able to run next year and that I will do better. To all who want to try next year, best of luck and try your best. It's going to be hard, but you can do it. | |
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T. H. from Arlington, VA
(11/23/2008)
"Decent but flawed mid-sized marathon" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Pros: - Good, very enthusiastic crowds despite the very cold temps (< 30F at the start) - Plenty of water stops, with good, friendly and supportive volunteers - Great atmosphere at the start and finish, especially for a mid-sized marathon - Great anthem singer - Good medal and t-shirt Cons: - Surprisingly hilly at certain points, including one long, unexpected ascent just past mile 14 - Pace groups misrepresented on website - no 3:15 BQ pace group, not in :15 increments but in :10 increments instead - Pace groups ran negative splits, again unexpected and not easy to adapt to for runners accustomed to even splits - No heated runner recovery area despite freezing temps - No runner tracking on web site, confusing site in general, race results not posted that day - Why a 7 a.m. start for a late-November marathon in the northeast? I was going for a 3:15 time, but switched to 3:20 because the 3:15 pace group didn't exist. Then I gave up on the 3:20 group when we averaged +45 seconds for the first three miles, which worried me. I ended up not hitting my time, although I probably would've struggled even with an even-split pace group - it just wasn't my day. Unusual strategy though for a pace group, at least in my experience. Overall a decent race. Needs some work on the details, though, to become a great race. | |
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M. M. from Tampa, FL
(11/23/2008)
"Fast course, well run race" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I have read both positive and negative comments about previous races, so I really didn't know what to expect. I don't know if any improvements were made, but I thought that this was a well run race. The course was very scenic. It got a little crowded in some areas but that only caused me to break stride and didn't affect my overall time. The expo was very easy to get in and out. The corrals were not monitored, but everyone seemed to line up where they should. Even with some hills, this is a very fast course. I beat my previous PR by 9 minutes and qualified for Boston. This race is definitely on my list as a do-over. | |
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J. F. from Bucks County
(11/23/2008)
"Great course - should not be a half too" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and a great experience. I love Philadelphia and I loved this course. I have also run Broad Street and the Philadelphia Distance Run several times. Having run half-marathons, I can say that I was quite bothered by having to run the first half of my first full marathon, at the same exact starting time as half marathoners. First, I ended up at the beginning of the third start group. By the time I even got two miles, some of the half marathoners from the second start group (who started ahead of me) were already walking. In the middle of the course I might add. Walkers were abound the entire first half of the race as they actually started ahead of me for the race! The worst part, by far, was right at 13, when they were finishing and you ran right be the finish line to a cheering crowd and were only half done. That was very deflating. But I even enjoyed the loop around hill to get away from all that (:-)) and get some peace and quiet. Manayunk was great (those people are crazy!), but "where is the turn, where is the turn" kept going through my head. Then it was all downhill from there. Great course - would do it again, but PLEASE, no half next year! (Or at least, start it an hour after the full, and use a different course!) | |
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S. B. from New Jersey
(11/23/2008)
"Cold, but organization improved once again" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 You know it's cold when the spilled water at water stations freezes, and your cup has ice in it!! Organizers made another improvement this year in having a wave start. Although they should have informed runners beforehand, the start made a huge difference in crowd control. In previous years, the first five or six miles were an obstacle course. This year, no problem after about the first mile. Good job on continuing to improve! | |
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N. G. from Royersford, PA
(11/23/2008)
"good race... except when it's 30' out" (about: 2008)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This is my second marathon, both were in Philly (2005 and 2008). I read many comments from 2007 and I can see now, 11/23/08, after just completing the marathon, that they still need to work on a few things. However, it seems as though it has improved a bit. At the expo we had absolutely no problems at all. We parked at a lot a few blocks away ($4.50 for 30 minutes) and we were in an out in those 30 minutes. The expo was organized well. Race numbers were clearly marked for easy bib pickups, T-shirt; and race bag pickup were just at the end of the bib pick-up, and we were all set to go. Because of our goal to leave the parking lot within 30 minutes, we did not peruse the vendors at the expo. The race started late again. In an attempt to lessen the traffic on the course, they had a staggered start. (We were in the second lot, so by the time we started it was much later.) This did not seem to help very much. The course was extremely crowded until the half marathoners finished and we split. We often felt caught behind other runners and couldn't get around. The first water station we got to had just about nothing left, if anything. That was very disappointing and just simply shouldn't happen. Because of the cold temperatures, almost every water stop was a sheet of ice. Race organizers were not prepared with salt or anything, so we were all just orally warned before we got to the station to watch for ice. VERY challenging and hard to navigate when you are trying to grab a water, not pour cold water on yourself in 30-degree weather, dodge other runners, and not fall on your rear. I agree that they should not advertise this as fast and flat. There are a few rolling hills, including Lemon Hill (a little steep). But the course really is beautiful. You get to experience the historic part of the city and also out by the zoo and gardens. I think because of the cold, there were fewer supporters and it made it more challenging to dig deep and find inner encouragement and strength. Where was everyone? Also, I don't remember if there were bands before, or if there was supposed to be, but there were none today. Also, I think because of the cold. It would've helped a lot though! Manayunk is a great experience! HUGE crowd giving out goodies such as cookies, brownies, oranges and beer. The out-and-back is tough, especially because the back seems to be a steady up-grade. But then again, mile 22-26.2 is tough regardless (for me)! The volunteers were EXTREMELY kind, helpful and accommodating. Chicken broth was a genius idea; I would've drank a gallon of it - I was so very cold. Previous reviewers had a valid point to have something for vegetarians/vegans as well. I'm not sure that I would run another marathon. But if I were, I would do Philly again. The cheering crowds are great. The runners are so friendly and encouraging. The course is pretty with some challenges. It is hard to dodge people, but I wasn't breaking any records (but my own) out on the course, so I could deal with it. Try it, you may love it!! | |
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Joel Grenfell from Secane,Pa
(11/23/2008)
"Just finished; need to thaw out" (about: 2008)
4-5 previous marathons
| 4-5 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 A very cold start (27 degrees). Still, it was crowded for the first few miles, but this is a very good race. It's well organized, with a very interesting course that has many diversions, and also, the spectators were absolutely terrific! Kudos to all of the volunteers. As mentioned in other comments, the chicken broth was great, especially on a day like today. | |
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T. B. from Wilmington DE
(9/30/2008)
"I'll be back when they get it right" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I have run this race five times, and each time they mess things up more. Having the half-marathon start at the same time makes it too crowded for the first four miles. Altering the course to accommodate the half-marathoners by adding a huge hill at mile 14 (and not telling anyone until the expo) is a dirty trick. Moving the expo to a place that charges for parking but instead of the normal $2/hour rate they charged a flat $10 event fee rate to park, even though most of us were there an hour or so. Organization was better than the previous year at the start/finish area (a bright spot). Overall, this was a "great" race that is now just "good," but the entry fee is increased so dramatically in the last few years that I'll do other races instead, even though this is my local event. |
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