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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 331 to 341]
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T. R. from New York, NY
(12/6/2007)
"Stay away for now" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 My general comments are the same as the others: expo location and layout needs serious improvement. Half marathon diminishes the full marathon. The early going is really crowded. Late start was annoying. Not as flat as advertised. Mile markers seemed like they may have been off. Good crowd support in some areas, and some scenic spots. Last half can get boring due to the out-and-back nature of the course. Here is the main problem: I DID NOT RECEIVE AN OFFICIAL TIME. I wore the strip on my shoe exactly as told. I have no official time to show for it. This is pretty basic. There doesn't appear to be any real organization to contact. From other posts I see that I am not alone. Really disappointing that the most basic element of the marathon can't be handled. There are too many other marathons to run to risk dealing with poor race management. There are some positives to this race. But overall it is second-rate when compared to other marathons - especially with what they charge for it. Philly has potential but I would stay for a few years and wait to see if management gets its act together. | |
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M. K. from Washington, DC
(12/4/2007)
"Great race with a few exceptions" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was a great marathon in many ways - heck, I even qualified for Boston!!! But race organizers should seriously consider a wave start next year. In my part of the field, the crowd didn't thin for a good 8 miles. Also, some food - such as bananas and apples - would have been great during the second half. To the spectator at mile 8ish with the "Boston or Bust" sign: awesome. | |
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C. Z. from NJ
(12/1/2007)
"Good race - but needs improvement." (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 OK, They tried to fix some problems and they did, but not all. Expo: The old expo location was great (at the start location); it's just that the old expo tent was too small for the crowd. The new expo location at Temple was a nice try but no better. "Legal" parking at the expo was impossible to find. Expo lines were long and confusing. Race Start: The race started almost 15 minutes late. That's OK for some small local 5K, but this is a big-city marathon. No excuses permitted! Also: the combined marathon and half marathon starts make it too crowded through the early miles. Course: The water stop at the 5th marker was a disaster. A very narrow street with fluids on both sides created a bottleneck, reducing the race to a walk. At the half-marathon point for the full marathon runners, there was a 180-degree turnaround with runners tripping over a cone and crashing into the metal barricade. The run along the river behind the Arts Center and through the park along Kelly Drive is fantastic. The volunteers were also fantastic. The race needs some fine-tuning. | |
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C. R. from New York, NY, USA
(11/30/2007)
"Well run overall" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon. I read the criticisms from 2006 and I think the race directors did a nice job addressing them. About my only complaint is that the aid stations got congested, especially in the urban areas. They were often set up on both sides of narrow streets, causing a bottleneck. And there was no way to run around them if you weren't stopping. The course was interesting and scenic and crowd support was great when you consider the weather. I hear the expo was a mess on Saturday, but I went Friday night and had no trouble. | |
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d. m. from NC
(11/29/2007)
"Scenic for a city marathon" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my first time running Philly but I have run 38 marathons so far. I really liked the course. The first 7 miles you have to watch your feet because it is downtown and the road surface has been patched and has ruts in it from traffic. Also the half marathoners make the course crowded and the downtown streets are not as wide as the route after mile 7. The second half of the race is traffic-free along the river with lots of leaves changing colors. Very beautiful. Certainly this marathon has the best scenery in any metropolitan marathon that I have run. Unlike some others here, I really liked the out-and-back parts. You get to see your buddies and even watch the elite runners streak by you. Even though the course is flat, it might be hard to get a PR with the narrow streets downtown. If there is a bad spot, it is the water stops. With the marathoners and half marathoners together, the water stops need to be better staffed or more frequent. You didn't want to pass one up when they were only every 2.0 to 2.5 miles. The expo is nothing special and the most exciting souvenir is a coffee mug. T-shirt was devoid of any artistic input. The medal was pretty good. The chicken soup at the end was the best race food I have ever had. Why didn't someone think of that sooner? The Windsor Suites is good and close to the start. They have a kitchen in the room with fridge and microwave. I think the price was close to $200 each night, including all the taxes. Lots of restaurants downtown; Rex Pizza had good food for those looking for carbs. The taxi ride from the airport was about $30. All in all, I think they did a good job, and unlike most of the other marathons I have done, I might actually consider doing this one again because of the course. | |
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Arnie James from Boston, MA
(11/28/2007)
"Not bad... not bad at all :-)" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I drove from Boston on a dreary afternoon and got lost a bit in finding my bed and breakfast place in Philadelphia. Being new in Philly for the first time I also got lost finding my way to the registration, and back to my room. So you can well imagine how frustrated I was in the massive confusion at the merry-go-round at the bib number pick-up. The expo was so-so and didn't do much to cool my jets from frustration. So the stage was all set for me to let the organizers have it about what a terrible job they had done. Then the marathon happened!!! It simply let the air out of my angry tires. From my 3-mile ride in the early morning to the start, to finding a parking spot right there, to the friendly cops and volunteers setting things up for the start/finish, to the Starbucks coffee, to the fall foliage, to the runner/family-friendly atmosphere, everything was top notch. The race was delayed a bit, but hey, we all were going in the same direction. Besides, waiting with the other runners, the colorful city in the background and friendly announcer made up for it. It also gave me more time to soak in the experience. Philly is an excellent marathon! The course is beautiful, and traffic control was very good. The spectators were genuinely friendly and where there were none, the course with the fall foliage was was truly enjoyable. My favorite part of the course was the a couple of miles leading to the 20-mile turn around, and back. You got to see and interact with the same crowd twice and also the runners ahead in the opposite lane who would shout out encouragement, especially if you had your name on your shirt. It was a cold and dreary day and I can well imagine how wonderful the whole experience of this marathon would be on a dry and sunny fall day. Philly is already on my must-do-again list. I am veteran of 98 marathons with a healthy streak of 20 consecutive New York Marathons. I would describe Philly as a smaller version of NY, except the food at the finish, which in Philly was simply awesome (whereas in NY it's always awful). Congratulations to the organizers, and see if you can fix the problem at the registration. That'll give people one fewer thing to bitch about. And for those few who want the hills to be eliminated from the course in next year's planning, just remind them that the marathon is an endurance sport, dudes!! | |
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N. B. from Philly burbs
(11/28/2007)
"Better than last year but..." (about: 2007)
2 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Second marathon for me and second one in Philly. Race improved since 2006. BAG DROP - The bag drop worked out well (last year we dropped them in an unattended pile and hoped for the best). FOOD - The upside is that there was food in the tents after the race (last year there was not a pretzel to be found very easily) but they really need to look at other races for food ideas. Pretzels are great but we want something with flavor. Sorry - the granola bars just don't cut it. Look at the Caesar Rodney Half Marathon in Delaware. They have great simple race food - pizza, cookies, Tastykakes... Didn't Tastykakes originate in Philly? TIMING - Last year the race started 20 minutes late. This year they moved the time up an hour (to accommodate the walkers) and still started 15 minutes late. START THE RACE ON TIME. Why is this so hard? ORGANIZATION - Course was organized a little better. They kept the first half the same as the half marathoners and then had some add-ons for the full marathoners after we parted ways. Unfortunately, one of the add-ons included Lemon Hill but they were kind enough to have us go up the overpass before Manayunk at mile 18 rather than after Manayunk at mile 20. But... if you are going to charge us an arm and a leg to register and change the course, at least make the t-shirt correct. Take a look - the t-shirt has the same course map on the back as last year. Overall - they did a decent job but have some work to do if they want to make it a "good race." Yes, I'll run it again, but only because it's convenient. | |
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M. K. from Boston, MA
(11/27/2007)
"Some constructive feedback for organizers" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 - Start a good hour after sunrise. Crowds and darkness aren't a good mix. - In late November, let runners make gear check their first stop after finishing. I wanted my sweater and mittens immediately, and then something to eat and drink. I was funneled through the food tent, hands so stiff I just stuck a banana and a water in my armpit and pushed my way out. - Hot drinks are a great idea; enough runners are vegetarian or vegan like myself to justify something in addition to/instead of chicken broth. - Out-and-back was too long. Inspiring to see faster runners still going on your way out/slower runners working it on your way back, and watch them give each other high-fives. But having 12 nearly-identical miles is excessive. - I agree with previous criticisms of: * 4.5-mile water stop on a corner being chaotic. * Crowded start - luckily I'm too short to get an elbow in the face. * Bad expo set up. * Feast-or-famine spacing of aid stations. Didn't seem to match what was on the website. Spectators and volunteers were inspiring. Liked the rolling terrain and mix of city and green space. BQ'd on my first marathon (first race of any kind, actually). Hope the weather's right for my sweet Philly '07 long-sleeve this Patriot's Day. | |
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E. S. from Chicago, IL
(11/26/2007)
"Great marathon for a 1st timer!" (about: 2007)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 As a first timer, I thought the marathon was well organized. Living in Chicago and witnessing the fiasco that was the Chicago Marathon, Philadelphia did a good job overall. The late start wasn't a big problem for me. However, the lack of enough port-0-potties was horrible. I saw men urinating on the side of the road throughout the race. Needless to say, I never got to use the potty until I completed the race. I chose the Philadelphia Marathon because the website advertised it as flat and fast. There was nothing remotely flat about it. There were several hills and steep declines that were unexpected. I qualified for the Boston Marathon with my first attempt and I'm glad it was at Philadelphia. | |
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R. H. from NC
(11/26/2007)
"Great marathon that could use some improvements" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I set my PR in Philly, but I felt it could have been a lot better. It needs to have a bigger expo that is easy to get at, start on time, have the half start at a different time or place, keep the crowd down, let people know it has more hills than advertised, more bathrooms on the course, and have bigger exits to the food tent so you can get out of it in less than 10 min. The positive side is nice views, a crowd near the end, good cold running weather, and something to do around town. |
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