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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 341 to 351]
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e. r. from Philly, pa.
(11/26/2007)
"Finished marathon but no result" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I finished the marathon but my results were not included on the online results site. I contacted the race director and the timing company but they have yet to explain this. I guess the new chips did not work so well. | |
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m. w. from Canada
(11/26/2007)
"A fair course but not flat" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Aside from the problems with the running expo and packet pickup (hour line up circling the corridor of the arena to line up at your tablebizarre), I liked this marathon. Although it is promoted as a flat course, I would say it is fair rather than pancake flat (ie. it is no Chicago or Toronto Waterfront). I liked the change in elevation through the zoo etc.. and the twists and turns through the streets of Philadelphia early on. Organizers used the Bus window drop off system used with success at Boston (great idea if your bag is lost, you know it is on one bus, not in a mound in a tent with 3,000 others) Although late in getting started, there was enough hype before and after the race that the crowd and runners were animated and kept occupied. Love the start and finish at the Rocky steps. Water stations and volunteers were super. Food tent was great with pretzels and chicken broth. Good stuff. Hotels were a great deal unlike the gouging of Boston, New York etc... Weather this year was again near perfectdespite the threatening rains and winds (they held off until about 5 hours from the start) Can't complain for November. As long as the organizers keep polishing the mechanics. this marathon will be a favorite. | |
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Michael Parente from Los Angeles, CA
(11/26/2007)
"Yo Philly... What a great course" (about: 2007)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Maybe I'm partial to Philadelphia because it's my hometown... although I have lived in the LA area since 1980. Like a great golf course that has two distinct 'nines' the marathon route had two halves, one a jaunt through the heart of the city and it's renowned history... and the second half through a park like setting with the spectacular fall foliage in rare display this late in the year. I thought there was a very vocal crowd braving the cold, damp weather. That weather was itself a godsend after the horror of Chicago last month and the 80+ temps in LA (which was my first marathon). I'll take it.. it had to help me set my PR even if it was only my third marathon. How fitting was the Rocky music blaring on Main street in the historic Manayunk section. Can it get any better than soft pretzels and chicken broth for the post race meal. Maybe a cheese steak with onions next year. Yes it did start almost 15 minutes late and there were a few hills in spite of it's 'flat' course billing. But let's not be prima donna's... This is a tough working class city that showed a brilliant, beautiful side on a crisp Sunday morning in the Fall. Come for the run , stay for Thanksgiving was my slogan... and I hope I can do it again. | |
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J. V. from Chicago
(11/25/2007)
"Great City - marathon maybe more than 26.2" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Determined to finish my first marathon after the Chicago disaster, I headed out to Philly on my own. The city was fantastic as was my experience. CONS: The expo venue could have been larger and more organized. The race did not start on time. My Garmin read 26.49 miles as I see did other peoples. Makes me believe the course was mis marked. Photos took an entire week to be available. PROS Very scenic course. Wonderful volunteers. Stocked water stations! Easy Gear Check. Friendly city, great running weather. | |
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D. B. from indiana
(11/25/2007)
"PR on a tough course" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The race was not well organized. The participants were great, and the spectators were supportive where they could be on the course. I did qualify for Boston after 3 attempts in 6 weeks. The course is not flat. It is not steep either. | |
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J. L. from Upstate NY
(11/25/2007)
"Great marathon, some organizational problems" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my my first chance to run a complete marathon, after my Chicago debut in the sauna of 2007 where part of the 'run' was an enforced walk! I loved the experience of running Philly. The course was fair, but not really flat. I knew of the new hill only because of a posting on Runners World Online, and drove the hills before the race, a big help. The out-and-back on Kelly Road felt interminable to me. Positives: -Volunteers were plentiful and were very enthusiastic. -The food tent at the finish was warm and well stocked. -visible mile clocks -nice medal -great shirt -pretty good crowd support -reasonable course Organizational issues: -An accurate map should be available on the website. An out of proportion artist's rendition isn't a course map! -The half marathon should not start at the same time as the full. It caused congestion in the streets. Why not have the half marathoners run the second half of the course? -The online tracking system didn't work. Some people couldn't get on it. Others received only a finish, gun time. -There were no 5K clocks on the course as advertised on the website. -Expo was a mess, as described by many others. -Mile 4.5 water stop brought everyone to a standstill. -Start corral should have times posted for line-up, or seeded corrals. -I couldn't find the family reunite area. No signs, and no one had answers. The cool weather was great for me, and I ran better than expected. I might be back! | |
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J. M. from Florida
(11/25/2007)
"Great First-Marathon Experience" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I had a great time! I've been to 6 marathons as a spectator (my husband ran the marathons and I watched... and this included 3 Boston Marathons). I think overall this was a great course, with good organization and lots of fun on the course. I wish Nike, Brooks and other big names had been at the expo. And I agree: please start the race on time in the future. I highly recommend this marathon for your first or 50th marathon. :) | |
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J. H. from West Chester, PA
(11/24/2007)
"Much Better Than 2006!" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my 6th marathon and my 2nd Philly. I ran 2006 and was very critical of the race organization, so now I'm obligated to surface again and thank the Philly Marathon for TREMENDOUS improvements over last year!!! Aid station support was marvelous, including a healthy amount of gel packs. Utilizing buses for gear bags was a huge improvement over last year's 'black hole disaster tent'. The food tent was excellent - especially the chicken broth. The hills at 8 and 10 are not that bad as long as you are aware of them and adjust pace accordingly. Seems to me they could really take this marathon to the next level by eliminating the bigger hills though. Not sure why they started early at 7am (I think it was 8am last year?), but it actually worked out great. Philly really needs to start on time, though - what was it - 8 minutes late last year and even longer (11-13?) this year? Adding seeded starting corals a la Chicago would be good, but that and the incorporation of the half with the full didn't bother us at the sub-3 hour pace. It is actually nice to have more people to run with during the first part of the race. I just might be back for this (now) great race! | |
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Kenny Rogers from Fairhaven, Ma
(11/24/2007)
"Great course, great city" (about: 2007)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Philly was my 50th marathon finish and I thought all went well. A little congested at the start, but we can always make it up in the 2nd half by the river. I would come back and also will bring others. A lot of history and things to do. | |
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J. G. from Toronto, ON
(11/24/2007)
"Good event - needs improvement" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This is a copy of an email I sent to the organizers, which bounced back to my inbox (which says a lot). Hopefully the race organizers are reading here. Great event this past weekend. I had heard decent things about Philly and the event measured up to a it's reputation, for the most part. Some feedback I have: 1. Start the race on time - to the second, if you can. Thanking sponsors and hearing words from the mayor is a waste of time and lets the runners stand unnecessarily in the cold for 13 minutes longer than they needed to - feel free to say some words to the crowd after the start. As a medical professional I don't need to tell you the effect of a late start physically, physiologically and psychologically on runners. 2. Tow the cars on the street that remained parked - EARLY. Nice to ticket them, but they shouldn't have been there at all. 3. Too many people starting at once. At the 5-mile-mark, the water station slowed us all down to a walk, which was very frustrating. 4. Some glitches in the timing system and runner tracking, which is disappointing, but the new chips were great and I'm glad the system worked out eventually. 5. The expo was small for the size and price of the event. I would have liked to have purchased some "official" marathon gear. The long-sleeved shirt given in the race bag was great, and fit well, too! The location of the expo was quite out-of-the way, esp. for a city like Philly, with so many large hotels and a convention center downtown. 6. Where are the photos? A week later and they're not up? Seriously... any other major event and the photos are up AT LEAST within a few days, if not the same day. I won't even remember the run by the time the photos are posted, which means I won't purchase one. Good luck to those who run this race. Hopefully they continue to find ways to improve this event. See you in Ottawa in May 2008!!! |
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