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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 371 to 381]
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T. D. from Villanova, PA
(11/21/2007)
"Ok course, bad expo" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 The expo was just plain bad. I got to the expo around 3 and the line was an hour long. And, it was at Temple. so if you are from the Philly area, driving to Temple is not the most convenient thing to do - nor do you want to hang out in the area. The t-shirt line was a disaster. They were all out of x-large (what is the point of asking us our size if you are going to run out?) and that took 20 minutes. As far as the race, the course was decent; no problems, though it was hillier than advertised. The race started late, 15 minutes past when it was supposed to. That's no fun when it's cold. I could have used more fan support from miles 21-25 when I need it most, but what are you going to do? It was cold and rainy. I won't do this next year if I have to use half a Saturday to get to the expo in north Philadelphia. Please, have it at Memorial Hall or in Center City so I can at least make the most of having to get myself to the city. | |
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D. T. from Nashville, TN
(11/21/2007)
"Great race; good choice for a BQ shot." (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I almost skipped Philly in 2007 because of griping on this website. That would have been a huge mistake. The expo had a long line for the bibs but it moved quickly. Once bibs were received it was very easy to pick up shirts. The people handing out the shirts did great. The expo was not large but fine for the size of the race. Organization and resources at the start were fine. I had no problem getting into my race pace quickly. Crowding on the course was minor at best. There were a few early water stops and one or two other points where there were a lot of spectators and it was a little crowded, but if you run with your eyes open there was no real problem. The course is great and so were the spectators. My wife, daughter, and son-in-law were at three points on the course, and the finish with just a little walking from our downtown hotel. I would not call it a flat course but the hills at 9 and 14 were not going to hurt anyone's time. The only pothole on the course had orange cones, yellow tape, and a man standing beside it saying, "Watch out for the pothole." There was some kind of issue with the new timing tabs but the important thing was that the correct gun and chip times were recorded and posted. My chip time and my Garmin time were exact. The finish, having water available, getting medals and blankets, and the food tent were handled smoothly. I appreciated the food being in a tent where it was warmer. The soft pretzels are the best post-race food I have ever had. I went to Philly, looked for a BQ, and got it by 5.5 minutes as well as a PR by 2 minutes. Weather is always going to be an issue but I'll take the colder temps over hotter anytime. | |
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J. M. from New Jersey
(11/21/2007)
"FAULTY new timing system" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and overall it was a great experience. The crowds were larger than I expected and the course for the most part showed of the city and its different neighborhoods. I have to say, though, that it is very disappointing that I did not register as an official runner. I ran alongside my wife the whole time and her time registered. My time isn't going to qualify for anything, but an official finish would have been nice. I agree with an earlier comment that the race organizers should acknowledge what appears to be a somewhat faulty timing system and would be interested in how many others experienced the same problem. (I can't imagine how folks who ran qualifying times for Boston and can't use those times because of this feel.) | |
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A very cold and wet finisher from Philadelphia, USA
(11/21/2007)
"Doubled in length, but half the fun/care factor" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 On November 18, 2007, I ran my first ever marathon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Completed it in almost six hours. I trained for nine months in hope of making my first marathon a complete success. It was a hard, grueling experience with cold wet wind hitting hard the last 4 miles. You can imagine how much I was looking forward to a good massage waiting for me at the end in one of the tents by the Art museum. When I got to the massage tent, I went inside only to find all the tables folded and no one to go to for an advice or two on how to treat sore muscles. Then I went next door to the medical tent. Opened the door hoping to see a welcoming host to take care of me. Instead, I saw two or three groups of volunteers mingling and trying to stay warm. Not exactly a welcoming committee I had in mind. The last 100 or so runners, in my opinion, are the ones who need the massages the most! Even the food tent was almost empty, as it was being packed up in a hurry to leave. When I crossed the finish line, I was given a thin metallic-like material to wrap myself around with. I came home in amazement that I actually ran 26.2 miles - even to this day I still can not believe it. Longest race I ran before this was the Philadelphia Distance Run Half Marathon that took place on September 16 of this year. Anyway, I was proudly hanging up the thin material onto my studio wall only to learn that it was dated November 19, 2006! I could not believe it when I saw it and never been so insulted. Been given an outdated souvenir and no massages. Not exactly a top-notch marathon I was led to believe. So far, the organization that did the Philadelphia Distance Run of two months ago did a bang up job on making everyone taken care of and having a good time. All this and I have not even mentioned the expo experience! Great racing shirt, but that's about it. Next time, please use the Philadelphia Convention Center. Better parking spots and a bigger venue. If there is one positive out of this whole experience, it's the people cheering along the way, especially the ones on Main Street of Manayunk. Thank you guys! I will not be encouraging friends and their friends to sign up for November 23, 2008 Philadelphia Marathon. Instead, they should look into September 21, 2008 Philadelphia Distance Run Half Marathon. Half the length but more than doubled the fun/care factor. - A very cold and wet finisher | |
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A. G. from Massachusetts
(11/20/2007)
"Poor Organization, Course Pretty Hilly" (about: 2007)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I ran this race in 2005 before the addition of the half marathon. I PR'ed (2:48) and it was great at being a medium-sized marathon. I came back in 2007 with trepidation. Three big things. First, the expo with the 400-yard line to pick up bibs was ridiculous. You don't keep people who are going to run in the morning standing on their feet for that long. And it was completely preventable with some thinking about how people line up and move through lines. It's the little things that make the difference. Second, the hill at mile 14 was new and not disclosed. It was a steep incline and steep decline. In fact, most of the hills on the course are like that, as opposed to "rolling hills," which require extra effort but do not kill your quads. It's fine to have a hilly race, but don't think this is a super-fast race at which to qualify for Boston. There are plenty of small and medium-sized races much better suited for that purpose. And the course needs to be clear. The map they provided was inaccurate. Third, the race announcer bragged about how we were the first marathon to use the new timing technology (!). Again, a bit of a head-scratcher. Let some other race work out the bugs; don't test it out on us. My final time was OK, but the splits were incomplete. I would not come back to run this marathon. There are so many others that just make everything easier (picking up your number at Chicago and Boston is a snap), and I don't see the course as much of a draw anymore. The only thing Philly has going for it is its mid-November date, which is attractive for a lot of people. | |
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J. L. from OC, CA
(11/20/2007)
"Lowest in my experience" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I've run over a dozen marathons all over the country and this was by far the least organized marathon. Road closure information was not made available via the website nor via communications handed out at the expo. This made it difficult for morning drop-off and spectator attending the event. The expo was crowed in a tiny arena at Tempo without clear instruction for parking. I know the parking problem maybe a function of the way "it is" in Philly but it was a nightmare for an out-of-towner like me. The expo itself was lacking in interesting vendors as compared to other big-city marathon expos like NYC, PHO, or LA. This race was also the first late-starting marathon in my experience. We started about 15 minutes past the posted start time of 7:00 a.m. With temps in the mid 30's, and mild rain, it hardly made anyone happy. The streets remains crowed throughout the first 2/3 of the run. There was one spot, where water stations were positioned in narrow streets, and where runners come to a complete stop. Spectators were friendly and found in large groups at about a handful of locations. Otherwise the crowd was sparse throughout the course. After the run, runners are pushed through the "food tent" and then asked to exit into the "family area." Only problem is that there are no signs pointing to this "family area." Once I exited the tent, there is a crowd of people, but no signs at all indicating it was the designated area. In other races, there were always clearly-marked family reunion areas for runners to meet family members. There were always alpha signs allowing runners to meet family members under their last name or designed letters. After walking another two blocks out, I finally had to phone my family to be able to locate them. Best part of the run? Getting out of the rain and cold after it was all over! | |
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R. P. from Dallas, Texas
(11/20/2007)
"Great course, poor organization, great crowds" (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 Seems that many in Philly have forgotten that they are the City of Brotherly Love. Many, not all, of the service personnel (hotels, restaurants,etc) we encountered were just rude. Lighten up, Philly! Course was great, with one exception; crowds were large and loud; but the race organization is not what a world -class event in a large metropolitan area deserves. Weather is what it is. The concept of separate start lines for full and half was a good idea, but it was not enforced or well publicized by the race-morning announcer. Cardinal sin: race started 10 to 15 minutes late. The first several miles are on narrow inner-city streets and were absolutely jam packed. Consider a wave start like Nashville this year, or maybe starting the half folks 15 to 30 minutes after full marathoners. In my 44 marathons I've never seen anything closely resembling the joke of a family reunion area at the finish. Volunteers couldn't tell you where it was. It wasn't marked. My wife never found it, so I stood in the cold wind for 30 minutes before heading back to the hotel. It seems the race officials must have thought, at the last minute, "Oops! We forgot the reunion area." So they gave an 8-year-old 5 bucks and told him to create a reunion area. He constructed a 20 x 100 foot area (for 16,000 runners) and placed small, white balloons tied to 4 feet of string and weighted by rocks in the area. A black Marks-A-Lot was used to form two different letters on each balloon (guess they could only afford 13 balloons) and presto, "We have a reunion area." Wind pushes the balloons down, they pop, etc. Please try and be more accommodating to folks who have come to your city, spent their money, run 26 miles and just want to find their family when it's all over!!! I will not recommend this race to anyone. | |
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N. B. from Boston, MA
(11/20/2007)
"Excellent first-marathon experience" (about: 2007)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon (I also ran the Philly half last year) and the organization was definitely vastly improved. As long as you left yourself more than a half hour to get to the start line, you had plenty of time to take care of bag check, bathroom, stretching, jogging, etc. I was surprised a little by the hill at Mile 14 but flew past everyone on the hill at Mile 9 because I was ready for it. No problems with the new chip technology personally, and my friends/family were able to receive the text updates. Although my name did not come up in the search on the results page online, I was able to find my name if I simply scrolled through all runners (sorting by last name or bib number might make it easier to find yourself), so maybe those people who haven't "found" themselves yet might be able to do so this way? I was a little annoyed at waiting so long for my number at the expo, but I should've allowed myself more time. Overall, I was thrilled to complete my first marathon on this course. | |
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J. B. from Washington, D.C.
(11/20/2007)
"Improved, but still has issues." (about: 2007)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 C.B. from NY: Although I didn't use a Garmin, others I know who did had the same issue! Interesting... I wonder whether the course was really a little long or whether people were not running the "tangent"? It's probably the latter. I ran this marathon once before (a long time ago) and knew what to expect in terms of the course. It's not NY (nothing is) in terms of crowd support and people should know that going into it. Most marathons, with the exception of a handful, don't have great crowd support. That's just how it is. That said, Philly still has some organizational issues. Philly clearly wants to play with the big boys by charging a lot of money, so it should provide the same type of service in terms of general organization. The expo was a disaster. There's no other way to put it. Runners should not have to wait in line for an HOUR to get their race packet - period. To add insult to injury, people are complaining that they didn't receive the correct t-shirt. It looks like timing is still messed up because people have yet to receive their chip time two days after the race. Also, if there's going to be athlete tracking, it should be chip time. My friend and family were certain I barely missed a BQ. As for the race itself, I was pleasantly surprised since the expo didn't exactly inspire confidence! I wasn't wanting for anything, although I thought the water stops weren't well-manned. I BQ'd, so it all worked out in the end. I ran with one of the Cliff Bar pace groups for most of the race; the leader was great. | |
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K. P. from Newtown, Pennsylvania
(11/20/2007)
"Much Improved" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 4-5 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This marathon was drastically improved from 2006. The course was accurately marked. The course changes were fair and reasonable. The organization was top-notch. There was ample water, Gatorade, and gel packs throughout. The most pleasant surprise was a course change which eliminated a fairly desolate section in the Fairmount Park botanical gardens and replaced it with a quick loop on the spectator-drenched Parkway and a climb up Lemon Hill. This is an excellent Boston-qualifier course but beware of anyone who tells you that it is "flat." |
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