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Sep 21, 2024

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 381 to 391]

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M. P. from Blackwood, NJ (11/20/2007) "Pretty Good Job!" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Philadelphia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I am from Philly and I thought the course was good. It was a little hilly - not as flat as they said. I thought it was organized but I saw long lines at the expo for people picking up their numbers. Not too bad, though. The expo was at Temple. Not very convenient to get to, but it wasn't too bad. They had buses to get you to the expo from center city. Race started about 10 minutes late. Map of course on the race application doesn't resemble the course entirely, especially around Lemon Hill. Course is difficult because from mile 13.5 to finish it's out and back, but very scenic. Not a lot of spectators from mile 14 through mile 26, but friendly spectators. Crowds were ok at other parts. Course timing seemed to be off a little (around 2 minutes). I thought they did a terrific job and would definitely recommend it again and would run it again. I would like to see the out-and-back eliminated somewhat. Chicken broth, pretzels, OJ, and so on were at the finish lines besides the usual running foods. I read comments about the prior years and they fixed many of those errors. Great race for runners of all ages. They could take some of the ideas from the PDR and Broad St. Runs and use them at this race. More music along the course and drill teams. I was proud of the city because I thought they did an overall awesome job even though I had some problems with things.
S. M. from ASHEVILLE, NC (11/20/2007) "GREAT COURSE, CHAOTIC EXPO, BAD TRACKING SYSTEM" (about: 2007) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Philadelphia Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Everything about this race was great except the expo and the F.U.N. runner tracking system. The expo had a slow, long line for the bibs. Once bibs were received, there were few signs directing runners to pickup their shirts, which I eventually discovered to be across the madhouse expo area. The people handing out the shirts were very poorly under staffed. The F.U.N. runner tracking system was designed to send emails and/or cell phone text messages when a runner crossed each electronic sensor in the road, but half of my crossings were never registered. I correctly wore the shoe tag. The split times that were registered were texted out very late. This tracking system was worthless. Back to the positive side of the race.... The volunteers on the course were very supportive, the beer and brownies served near miles 18 and 22 were delicious, and the neighborhoods were very interesting. I recommend this race to anyone who likes to run marathons in a large but not excessive crowd.
Tom Gibson from Canandaigua, ny (11/20/2007) "Great Race - New Technology Glitch" (about: 2007) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Philadelphia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Despites some of the poor reviews from last year, I went ahead and registered for '07. Despite some "not so great" weather, the day was fantastic. They had clocks and very large mileage markers at every mile, and more gel stations than advertised. The finish was very well organized. You go through the finish, pick up your medal, and go into the heated food tent. Hot pretzels were cold but, hey, there is probably no way to keep 15,000 pretzels warm, is there? As you know, if you were there, they seemed very concerned about the new timing chips. This race was the first test of the new technology. Based on the fact that over 15,000 registered and the combined finishers from the 1/2 and full were just over 10,000, I'd say that should make you wonder. I would think the normal no show/DNF rate would be closer to 1 or 2% - not over 30%. That seems very high....
Never Again from NY (11/20/2007) "Won't be back... needs a real race organizer" (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Philadelphia Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I gotta believe that all of the others rating this event 4 or 5 stars are weekend-warrior types, Gallo-walkers or joggers. I was a top-10 finisher this year and I won't be back. To the so-called "event organizers": DECIDE WHAT EVENT YOU WANT TO BE!! The dual race marathon/half marathon setup does not work!! It complicates the start, the course, the logistics, the finish, the amenities - everything is compromised to a degree! Expo: Move it downtown to a facility that is more centrally located and can handle the traffic - i.e., the Convention Center. Start: How about a "Runners take your mark" or a "Get set" command BEFORE just firing the start cannon as everyone stands there shocked. Turnarounds: Lose them. They are dangerous and do nothing but slow runners down. If needed, design a new course to accomplish this. Contact/Communications issues: I doubt the 4-hour runners care, but elite and sub-elite athletes DO CARE about the little details and amenities that make their lives easier on race day... and that starts with communicating (and maintaining open communications in the months, weeks and days leading up to the event) any key information and changes to the course, entry status, hotel status, etc. Finish line area: If you're going to stage two races at the same time, then at least be prepared to receive both sets of finishers at the finish line.... I had to HUNT DOWN a thermal mylar wrap about 50 meters away from the finish line (while suffering from hypothermia in the process) because there was no one standing at the end of the finishing chute waiting with them. Hint: After running in chilly, breezy, damp conditions (even those of us who do it in two and a half hours or less), a runner will be freezing!! Course: Add a few hills lately? This course was MUCH tougher than advertised. Not as bad as majors such as NYC, but not the "furiously flat and fast" course they tout. Try again. The course rolls and is downright challenging at several points to runners of any ability. In summary: This race is strictly BUSH LEAGUE.... Lesson learned. I knew there was a reason why I've always done myself the favor of sticking with the majors.
K. S. from Philadelphia (11/20/2007) "Pretty good for a first marathon" (about: 2007) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Philadelphia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my first marathon and I had a great experience. The course is good and scenic with some hills but none of the hills is a killer. I was happy with the organization. No long lines for bib pickup. There were sufficient water stations along the way and food at end. Some more portable toilets along the way would be helpful. The spectators were great, especially in Manyunk, handing out beer, brownies, oranges, etc. Overall, I had an enjoyable experience and would run again.
Special K from NY from NY (11/20/2007) "Loved every minute of it" (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 1 Philadelphia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I love Philly! I was totally heartbroken after Chicago and decided to sign up for Philly last-minute. I PR'ed by 16 minutes! The course is not a truly flat course but the few hills come after long stretches of flat racing. So I definitely had time to rest between hills. I recommend driving over the hilly parts of the course the day before, so you are mentally prepared for them. I read all the comments on this board before running it and I actually loved the second half - the out-and-back to Manayunk. I don't know what people were griping about before. Once I started running on Kelly Drive, I completely hit my stride and entered the zone. With all the trees showing their fall colors along the river, it was absolutely beautiful; I felt like I was running in a park. The spectators were so-so. I didn't get my first cheer until mile 7! It seemed like most people were only cheering for their family or friends. However, the spectators became a lot better in the second half, esp. in Manayunk. All in all, a very positive experience. I would recommend this race to others.
W. C. from Brookline, MA (11/20/2007) "Great course... average organization." (about: 2007) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Philadelphia Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This marathon is clearly going through some growing pains as it tries to compete with other big-city marathons. After reading comments from the 2006 edition, I was initially wary of the concurrent half marathon. Miami does the same thing and it's a brain drain when you hit the half marathon and half of the field disappears. However, I was persuaded by the fast course and positive course reviews from friends that had run it. CONS: Pre-race organization was passable at best. The worst offender was the expo. The venue itself was a poor choice. In previous years, it was held at the Eakins Oval in front of the start line, which makes sense. This year, they moved it to The Liacouras Center at Temple University. Traffic getting there was heavy, and that was just the beginning. Once inside, we were greeted with a line that extended halfway around the interior of the stadium. It was ~30 minute wait for number pick up; I have never waited that long. We were also handed a photocopy of the course, but not told what it was. Only after running the race did I realize they had made significant changes to the course (more on this later). After getting our numbers, there was yet another line to pick up our T-shirts. The number pick-up gauntlet left me with little desire to peruse the expo. The whole process, including the round trip from downtown Philly was ~2.5 hours. We arrived at around 2:30, and it looked even worse on our way out. The only other pre-race snafu that comes to mind was the sheer gridlock at the port-a-potties. We arrived at 6:15 a.m. and waited almost 40 min. Also, not sure why a late fall marathon needs to start 7 a.m. PROS: I loved the race T-shirts. Probably the highest quality wicking shirt I've received from a race with the entire course printed on the back. Very cool. I personally liked the course. The 1st 7 miles take you through the historic part of the city and allows you to enjoy the sights while you're still fresh. The next 7-8 take you through the zoo and other parks. This is the hilliest part of the course and the steep declines were a surprise for me. The final 11-12 are out and back along Schuykill river to Manayunk, with great views of the foliage. Although it's not truly flat, my most consistent splits of the day were here. After you make the turnaround in Manayunk, you know exactly how far you have to go and how to dose your effort to the finish. Spectators were great, even though the weather was lousy. There were a couple dead spots (16-18, 22-24) where the crowd support was spotty but overall, spectators were very enthusiastic. COURSE CHANGE: This I would rate as needing improvement, but neither a pro or con. When I was running, I had no idea they had changed the course. The only thing I remember was being surprised by the hill between 13.5-14.5 mile. As it turns out, the race officials knocked off a huge section of the course in the zoo, especially the Japanese Gardens. So they had make up distance by adding an extra section after 13.5 miles. Presumably this was to standardize the route for the marathon and half-marathon. In 2006, the half marathon split off at 9.5 miles and rejoined later, which confused some people. I'm ambivalent about this because I didn't run the old course, but it does seem odd that the newly added half marathon would dictate a change in the marathon course... tail wagging the dog? Overall, I would do this marathon again just for the course. The actual race organization (splits, water stations) was excellent and having the hills at the beginning makes for relatively easy cruising at the end of the race. I ran a huge PR, so that in itself made the experience worthwhile. However, race officials really need to take a close look at the expo, which was a huge mess. If I were a first-time marathoner, I think it would be very nerve-racking.
D. K. from South Jersey (11/20/2007) "Can't predict the weather" (about: 2007) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Philadelphia Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 I did Philly in 2004 and loved it. I thought this year had too many peaks and valley. It was too crowded until about mile 6; they should start the half marathon 30 minutes later. It was cold and rainy, which you can't do anything about. Philly's crowd in 2004 on a nice day was great; I'm sure the weather affected it this year. This is from a Jersey girl; maybe I'll do it again, but I might look for a new course. Fees are going crazy. Also, I don't like the new strip instead of the chip; stop reminding me of every mile I need to finish after 18.
M. G. from Pennsylvania (11/20/2007) "First Impressions are Lasting" (about: 2007) First Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my very first marathon and I must say that besides enjoying the fact that I finished the marathon, the volunteers and fans made this one of the best experiences I have ever had. One of the most memorable moments came around mile 20 or so. I was tired, cold and my right knee was shot. As I struggled along, I remember hearing a voice call out my bib number and say,"You can do it - hang in there!" I cannot say how needed and encouraging those words were for me. I am hoping to run another marathon, but more importantly, the crowds and volunteers at this marathon have me committed to volunteering as well. Also the loud speaker/MC was great in providing initial instructions and guidance on where to start and finish. I expected the course to be a little flatter; I do not mind inclines but there were 2 steep declines that were brutal. I though it was good that there were volunteers advising the runners to watch their steps. Bag check and retrieval was very well organized.
C. G. from toronto,canada (11/20/2007) "BIGGER - NOT BETTER !" (about: 2007) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Philadelphia Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The bad: first 4 - 5 miles were too crowded due to half marathon adding larger number of runners and some streets being too narrow to handle the crowds . Missed a couple of water stops due to this. One hill added to course 14-15 mile mark making it more challenging. Expo lineups were long, the location was too hard to get to on a busy, broad street, and the traffic was horrible! The good: better organized at the finish line, crowd support was great, nice medal and thermal blanket. I have run Philadelphia 3 times this will be my last. It used to be a true marathon for runners, with no half-marathon and no walkers! It now has joined the marathon parade club. Good luck, Philly.

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