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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 471 to 481]
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M. B. from New York, NY
(11/23/2006)
"Not that impressed" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I came to Philly after hearing this was a flat and fast course. Also, the Distance Run always receives rave reviews. While my overall experience was ok, it was disappointing on so many levels. As many have already mentioned, the expo was a disaster. Way too big to be in a tent. Don't wait until the last minute for packet pick-up, unless you are prepared to wait over an hour to get in. Also, they quickly run out of all shirt sizes but the XXLs. Pre-race was really unorganized. No one knew where to go! Lucky for me, I registered with and American Express card; their VIP treatment really was top-notch. But I felt sorry for the rest of the masses! A race of this size and prestige should NOT have mile markers off! So frustating to a marathoner. Also, as others have stated, I was totally confused during miles 11 and 12 (when the half marathoners re-emerged) as to whose splits were whose. I was completely surprised with the series of hills from miles 7-9. While I ultimately found them enjoyable, they aren't mentioned anywhere in the literature aand there's not course elevation. This isn't as flat a course as rumored; just be prepared for that fact (also a nasty hill around mile 21). This marathon is almost like two races; the first half through the city and a nice park with great spectator support; the second half was a depressing out-and-back on a desolate road with NO crowd support until mile 25. Maybe if they switched the course around and did that boring part first, and had the interesting part second, then this course would be more enjoyable. Post-race: Again major problems. Never seen anything quite so unorganized for a race of this size. (Though I did enjoy the hot chicken broth; fortunately I finished early enough to get some!) Personally, I would never do this race again; though running the half would be possibility. The only reason to run this is if you are a local or looking for a Boston qualifier. | |
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J. C. from Summit, NJ
(11/23/2006)
"Nice Day Fun Race" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 This was my fifth marathon and my second Philadelphia Marathon after running my first last year. I registered for the Phiadelphia race both years after not making the lottery for NYC. Overall, I had a positive marathon experience this year but a few things I wanted to comment on: 1. I arrived that the expo on Saturday around noon and it was way to crowded. The tent, which the expo was held in, was not big enough to hold all the vendors and athletes picking up their bibs. In adding the half marathon this year they also add 2,000 runners to the event but did not make the tent for the expo any larger. I think the growth of the Philadelphia race is great but the race organizers really need to make room for the increased growth. Merchandise remains skimpy for the second year in a row as their are not a lot of clothing items to choose from. One positive note about the expo were the sessions conducted by Runner's World Magazine. I really enjoyed talking with the experts and hearing their points of view. 2. The race start was a mess. There is no way that the half marathoners and marathoners should start the race together. This created a lot of confusion, especially around mile 11 and 12 when runners would pass two time clocks for the same mile marker. This would make it confusing to figure out if the mile 11 was for the marathoner or half marathoner. 3. Crowd support is weak outside the major parts of the city. However, the course is nice and flat for the most part but not as flat as people who have never run this race might think. It is certaintly advertised as a flat course which can be deceptive. 4. Overall, I would do Philly again as a sub for NYC and it's a good marathon for people looking to work on a PR. However, if you're new to marathons, I would go with one with the excitement of NYC, Chicago, or Marine Corp. | |
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M. W. from Philadelphia
(11/23/2006)
"What happened to this race???" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I ran this race in '04 and had a great time. It wasn't a large field - 5,000 runners or so - but planning and organization were fine. Not a lot of spectators compared to some big-city marathons, but the cheering was great in the few areas that spectators had congregated (Chestnut St., Art Museum, Manayunk). The course is great and the weather this time of year in Philly is perfect running weather. This year, we had the same course, spectators, and weather, but the organization of the race was horrible. I run a lot of road races every year (mostly halves), and this is the most poorly managed race I've ever been a part of. The lowlights: 1) Combined start for marathon and half-marathon. I thought the marathon and 8K were a great combo. What was the point of adding a half? 2) The mystery mile markers. Where were they???? I didn't see half of the markers prior to the 10-mile mark. The race director needs to realize the mile markers have to be raised above the level of the sidewalk. 3) The half-marathon runners split from the marathoners at mile 10, then came back and re-joined the marathoners. There were duplicate mile markers through the remainder of the half, but the markers were not identified as for the marathon or half-marathon. Easy enough to figure out after the first one, but a bit confusing when first confronted. 4) There were few volunteers at the end of the race. We had to get our own medals and blankets out of the box. I didn't get a blanket around me for a good 10 minutes, and had chilled off quite a bit by then. 5) A lot of non-runners were in the tent taking food for themselves after the race. I was able to grab an apple, some water and chicken broth when I was done (3:50). No bagels, pretzels, or whatever to be found. Most of these items are easily corrected, and hope the organizers do so before next year. If they don't, I think they'll lose a lot of runners in 2008. | |
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N. P. from Philadelphia, PA
(11/23/2006)
"I'm embarrassed" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 How embarrassing. I have raved about my hometown race for the past three years to all of my running friends. Many made the trip this year - to a complete disaster! The new sponsor really screwed things up! The expo was the worst ever. Too packed and disorganized, and not enough safety pins so they had to ration two per runner? Come on! On race day, nothing was marked, baggage drop-off was an embarrassing disaster, and some porta-potties were locked! The race started about 10 minutes late. No gun, no fanfare, nothing. Mile markers were a joke. The water stations sucked, and one on Chestnut Street I didn't even see until I was passing it. The finish line area was mayhem, I found a blanket about a 1/2 mile later, dug my own medal out of a box I had to open myself, and was treated to a green banana and a bottle of water for my efforts. Non-runners were walking around eating pretzels and bagels - and I got a raw banana. This was my third Philly Marathon, and my last for a while. I am heading to Steamtown next fall. I am DONE with this one. If they get it worked out, maybe I'll be back in a few years. But this was just horrible. The prior two years were top-notch. This one seemed like it was run by a bunch of amateurs. | |
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B. S. from Chicago
(11/23/2006)
"Tough Course" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The streets were very narrow and rough. I spent too much time watching were I was putting my foot down and didnt get to enjoy the spectators or scenery. Unorganized at the end - two people handing out medals!! Food was too far away from the finish and there were 3K runners behind me - sorry the food ran out! Love the city, though. | |
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Marc Johnson from California
(11/23/2006)
"A REAL Disappointment!" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I have been running marathons for five years now. I live in California, but was raised in the Philadelphia area. My wife who is also a runner decided to come home and run Philly for the first time (maybe last). I was so pumped! And I anticipated a great time, but my feeling quickly changed. The expo was terribly organized, and over crowded. Because of this disorganization, we passed on the pasta party anticipatiing it would be also. Race morning I was expecting "Rocky" theme music blasting to get the runners excited. But the PA system sounded like a cheap karaoke machine. And the fans - if they didn't know you, they didn't cheer for you. The first half of the course was good, but the out-and-back on West River Drive was boring - the city is too big and beautiful for this section to be so long! American Express needs to really check out some of the other big-city races such as Los Angeles, San Diego Rock and Roll, and St. George (Utah). Those races have there stuff together. I love the city and the people, but would not spend the money to run there again. Come on, Philly, tighten up the ship and make this a great marathon. A city with so much history deserves a much better race! | |
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P. H. from NYC
(11/23/2006)
"Could be a great race with some help" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I PRd here, so that made me happy. The course is basically flat with a few hills (which you should prepare for). I googled the elevation map, which was not on the website. The positives - nice course, starts and ends at the same place, great pace teams. I happened to sign up with my AmEx card so I did not run into the problems many others did, since I was considered a VIP. We had our own tent and baggage check, our own food (good), our own porta-potties. If you were part of the masses you really did get the short end of the stick. The race started late, could not here a word the announcers were saying. Some early mile markers were off or hidden. Very crowded for first eight miles and I couldn't get a stride. They should not start the half with the full, which really caused too much congestion. Fans were great in some areas, totally missing during stretches along the river. Water stops were sufficient and well run. For a marathon this size that is clearly trying to get bigger, the organizers need to fix their organization. As much as I benefited from signing up with AmEx, it was unfair to those that didn't to be treated so poorly. I would do the race again if only to qualify for Boston - but there are smaller, better organized, flat courses that may be more appealing. | |
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J. M. from Omaha, Ne.
(11/23/2006)
"Race was a blast! Where do the bags go?" (about: 2006)
First Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and it was a fantastic run. The course was as flat as I was hoping for. The crowd was great!!! I greatly appreciated everyone who did come out and support us. The volunteers at the water tables seemed plentiful to me. My only two complaints would be: 1. We had no clue as to where we were supposed to drop off our bags before the race. 2. Why were so many of portable toilets locked up??? There were tons of them lined up but it seemed like only one out of three were unlocked. | |
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John Steiner from Maryland
(11/22/2006)
"Great course and fans; shame on American Express" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I ran this race in 2005 - it was absolutely excellent! I expected the same for 2006 and couldn't have been more disappointed with the organization. In '05, everything worked like clockwork. On-time start, no one had to grab their own water at the stops, and the finish was fully staffed with volunteers to help those of us who had just completed 26.2 miles take our chips off, and hand out medals and blankets. This year, no chip help, scant medal help (most runners had to grab their own), and the blankets were boxed. To make matters worse, people were corralled into the expo tent where there were more, er, no volunteers and most all of the food and water was gone! When I asked about the VIP tent, I was told that was only open to those who were American Express cardholders. The best thing Philly could do is to throw out American Express and bring back the organization committee from 2005. American Express, stick to credit cards. You can't do races and you did the great city of Philly a disservice! Great fans! Thanks Philly fans - you deserve better! | |
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d. w. from corning, ny
(11/22/2006)
"Excellent marathon with a few flaws this year" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 6+ Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 I think Philadelphia 2006 was a fine marathon despite the organizational issues discussed in other reports. The course is excellent, the weather was fine, there was plenty of water and Gatorade offered by friendly volunteers, the spectators were enthusiastic and the finish line was beautiful. There is not much more a marathoner could want. I agree that registration at the expo was poorly laid out, that the start was late and that some mile markers that were off, but these are not fatal flaws. Constructive criticism offered to the organizers should spur them to correct these glitches. Philadelphia is one of my favorites (2006 was my 10th running of this event) and I intend to come back again. I encourage other marathoners to give it a try. The problems in the 2006 edition shouldn't stop anyone from experiencing this fine event. And, race organizers: please correct the problems of this year so the entire Philadelphia Marathon experience matches the high quality of the course, crowds and volunteers. |
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