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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 501 to 511]
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John Callinan from Ridgewood, NJ
(11/21/2006)
"Won't Be Back" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 My 3rd straight year running Philly, and I agree with some other posters that the organization is getting worse each year. I won't run this race again and I will never run another American Express-sponsored event (or get an AMEX card for that matter!!!). Others have commented on the baggage check fiasco - a huge, HUGE mental distraction right before the start of the race. Same goes for the 8-minute delay at the race start - inexcusable!! And what was with the horrible PA system - I couldn't hear a thing they were saying at the start line. The expo was disorganized but no big deal; however, the post-race set-up for food and drink was awful (get those non-runners away from the water and bananas - it was like Christmas morning for those trespassing pigs!!!). And on the course, some of the time clocks were very disorienting, particularly at miles 11-14. On the plus side, the water/Gatorade set-ups were fine, and it was a nice running day (it's fortunate AMEX was not in charge of the weather also - it would have snowed....). | |
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P. C. from Columbus Ohio
(11/21/2006)
"Thank Goodness for American Express" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 This race seems to be one that simply grew up too fast. I am certain that in the years to come the management of the race will correct the obvious problems. These include a nutty bag/chip/shirt pick up route, unmarked clocks along the course, and a very tight location for the expo. The course, though not flat, is very nice. Would be even more fun if the route could be reversed to put the downtown Philly sights at the end. And, the people of Philly along the course made this a fantastic race! I saw big crowds and lots of cheering along the way. Thank you Philly! One additional thought would be to use the trolly buses to cart runners from the hotels downtown to the start. Tighten up the expo and race admin and this will be a super race in the future. | |
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Stuart Siegler from Alton Bay, NH
(11/21/2006)
"Worst Management Ever" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 4-5 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 4 I've run Philly four times... and I will never run it again. No info in the race packet (times, maps, bag drop, etc.). Missing/poorly placed mile markers, and duplicate 11 and 12 (for the 1/2, undifferentiated). Police tried to STOP THE RACE about mile 5 (crossing Chestnut) about 40 minutes into the race. He actually put up his hand and said, "Stop!" Finish area was disorganized... no directions, no flow, no food. Though the volunteers were great, and there was enough water, I didnt see any medical support. I won't run this one again. | |
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Suresh Shah from Lewisville (Dallas), Texas
(11/21/2006)
"A great race." (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 This was my third time to run this race. I have seen a great amount of improvement each time from the previous time. A lot of work had been put in by a lot of dedicated volunteers. I say, "Hats off to all the volunteers." I can never thank enough to this great group of unselfish citizens. The only suggestion for improvement I have is: please be sure to have enough of the great food at the finish line for the late finishers like myself. I will be honored to run this race over and over again. | |
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B. G. from NY
(11/21/2006)
"Still some snags" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Sorry, I know the half marathon was just added, and a lot of people apparently registered the day before the race, but THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR RUNNING OUT OF FOOD. I don't care if you have to send someone to the supermarket in the middle of the race! Also, the buses for baggage check showed up about 20 minutes before the start. And with all the races starting simultaneously, the roads were too narrow to handle the throngs of people. The roads in the first several miles were also in poor condition, so not only did you have to dodge people, you had to watch for potholes and uneven pavement. Aside from those two points, the volunteers, water stops and spectators were great. The weather was perfect, and the last mile before the finish line was awesome - filled with cheering crowds. Overall, a nice experience. Sadly, I'd have to think long and hard about doing another marathon where there's a good chance I'll have nothing to eat after running 26.2 miles. | |
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L. L. from Trenton, NJ
(11/20/2006)
"Very Disappointed" (about: 2006)
2 previous marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 3 I just ran the race yesterday... and I think the marathon could be so much better. They seemed very disorganized. We couldn't find the baggage drop-off. There were no signs, and when we asked, they said the baggage was on a bus that was apparently asked to leave by the police. My big beef though is that they were closing the course too early. I was on time to finish in 5:30 (chip time) and clocks and mile markers were being taken down. They didn't have enough water stops. And at mile 23 the course was truncated... so we couldn't complete the whole marathon! It was such a letdown after training so much for this. I don't recommend this marathon for first-timers or back-of-the-pack runners like me. I felt as though the organizer didn't care about those that were slower than average marathoners, and that is truly a shame. | |
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Brad L. from Cleveland, Ohio
(11/20/2006)
"Could use better organization and course" (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 The race started off pretty well. I really enjoyed the first half of the course, which went through more "urban" parts of the city and scenic points and neighborhoods with a good number of fans. But the second half of the race, north of the art museum along the river, is scenic in a nature sense, but has non-existent fan support (except at the 20-mile turnaround point) and has you running against oncoming runners on the other side of the street (with only a cone between you) almost the entire second half of the course. As for the post-race, I finished in under four hours; I had to ask for directions to the food tent and once there, there was no Gatorade (as was promised in race materials) - only warm bottled water. And the only food left was unripe green bananas. Totally unacceptable, in my opinion. Most of the local 5Ks I ran this summer were better organized than this. The medal is very plain, as was the shirt. | |
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s. g. from Ellicott City, MD
(11/20/2006)
"Great potential, poor organization" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 I understand that the race organizers are trying to have this event grow in size and popularity. If so, they should look to the organizers of the Philadelphia Distance Run for help. First, the runners' instructions, which were distributed as well as being on the website, were poor. A detailed course map and elevation profile would have been helpful. The expo was held in a large tent. Packet pickup, which was in a corner of the tent, was a nightmare - too crowded and totally disorganized. No one knew where the baggage check was, as there were no signs anywhere. A volunteer was pointing runners to the baggage bus! (What?? The start and finish were in the same place!!) Apparently, there was no PA system at the starting line. (I never heard anything.) Not enough port-a-johns on the course. Mile markers were at the ground level, and hard to spot. Also confusing after the half-marathon merged back with the full marathon. However, a great, fast course. Great crowds. A definite PR or BQ course. With good organization, this race would be tremendous!! | |
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D. C. from Boston, Ma. USA
(11/20/2006)
"Well worth running - I'm glad I did" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I just ran this marathon on Nov. 19, 2006 and was very surprised at how well organized it was. Although the race did start approx. eight minutes late, overall it was well done. I enjoyed the flat first nine miles, and was glad to see a couple of hills from mile 9-10 (one pretty good one). The first water stop seemed to lack people at it, but after that, they were frequent and well staffed. I really enjoyed this marathon mostly because it wasn't huge and there was room to move along the course. I would recommend this marathon to anyone. It is my sixth, and second favorite only to Chicago (huge crowd support). | |
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F. D. from New Jersey
(11/20/2006)
"Another Nice Day in Philly...." (about: 2006)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 11/20/06: Overall I think it was a nice day in Philly. The weather was great again and the spectator support seemed better than expected. I also enjoyed the medal (MUCH nicer than '05) and the real running shirt. Pre-race snacks and heated tent were comforting. Post-race snacks were good also. I enjoyed the pretzels and hot chicken broth. Philly definitely kicked it up a notch. Here is my feedback on some areas of improvement: It seemed way more crowded this year. I was in traffic for the first 13 miles. Avoiding crowds is one of the reasons I like Philly. Maybe it would be better to start the half marathon earlier. Second, the bag check-in had some issues. The line was HUGE so people just started leaving their bags on the grass in hopes that they would be collected after the race started. A cannon blast at the start would be nice. There must be a cannon somewhere in Philly. :) Overall, I would do this race again (if I didn't get into NYC) and for years that I want to avoid the NYC hoopla and just RUN. Thanks, Philly. |
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