Sep 20, 2024
Current Year Results
Results Search
Biggest/Best Boston Qualifier
2024 Results
2023 Results
2022 Results
2021 Results
2020 Results
2019 Results
2018 Results
2017 Results
2016 Results
2015 Results
2014 Results
2013 Results
2012 Results
2011 Results
2010 Results
2009 Results
2008 Results
2007 Results
2006 Results
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
2002 Results
2001 Results
2000 Results
☰
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 551 to 561]
|
Joe Lim from New York
(11/23/2005)
"Tour of Philly all in one day!" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Course was very scenic, historic, and touristy! This was my second marathon overall and my first American marathon. Pros- -Around 6,000 people finished; around 10,000 registered. I didn't feel 'bunched' up nor did I feel the water stops to be too crowded. It was a pretty good number. -Very, very scenic. If you don't have much time in Philly, you'll pass by most if not all the historic/touristy sites (city hall, Old Swedes Church, Independence Hall, Chestnut St., Manayunk, Fairmount Park, Art Museum, etc.). -Great for hashers. -Organization was great. Cons- -Orange peels and banana peels were on the ground after some of the water stations - this is definitely dangerous. -Some of the roads' elevations were crooked or curvy. -Not enough port-a-johns. I started late because of this. The lines were super long because ALL the runners (marathoners, 8K-ers, etc) were using the same toilets. I wish the 8K-ers (they start at 8:30AM versus the marathon, which starts at 8AM) would let the marathoners use the porta-johns first. The medal was unique. I didn't like it that much but my friends from Philly LOVED IT! It shows the boathouse area which is apparently famous and well known in the Philly area. I loved the brownies a lady gave out in Manayunk. Overall a great race and would love to do it again. | |
|
Ken OBrien from Carmel, NY
(11/23/2005)
"Thanks to Philly, I'm heading to Boston" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 After not qualifying for Boston in four previous attempts, it's hard not to be positive about this marathon. I liked the course. It didn't have the crowds of NYC (watching or running), but that was fine by me. I was there for one reason and that was to qualify for Boston. The course is fast. A couple of hills, but nothing too long or tough. If you need or want an audience head to NYC. If you want to run fast head to Philly. I beat my last year NYC time by 6 1/2 minutes and beat my personal best by about 3 minutes. It would have been nice if they took the medals out of the bags, but I enjoyed the post-race massage. I doubt I'll run it again, but I have nothing negative to say. | |
|
J. F. from Central New Jersey
(11/23/2005)
"Good no-nonsense marathon" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 My own $0.02. What's good: *Crowd enthusiasm during early miles *Water station placement and volunteers *Great scenic course, especially early on, and fast too *Easy gear-check *Liked the chicken broth at the end *Close parking *Warm expo tent to stretch in morning What could be improved: *More porta-johns!!! *Better/more food options a the end (what, no Philly cheese steaks??!!) *More lively fans later on *More calories during race (two gel stops is not enough for me - I had to pack food) Like others have noted, if you are all business and want a good no-frills marathon, Philly's for you. If you're looking for the run to be 'an event' you'll do better elsewhere. | |
|
Kelly Lim from Singapore
(11/23/2005)
"A Magnificent Marathon - From Start to Finish" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my 2nd marathon in Nov 2005 (the previous one was Richmond a week earlier). And boy, I achieved a PR that I never thought I could have achieved! I would like to summarize for those who are keen to run in the 2006 edition: Marathon expo: Very easy to pick up the bib. But I didn't check on the package and had to go back the 2nd day to pick up the safety pins and the chip's fasteners. Nice t-shirt and a variety of exhibits. However, there was no merchandise like mugs, event jackets, caps, etc., which is a disappointment. Paster dinner was GREAT! They even have live music to entertain us! It's value for money! Marathon: It's an extremely scenic route from start to finish. A few hills here and there but they are all manageable. Fans support is fantastic, even for back-of-the-pack runners like myself. The Gatorade was excellent throughout unlike some of the other marathons which I ran - it is not diluted at all. If they could add 1 or 2 stations to provide fruit, it would be the perfect marathon! Post-Marathon: Well, what can I say. Again, it's flawless. Of course it would be even better if the volunteers can open the medal package and hang it over us. Then again, after completing 10 marathons since 2001, never did I have a chance to drink a proper sports drinks at the end of the finishing line. Not to mention the avaiability of plenty of food at the expo tents! I managed to grab a bread, banana, and Pepsi! Keep up the excellent work! Thank you to the people of Philadelphia for giving me this magnificent experience and memories! | |
|
J. h. from kensington md
(11/23/2005)
"A great medium-sized, more or less flat marathon. " (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 This was my third marathon and by far my best experience. The course is wonderful - very visually interesting and since I have not spent much time in Philly it was a great way to get a tour! There were only a couple of hills and they weren't bad. A few nice downhill stretches as well. I got quite a kick out of the fraternity boys from Drexel University out on their front steps cheering us on - clearly still up from the previous night's parties! I felt the marathon was just the right size as far as people - I didn't feel alone, however having run the Marine Corps Marathon in previous years, it was nice to not be packed in wall to wall with other runners. My only complaints would be the course map was next to impossible to read, and they definitely needed more than one portable potty at each mile marker. There were lines each time I went by one and I ended up seeing far more bare bottoms than I needed to! All in all it was a wonderful experience and I plan to go back next year and run again. I took off 22 minutes from last year's time and hope to qualify for Boston next year. | |
|
Brian Savage from Daytona Beach, FL
(11/23/2005)
"Great weather, good course, great city!!" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I ran a terrible race here at Philly, which could make my upbeat comments more worthy than any PR-setters. My friends and I always pick a big-city marathon to run in each year. We picked Philly post-New York denial; many other runners may have as well. Nevertheless, the Philly experience was much more positive than expected. The race is NOT HILLY (and I'm from FL!) and should not be rumored as such. Runners should be aware: After the civil war monument, pick up the pace for the course is FAST from this point on!! My expectation of more hills (not studying the map - my fault) in the latter parts of the race led to a slow and conservative pace, which was detrimental to my overall time. In a nutshell, this is a race to run for TIME! The city of Philadelphia is a great and friendly partying and eating city. The city made the race the positive experience we enjoyed. I recommend this race to any runner looking for a good city to enjoy and explore, and a fast race to possibly PR in. Thanks Philly. | |
|
J. F. from Lavergne, TN
(11/23/2005)
"Fast course and great weather" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Course: Not quite as flat as advertised, but there was only one major hill from mile 9-10. That should only add about 20-30 seconds. Declines and some significant crowning on some sections can pound your quads if you are pushing for a PR. The best crowd support is in the first half and from 19-21. If the course was reversed, the crowd support would be there when you really needed it. Organization: Fairly good, although the water stops were not spaced evenly throughout the course and were at odd intervals. Overall impression: A pretty fast course and a good one to PR or BQ. The weather was almost perfect (38F - 52F). I ran 3:41, 4 minutes under my Boston qualifying time. | |
|
B. O. from Nazareth, PA
(11/22/2005)
"This marathon has hexed me!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 3 Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Although Philly is not exactly PA Dutch country, this marathon has hexed me. I've run it twice before 2005, in which I was forced into an inglorious DNF. The first time I ran, I missed qualifying for Boston by 90 secs. In my second foray, a blister completely covered the bottom of one foot, and I missed qualifying again. This time around, I was well-trained, well-hydrated, and rarin' to go. And in the first 8 minutes of the race, I managed to step into a pothole and completely twist my left ankle. I tried to continue, but it was no use. I think someone must have a voodoo doll with my number on it every time I run this race. But I can't complain about the course, organization, or crowd. They were fine, and I can tell you the medical attention was exceptional. I'll be back next year and will keep trying until I get it right. | |
|
L. S. from Belleville, Ontario
(11/22/2005)
"Philly Was A Great Experience" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I had a wonderful experience in Philly and wish to congratulate the organizers and volunteers. I thoroughly enjoyed the course including seeing the incoming runners as I approached the gut-check portion of the course. The route provided a great variety of vistas including the eclectic shops of South Street, the classic architecture of the historic area of the city and the nature of the parkland and river. It was easy to navigate with the number of runners entered and was very well marshaled. Loved the 9:00 AM beer swilling lads from the Drexel frat house. They were almost as boisterous as the girls from Wellesley College in Boston and carried me for a good mile. It was really nice to have such clear mile markers and digital timing. I'm not the sort who is likely to run Philly again, simply because there are so many possibilities and so few opportunities, but I enjoyed it as much as any of the four I have completed. I highly recommend this marathon despite the truisms posted by some of the other runners concerning the pre-race expo and post-race treats. | |
|
N. T. from New York City
(11/22/2005)
"Chicken Soup was the Best" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 6+ Philadelphia Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Much had been said. Here are some points: 1. Really like the medal on bag, which is easier to keep with my other medals. 2. Chicken soup was the best. Nothing like the hot chicken soup to smooth my stomach after all the water, gel, & Gatorade. 3. Always treated NY as the big one & Philadelphia as something else. Now will reverse it. Why not!? Don't have to wait hours to start, no 59th Street Bridge & hills, no long walk to exit, & picked up bag in seconds. 4. Took the bus from NYC Chinatown E. Broadway to Philadelphia for expo - round trip $20, bus leave @ every hour & 30, one-way ride is about 2:30. Took about a 15-minute walk from the Philadelphia Chinatown to the Museum of Arts along the Arch Street. |
Quick Links
Marathon Search
Upcoming US Marathons
Upcoming International Marathons
Search Marathon Results
Latest Running News
Recent Newsletters
Race Director Tools
© 2000-2024, All Rights Reserved by MarathonGuide.com LLC
