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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 561 to 571]
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Alex Giffords from Mexico City, Mexico
(11/22/2005)
"A Friendly Marathon" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I really enjoyed running the Philadelphia Marathon. Even though I broke my PR by 10 minutes, still missed qualifying for Boston by 7 minutes (I needed 3:30). To anyone who reads this, I would strongly advise understanding the course before running it. I started real fast and paid for it later. The course is not as flat as advertised so you have to know what you are doing. Everything else: expo, people, water stations, medal, t-shirt are fine. No complaints. They just need to attract a few big name sponsors to make some noise and iron out a few details. Overall a great experience. | |
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P. C. from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
(11/22/2005)
"A special day" (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 My goal was to have fun and make friends and I succeeded. Standing in the starting chute, watching the sun come up over Billy Penn and seeing shirts and hats being tossed out of the crowd of runners was a special moment. | |
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Jason Herman from Frederick, Maryland
(11/22/2005)
"Although a decent race, it should be missed." (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 As you can see from reading most Philly comments, the organizers obviously don't care or cannot do anything about: 1) Lack of porta-johns (many complaints, no action taken). 2) Cheesy expo. 3) 1/2 the race with NO SPECTATORS. 4) The worst medal IN HISTORY. 5) Finish line food (how surreal to be BUYING. pretzels from street vendors after running 26.2). Hey organizers, maybe a few pretzels on the house, huh? The people that DID cheer were awesome.... Very spirited. But they were all bunched into a few areas. If you thrive on abundant support in many places, DO NOT RUN HERE. If you just want a pretty flat course with GREAT weather, this is it. Times were posted very quickly, which was excellent. Having run Marine Corps (massive race, great spectators, but maybe too overwhelming for some) and several other 1/2 marathons, I would say the best compromise is Baltimore. Half or full marathon, the crowds are GREAT and HUGE and throughout the entire course. It's local to Philly and although there are a few hills, I'm no Kenyan anyway. I have also been to several other 26.2's as a spectator, and this just doesn't measure up. I wish I could say more good things about Philly, but having read ALL 34 pages of comments from years and years past, it's obvoius the organizers are happy with things as they are. Not responding to resounding demands for things like places to relieve yourself and finish line food is inexcusable. For the women, it must have been a real drag. PS - Don't run the 'Rocky' steps at the end.... Don't even think about it. | |
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K. B. from Connecticut
(11/21/2005)
"Perfect weather and nice course" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Let me premise this by saying that I set a PR at this marathon, knocking off over two minutes. Couple perfect weather with a relatively flat course, and that happens (OK, so I trained hard, too). Anyway, it's hard not to like a race when you do well. I'll start from the beginning. From the first time I saw the Philly website I thought it wasn't too friendly - not warm and welcoming. And post-race that's my attitude about the race personnel. The volunteers didn't seem to be exceptionally thrilled to be there (the folks working marathons such as Steamtown, Hartford, Boston, and Vermont are much more upbeat). I can't remember ever being handed my medal in a plastic wrapper. However, it was functionally well organized. And things happened as expected. Packet pick up was quick. Expo was boring. On race morning everything was smooth except they need about 2X the number of porta-potties. And because of the location (i.e., downtown with no bushes) there's no improvising at this race. The start was smooth and I never felt crowed. I really liked the course, and there are no bad hills. When I finished the hill at mile 9, I even asked someone, "Was that the big hill?" I loved the final out-and-back, and really like seeing the leaders. And I enjoy seeing the other people going out while I'm heading to the finish. I'm thinking, "Thank God I'm not headed in that direction." Which, of course, is what the leaders thought when they saw me heading out. I recommend this race to anyone interested in PRs and BQs. I would not say that it's a great experience for first-timers. There are friendlier, more welcoming marathons. | |
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G. L. from New York, NY
(11/21/2005)
"Runners will ignore Mickey Mouse aspects" (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The excellent course will make you forget some of the Mickey Mouse elements of the Philly Marathon. What's great about this marathon: * Fast, flat, scenic course. * Ideal mid-Nov. weather. * Space to run your own race. * Great water station volunteers. * Heated runner's tent at start/finish. * Hot chicken broth at finish! What's Mickey Mouse: * No tie-wrap for Champion Chip. (DUH!!) * No buses to the start from downtown. * Illegible course map. * Finisher's medal unworthy of a marathon one-half the size. | |
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R. M. from Union, NJ
(11/21/2005)
"Terrific first marathon experience." (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I don't have other marathons to compare it to, but I don't think my first marathon experience could have been better. The conditions and crowd support were perfect. In some areas the people were loud and encouraging and fun to look at, but in the park and the long stretch along the river, I needed a break from them to enjoy the race and the scenery and concentrate on my running. The course is pretty flat and relatively easy and yes, the roads aren't perfect, but I went into this knowing that they wouldn't be perfect. I finished at 3:53:10 (better than I expected) and had a fantastic time. It was a day I'll never forget. | |
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C. S. from Hoboken, NJ
(11/21/2005)
"Great for a 1st-time marathoner!" (about: 2005)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 While Philly could be described as a 'no frills' marathon, I found it to be the perfect 1st marathon experience. Course: Flat, flat, flat!!! After training in Central Park, I felt like I was running downhill most of the way. Nice variety of scenery, from the historic areas, quaint neighborhoods, and the beautiful Schuylkill River. Word of caution: The sloping roadways were pretty annoying at times. I ran in the center of the road and on the sidewalks when I could. Also, some of the roads were pretty rough and bumpy. Keep on the lookout, and call out any holes to your fellow runners behind you. That was very helpful to me. Runners: Perfect number of runners. Large group, without being overwhelming. Had a nice mix of elites, newcomers... and those dressed in novelty costumes. I also ran with a Clif pace group. I highly, HIGHLY recommend it, if you are a 1st-timer, or really keen on hitting a goal time without even looking at your watch. I came in over 2 minutes under my goal time, with energy to spare. Organization/Volunteers: Overall very good. Lots of volunteers, most were very enthusiastic and encouraging. Plenty of water and Gatorade at the water stations, however they need a few more stations throughout the course. Other improvements needed: more port-a-johns, at the start/finish and on the course!! And, the website needs to have more accurate info and timely updates. Expo: It only took a few minutes to pick up my race number, which left more time for relaxing. The expo was a little disappointing, particularly that they didn't sell any 'technical' marathon gear such as a wicking t-shirt. I ended up only buying a cap, just to have something. Spectators: Excellent in a places (mile 0-2, 6-7, 13-14, 19-21, the finish), absent in others (15-18). I didn't mind the quieter sections too much, as I was running with a good friend and pace group. It also gave me a chance to really relax and enjoy the scenery of the riverfront. It was also a piece of cake picking out my family and friends, as they could always get prime viewing up front (not the case in larger marathons like NYC). Overall: While Philly lacks the massive crowds, big-sponsorships, glitz and glamour, I feel those are the reasons it was also intimidating, personal, and runner-friendly. I was able to hug my husband within 1 minute after crossing the finish. That is an amazing advantage to a smaller race. It was a great 1st-time experience, and would run it again! | |
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Anthony Epp from Vancouver, Canada
(11/21/2005)
"Great course, great volunteers and support" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I just finished the marathon and I was absolutely impressed. It far exceeded my expectations. The road terrain was varied and there was never really a dull moment. Crowd support was great, as was the camaraderie. Not much food at the finish and not a lot of giveaways, but overall a great marathon and a wonderful day to boot! I would run this race again! | |
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C. F. from Connecticut
(11/21/2005)
"Nice Race But Quirky Water Stops" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Nice medium-sized marathon with interesting views (both city and rural). Getting to the staging area (with the expo tent open to keep warm - nice touch), baggage check, port-o-johns and start line were all manageable without the logistics hell known as the NYC Marathon (i.e. hanging out in Staten Island for 3 hours before race). Not too many fans, but they were enthusiastic. Water stops, however, were jumbled and quirky. At the first stop, around a blind turn, there was a fumbling, bumbling, stumbling mass of humanity. Also, stops held at bizarre intervals which defy any logic or reason. Is it too hard to put them every 2 miles? Trying to calculate pace is enough - should not have to worry whether the next water stop is in 2.16 or 3.63 miles. Despite this - fond memories already, as I PR'ed and qualified for Boston. Thanks Philly. | |
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Mark Gilligan from Oakland, CA
(11/21/2005)
"Non-existent PORTA-JOHNS" (about: 2005)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Philadelphia Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 Very beautiful course with limited hills. Unfortunately, if you needed a restroom, you spent the race cursing the organizers. If you did finally find one, it was FULL (very gross) and out of TP. I can't begin to tell you how many female runners I saw openly pulling down there shorts along the course to relieve themselves. This is unacceptable. |
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