I'm really on the fence about how I feel about the Love Run. The registration for the Love Run was cheaper than what I had paid for last year's Rock N Roll Philly Half and the Philadelphia Half Marathon. So I guess in terms of fee, it was a pretty good deal. The Love Run is managed by CGI Racing, which is good at promoting all their other races but was bad at communication about the actual race. I think it was a few days before the race that I had heard anything about bib pickups. This was inconvenient too, having the packet pick up at Citizen Bank Park. It's quite a trek to get there during lunch.

The expo was just okay. I felt like I was in a maze trying to pick up everything at the stadium. The bibs were on a different floor from the shirts and the vendors. Part of the swag was a coffee mug that was pretty nice. We also got a voucher for two free Phillies tickets. The clear plastic bag smelled way funky though. The shirts were tech and long sleeves and pretty nice.

Race day for this race has been a miss. Last year it rained. This year it was freezing. I was surprised it was that cold without snowing. The wind plus running by the river was brutal. Porta potties were plentiful and not overly long. There was a VIP section for teams with 20+ people but my group did not make the cut.

There were no set corrals but there were signs for anticipated finish times. It was pretty much a disorganized mess. I was too cold to notice the start time but it seemed pretty on point. There were plenty of aid stations throughout the course. The route starts off pretty flat until maybe mile 5-6 near the Please Touch Museum. There are a few other hilly spots but also some declines too.

I didn't notice a lot of photographers on the course except during the first few miles on Ben Franklin Parkway and at the end (not sure if these will be free or cost). The finisher medal is pretty large and cool with a spinner. The recovery bag came with a soft (rock hard) pretzel, an Uncrustable, an orange and a Tastykake. There were also heat sheets given out. I missed out on the free beer.

I don't think there was anything particularly enticing about this race except maybe the medal. The route is similar to the Rock N Roll Philly and the Philadelphia Half. I would choose either of those races before running the Love Run again. The weather in September and November felt slightly better than March in this case. It seemed like the crowd interaction is best during the Philadelphia Marathon / Half in November.