The 2018 Philadelphia Marathon was my 1st full and is also held in my hometown. That means this review will be a bit bias of course. Still keep in mind it means I had pretty high standards going into the race.

The race starts around the famous Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, runs into and around downtown, passing some great tourist locations (City Hall, Independence Hall, etc) before ending with an out and back along Kelly drive to return you to the start. While it took them some time, they finally began running the half marathon the day before the full, which opens up the field a bit and also allows people to take on the challenge of running both if they choose.

Other Pros: I personally like the bling. Yes, the medal design had some off years, but it is usually a hit in my book. The expo is also easy to get to in and out of while offering a good amount of vendors to visit and give aways to be had. Long sleeve tech shirts for the full that you'd wear outside of the race are also worth noting.

Other Cons: Crowd support in the city is totally awesome. However, those last few miles coming back in from Kelly Drive will always be light. My advice: soak in the cheers while in Manayunk since you won't get many on your way to the finish.