Philadelphia Marathon

Philadelphia Marathon

Philadelphia Marathon

( 65 reviews )
98% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Philadelphia,
    Pennsylvania,
    United States
  • November
  • 5 miles/8K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon, 26.2 miles/Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Lisa Perry

ABINGTON, Pennsylvania, United States
10 14
2019
"An amazing race through the streets of Philadelphia!!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Lisa Perry's thoughts:

This year I ran the challenge which is the half marathon on Saturday, and the full on Sunday. I will just review the full marathon here, and make a second review for the half!
Also, This was my 9th time running the Philadelphia marathon in my life. I ran it a bunch of times back in the day (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009). I then took a break and ran it again in 2015 and 2017. It has changed so much! It went from being a great marathon into being A FANTASTIC MARATHON!!!
The one thing I will say is the weather can be all over the place because this is run in mid to late November. I've run the race when it was 50 and sunny, when it was 50 and windy as heck, when it was 35 and freezing, and this past Sunday when it was 40 and rainy and then snowing. You never know what weather you will get in any one given year. Just keep that in mind.

Expo: It's easy to get to by train beings that it's right at the convention center. It's in a large enough room so that you don't feel overwhelmed by not being able to move around and there is a nice amount of vendors there to get whatever you may need before you race, or also find some sales on other items. Finding your bib and race swag is organized and easy to navigate through. There were a lot of talking events and other things that I personally did not have time to attend but would be great if my schedule had allowed for that.

PRE RACE and RACE: Arrive early! Be prepared to go through a security check, which moves fairly quickly if you don't have any bags with you. If you do, just be prepared for it to take a bit longer. I had no issues going thru and then getting into my corral. Also, there are plenty of bathrooms but lines get long.. be prepared to wait if you are like me and have to go before the race starts!
There is a lot of positive energy flowing everywhere before the race starts, which is and was helpful for me to calm my nerves. You are standing there with so many others that are about to run the same marathon as you! It's pretty neat! I was a few corrals back so I didn't start until maybe 10-12 mins after the first corral went off. The weather on Sunday was not the best and I was surprised to see so many spectators lined up throughout the entire course. I don't know that there were very many 'bare' spots along the way. I can't imagine how many more would have been out if the sun was shining LOL! There are plenty of water stops, free gel giveaways and bathrooms along the course. This race has gotten a lot bigger so every bathroom stop had people waiting on line to use them.
My favorite areas are mid way when you run past the art museum.. tons of people cheering you on, and bonus was Bart Yasso and Meb standing there giving high fives out, manayunk.. holy energy there...wow, and the finish line.. so many spectators line that area and are cheering you on.. ITS A RUSH that can stick with you for a while. It puts a smile on my face just writing about it!!!

All in all, this race gets a million thumbs up for me. If you are local to the Philadelphia area and want to run a great marathon, this one is for you!

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