The Philadelphia Half Marathon is a fantastic race experience from beginning to end. 2019 was the second time I ran the event and it is to date one of my favorite race experiences.

Let's start with getting into the city. I lived in Philadelphia for about two years and already know that Philly is pretty much a parking nightmare on race day. I had my wife drop me off a few blocks from the start. Word of advice: ARRIVE EARLY. There are massive waves of people and security check points, so it can take some time to work your way up into the corrals.

Make sure you enter your estimated finish time because this is a big marathon with a pretty significant wait time between each wave. If you are fast and in a corral in the back, center city where the race starts can get pretty crowded. With that said, the views of center city at the beginning of the race are spectacular, even as a local. Out of staters will love seeing the historic architecture near City Hall.

The race experience is wonderful with lined streets that take you through a number of neighborhoods in Philadelphia. There were drum lines, live bands, people cheering everywhere, it is a really exciting race to run. The run is relatively flat for the first half and as you get into mile 6 and 7 there is some minor elevation. The real concern for those who don't like hills comes near the end of the race as you travel through the park. This is a relatively difficult climb compared to the rest of the course. It's nothing crazy but be ready for it.

Post-race had everything I wanted including a Philly pretzel and hot broth. There is a good selection of food and drink items and you also get a Heatsheet when you finish which is a nice touch in late November. The race has plenty of opportunities for pictures including a race line finish photo. Photo prices are a bit on the expensive side but still reasonable for the quality of the photos. Another option is to swing over to the Art Museum steps behind the race finish for some classic Rocky photo ops.

This is a race that I love. If you have never been to Philly, check this race out. Even if you are from Philly, check this race out. Great management, great course, great support for the size and all for a great cause supporting the American Association for Cancer Research.

-Marathon Ryan
@marathonryan