Obviously since this was my 4th Philly Marathon, it's a race I love. This year my son was old enough to participate in the kids races that take place after the Rothman 8k on Saturday. We had an absolute blast! He got a big bag full of swag, some really nice stuff and he received a real medal when he finished. There was also a photographer on course that captured some great pics of the kids. It was very well organized, with lots of thought put into it. It also coordinated perfectly with the expo as they had shuttles from the convention center to/from the kids races. So we did the kids race then hit up the expo. Philly has a nice expo with stuff for the kids to enjoy as well as lots of goodies for runners. But if you are in a hurry, you can easily be in and out of there in 5 minutes with your race stuff.

The only difference I noticed this year on race day as opposed to the last few years was increased security to get in to the race area. The Paris attacks had just occurred the weekend prior which is what I think prompted this. While it wasn't really fun to have to stand in line to get in, I understood why they were doing it and I appreciated that they were trying to keep us safe. Since this was the first time ever that there were lines to get in and lots of people that run every year are used to being able to arrive 15 minutes before the start, the race started about 10-15 minutes late, which to me was a nice thing to allow people time to get to their corrals. Unlike last year, I was able to use a potty very quickly, maybe because so many people were waiting in security lines.

Everything else about the race was great as usual. There were big crowds out cheering at all the usual spots. The aid stations were well stocked with very enthusiastic volunteers. I enjoyed a couple of beers as I ran through Manyunk. Even though I bonked after halfway and was not able to get a good time, I had a blast the second half just enjoying the scenery and the crowds, I also saw a bunch of runner friends who were also running. So as annoying as the out and back nature of the second half may be to some, it does have it's positives in the fact that you can see a lot of the other runners in the race. When I first set out on the second half, the elites were on their way back on the last few miles so it's fun to see them and cheer as they go by. Then when I started on my way back after Manyunk, I saw lots of friends that were going into Manyunk.

I am always happy with how quickly you get water and food after finishing. THE SOFT PRETZELS are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! who doesn't love a philly soft pretzel after running a marathon?!?! Every year I always think the medals are very nice and this year they took it a step further. It was an actual bell modeled after the liberty bell that actual rings. It was very cool!!

I always enjoy my experiences at the Philly Marathon and compared to most other big city races, it's very inexpensive. I imagine it's something I will continue to do year after year.

For more on my personal story at the Philly Marathon, check out my blog:
http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2015/12/running-marathon-is-never-easy-philly.html