The Philly Rock and Roll Half Marathon overall was a great race. The expo was well organized. If you wanted to you could be in and out in 2 minutes or there were tons of great vendors and great deals for shopping. I myself signed up for the Runner's World Hat Trick for early bird price and bought Altra Paradigms for only $55! I took my kids with me who also had a great time.
I read a couple of places people complaining about parking for the race. I'm a local and know that parking in the city on a big race day can be a hassle and pricey if you don't know where to go. However, I did think the race organizers actually had a lot of good info on the website and the emails they sent out about how to get to the race by public transit and places to park.
The race itself was well run. There could have been some extra pottys as lines were horrendous. Bag check was extremely quick and painless and equally so to retrieve bags. The staggered corral starts really helps to prevent any crazy crowding during the race and at aide stations. Aide stations were well stocked with friendly volunteers, water and Gatorade. There were bands scattered throughout the course to lift you up when you were feeling down. The course itself is very flat and fast. Both times I have run this race have been big PRs for me. And this year's race Deena Kastor set the master's world record. The first 4-5 miles take you through the city past city hall and the liberty bell then back past the art museum down Kelly Drive across the Falls Bridge to MLK drive where you wind up finishing back in front of the Art Museum. Very scenic and crowds cheering throughout most of the race.
I do think the cost is a bit steep considering this is a half marathon, well over $100. The shirt and medal ARE nice but there's no other goodies in the race bag. I also think for the amount paid there could be a little bit more offered at the end as far as food for runners. I would love to see soft pretzels or bagels instead of tiny bags of pretzels and granola. The free beer for runners is VERY good though :-)
In general, it is a fun, well organized event.
You can read more about my experience here: http://runningmarathonmom.blogspot.com/2014/09/philly-rock-and-roll-half-marathon.html