As a two time veteran runner of the Philadelphia Half Marathon, I had high expectations for another Philly race especially because it was the well known Rock ‘n’ Roll series. I hate to say it, but I was surprisingly disappointed afterwards.

Expo: Like all Philadelphia races, it was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, right in the heart of Philly. If you’re from out of town, it would make for a good trip to the city to do some sight seeing for the day. I got there only 20 minutes after it had opened on the first day and there was no line getting in. You went to a different table depending on which corral you were, presented your confirmation sheet, ID and your bib was handed to you. The only thing I’d have to complain about is the fact that you had to have a printed version of the confirmation sheet. It couldn’t be electronic. Hello, it’s 2015; everything should be accepted electronically. You’re then ushered into the areas containing overpriced running apparel, 13.1 magnets and of course everybody’s favorite – free samples! Overall, I was very pleased with how speedy the whole process was. I was in and out within 15 minutes but I easily could have been there for hours if I had stopped to look at every table in the expo.

Race Day: My friends and I arrived at about 6:30 (an hour before start time). From what I saw, there was no security getting in, anyone could walk right through the gates, which in my opinion is not very safe. This year the race happened to take place on Halloween so there were a ton of very creative costumes, which made for a great atmosphere. We got into our corrals and waited to approach the start line. Based on my previous race experience, the corrals were pretty small but there was almost no traffic after crossing the start line, so that was a plus.

Course: *Me while thinking about this course* UGH. I had already registered for this race before seeing the course map, which in all honesty might have changed my mind about signing up in the first place. Again, I’m comparing this race to my experience with the Philly half. This race started out on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the first 4-5 miles wound through the streets of Philly. Then, you head down behind the art museum and enter onto Kelly Drive on historic Boathouse Row, run straight for 4 miles, turn left over a bridge and head back down the other side of the river for the rest of the race. This is both good and bad. Is the course completely flat? Yes. Is it scenic? Yes. But because it is not easily accessed by the public, there are almost no spectators, which, makes for a boring run.

Finish: The finish line was right in front of the steps of the Art Museum and there were definitely more people there than the rest of the course. My complaint about this part was it seemed that the medals and food weren’t given out until much farther down than I am used to. It just took a while to get out of the crowd, which is all I wanted to do at that point!

Overall I’d have to say my biggest disappointment with this race was the lack of spectators. Maybe it had to do with the fact that it was Halloween and people were too busy to come out but compared to the Philly Half, there was no one there. For me, that’s a big problem because usually the spectators are what give me the adrenaline to run a half marathon in the first place! I would not recommend this race to a first time halfer purely based on the lack of personality this race has to offer. It wasn’t the worst but there are definitely better when it comes to races in Philadelphia!