It seems like every time I run in Philadelphia it's cold. The April date promised warmer temps but no such luck. The day turned out to be beautiful and the course was too. If you have ever run in Philadelphia you know what I mean. The Love Run was your standard Philadelphia run. Start at the Art Museum, run by Independence Hall, back towards the Art Museum, into Fairmount Park (where the hills live) and finish up at the Art Museum.

I admit the swag did sway me - Can you ever have enough mugs? The shirt is nice and the mug is great. The expo/packet pick-up could have been in a more convenient location. Xfinity Live is down by the stadiums and, as long as there are no games, not crazy. It's just a little off the beaten path. I took public transportation and went on Friday evening. I heard some folks complaining about parking on Saturday (I think there was a game at one of the venues). They wound up having to pay $20 for stadium parking.

The packet pick-up process was easy though a bit spread out. The expo was small. Not too much going on there but this is a relatively new race. I think this is the third year so I expect this will grow. The free beer was a nice surprise. Nice because the beer options were not the usual light fare. Craft beers on tap are always a bonus.

This race offers a relay option. Leg 1 is 3.9 miles, leg 2 is 5.6 and the third leg is 3.6. Because of this the "splits" were odd and coincided with the relay hand offs. I would have liked an actual split but it makes sense with the relay.

Nice hills in Fairmount Park around about mile 8 or so. The course levels off again around 10 or so. I enjoyed it all.

The race had a nice vibe. Supportive folks and a nice mix.

Chocolate milk at the finish makes a race for me. Would I do it again? Depends on the date but yes.

This was my first time doing this race. Loved the course. It was great to be able to see so much of the city. I have run in Philly before so I knew what to expect elevation-wise in some parts and I enjoyed the challenges for the areas I was not familiar with.
The Expo was a bit disappointing. For a big city event I expected a bigger expo with more national vendors.
Usually I buy myself some extra swag from the event but was disappointed with the selection both at the expo and at the finish line. It was difficult to find the merchandise tent at the finish and there was no one to ask. The information tent was not staffed.
The Chicken broth was a nice touch on a cold day. Chocolate milk would have been nice to have.
Fantastic volunteers!
#MM11265