The 2018 Philadelphia Marathon was my 1st full and is also held in my hometown. That means this review will be a bit bias of course. Still keep in mind it means I had pretty high standards going into the race.

The race starts around the famous Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, runs into and around downtown, passing some great tourist locations (City Hall, Independence Hall, etc) before ending with an out and back along Kelly drive to return you to the start. While it took them some time, they finally began running the half marathon the day before the full, which opens up the field a bit and also allows people to take on the challenge of running both if they choose.

Other Pros: I personally like the bling. Yes, the medal design had some off years, but it is usually a hit in my book. The expo is also easy to get to in and out of while offering a good amount of vendors to visit and give aways to be had. Long sleeve tech shirts for the full that you'd wear outside of the race are also worth noting.

Other Cons: Crowd support in the city is totally awesome. However, those last few miles coming back in from Kelly Drive will always be light. My advice: soak in the cheers while in Manayunk since you won't get many on your way to the finish.

The Rothman 8k is part of the Philadelphia Marathon weekend activities. Being part of the large running activities allows them to take advantage of "shared services". For example, I'd never see an expo as large to support just an 8k. Also, while it is held on the same day as the half marathon, it is possible to do both (and tack on the full the following day) for additional medals.

The course is pretty standard for Philadelphia and doesn't visit anything beyond Logan Square. The shirts are nice short sleeve tech. The medal has historically been a good design (imo).

Other Pros: Seriously, who doesn't like a running challenge. Adding 8k isn't insane. The extra medal is sweet. And as I said before, being part of the large running activities has its advantages. Tons of crowd support. Good course support.

Other Cons: Really, nothing to complain about. The medal is a bit small, but it is an 8k. And as I said, the design has been sweet.

As part of the Canadian Running Series, the Race Roster Spring Run-Off is a great run to warm you up for the heart of race season. The course and post-race festivities are all contained in High Park. Day of race packet pickup made the trip a breeze.

One of the unique aspects of this race was that besides timing you for the 5 or 8k, you are also timed for the final 365 meters, which is up a rather tough hill in the park. Separate prizes are given out for the best in that department in addition to those of the overall race.

Other Pros: A pay up option for a pancake breakfast after the race. If you were traveling from out of town like myself and wanted to explore other food options, you could pocket the cash instead of getting enhanced finish line foods. I will say the pancakes looked good. The finisher medal was gorgeous to boot! Of course, being in a popular park means it was easy to get in, although I remember turning the wrong way once in the park and ended up getting a loop in before the start by accident.

Other Cons: Another smaller race, which means no expo. Not really a big deal as they did have a vendor or two on site at the start/finish. Honestly, not much to complain about on this one!

I ran the Semi de Paris (Paris Half Marathon) in 2018. It was sponsored by Fitbit that year, but otherwise it appears little else has changed. It is a pretty awesome experience running an international race. While it is no world major, it was great to see what things they offered ex-US.

The first thing I found of interest was the requirement of proof of fitness to run. Yes, I needed to have a MD sign a physical form in order to race. I've since ran a few other international races and have yet to have had to repeat that requirement. Also, to no surprise, course markings were in KM as opposed to miles!

Other Pros: Huge expo which supported international attendees. Yes, they featured a lot of other European races, but all the vendors spoke better English than my French and I was able to enter all the raffles and get some neat giveaways. Speaking of giveaways, the swag was what you'd expect from an American race. A t-shirt in a pretty unique light green color (for me, light yellow for women) and a finisher medal for everyone. Easy access to the start and easy exit from the finish via public transportation (even for someone very out of town like myself). Friendly folks at all the aid stations and a good cheer squad scattered across the course. It was a pretty large race as well.

Other Cons: The course scenery was very nice, but missed out on a chance to really blow my mind. We really didn't run past any of the major tourist spots of Paris and didn't seem to do too much of downtown. Not bad, just missed a chance to be great. Likewise, the aid stations provided tons of fruits, but the cube sugar they provided, over things like gels or other quick carb providers, fell apart in the rain!