The Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon is the city’s premier, spring half marathon. Selling out every year since inception to more than 11,000 runners. We have combined your love of running with all the great sights and sounds you love about Philadelphia. From the great swag, to the vanity bibs, …
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The Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon is the city’s premier, spring half marathon. Selling out every year since inception to more than 11,000 runners. We have combined your love of running with all the great sights and sounds you love about Philadelphia. From the great swag, to the vanity bibs, to the vanity bibs, to team challenges, to incredible Philadelphia-themed finish food, this is the one race that loves you back!
The Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon course will start and finish at the beautiful Art Museum at Eakins Oval. The course will take you through even more of downtown Philly which means less hills in Fairmount Park making for a super fast, super fun course. From the great perks to the epic finish festival… this is why they call us the race that loves you back!
Join thousands from around the nation for an unforgettable weekend to kickoff Spring in the City of Brotherly LOVE.
For those of you who aren’t ready to tackle the half marathon (oh you will next year) we have the perfect race for you. The 7K starts the same time as the half marathon and also begins and ends at the iconic art museum steps. Trust us you’re going to love this race!
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Stay close to the race if you can
Expo was very easy and convenient if you want to check out other downtown Philly stops. The course itself was really well organized with the 7k runners splitting off. A … MORE
Expo was very easy and convenient if you want to check out other downtown Philly stops. The course itself was really well organized with the 7k runners splitting off. A bit of a climb at 10k that I wasn’t expecting but it was nice getting to the top of the park. Overall, very well done with great sponsors.
Fun location!
Good communication about the race. Beautiful start into the city to see historical buildings. So close to the Liberty Bell, would have been exciting to see it on the route … MORE
Good communication about the race. Beautiful start into the city to see historical buildings. So close to the Liberty Bell, would have been exciting to see it on the route too! Start and finish is by the famous museum steps in the Rocky movie (da da da, da da da)! Shirt and medal was ok (black shirt is just blah) and post race snacks were just ok. Volunteers were great. Most of the course outside of downtown was along the river. It was fun seeing the sculls and crew teams racing.
I Love Philly!
I went to college in Philly, so it was nice to return and knock out Pennsylvania towards my 50 state goal. Started and ended near the art museum and headed … MORE
I went to college in Philly, so it was nice to return and knock out Pennsylvania towards my 50 state goal. Started and ended near the art museum and headed down towards the Liberty Bell.(although we were so close we didn’t actually walk right by it.), returned past the art museum again (think Rocky) and cruised along the Schuylkill river. Crowds of supporters lined the path downtown, but we had a quiet portion of the race along the river.
I feel race communication was excellent, including the route and which streets would be closed off. I stayed in West Philadelphia near Drexel, and easily took an Uber almost to the start line. Swag was just so so, as I don’t really care for a black T-shirt and the medal was just OK. But I’m glad I got to do a half marathon in Philadelphia, and could grab a cheesesteak afterwards!
Fun race in Philly!
Great choice for Pennsylvania on the 50 states journey. First handful of miles were all throughout the city and the rest of the course was through a nice park and … MORE
Great choice for Pennsylvania on the 50 states journey. First handful of miles were all throughout the city and the rest of the course was through a nice park and passed along the water. Some hills but not bad. Longgg turnaround in the middle/latter part of the race. It was pretty great running weather albeit a bit cold coming from the south. Wasn’t a huge fan of the swag colors but we did get a nice mug with packet pickup which was nice! Overall great trip to Philly and race allowed for a fantastic location to be posted up in – start/finish in the same location by the art museum. Stayed at the Westin about 20 min walk which was perfect and enjoyed exploring before and after!
City, history and scenery
This is large race with 10,000 +++ runners among 5 (or 6?) corrals with a brief pause in starting between corrals. Since the half and 7K races start together, that … MORE
This is large race with 10,000 +++ runners among 5 (or 6?) corrals with a brief pause in starting between corrals. Since the half and 7K races start together, that helps space out the massive amount of runners and allows for a more comfortable running experience. In the first 4 miles you get the grand tour of the city, with the main historic sites, including Independence Hall. After coming back to the start at the Art Museum, the 7k ends and the half keeps going for the nature part of the race along MLK Dr bordering the Schuylkill River until the grand finale in front of the Rocky Statue at the Art Museum. As always the support volunteers are awesome. There are enough water/electrolyte stations every 2 to 3 miles. However, they are only on one side of the road (which is random). With such a large running crowd you’ve got to be alert or you may miss a station (don’t laugh, I realized I missed one because of all the cups on the ground). I think there are a couple of gel station as well. But I bring my own gels, so don’t quote me here. Course is easy, with minor gentle inclines and a generous fast drop at about mile 7. There is a noticeable incline to finish the race. I’m sure is not too bad, but when you’re tired after 13 miles, it feels like a mountain.
The packet pick up was at he Convention Center. It is …. OK. For such a large race, I though it was going to be significantly larger. On the other hand, it had the basics you would need if you forgot (or lost) your race essentials. I was glad to see many vendors advertising other races, not only locally, but everywhere including Europe.
The City of Brotherly Love put a magnificent face for this race. I look forward to do it again.
A must run race!
I’ve heard for years how great the Love Run is, so I finally decided to see for myself—and it absolutely lived up to the hype. I’ve run several races in … MORE
I’ve heard for years how great the Love Run is, so I finally decided to see for myself—and it absolutely lived up to the hype.
I’ve run several races in Philadelphia and always find it to be a fantastic running city, and this event really showcased that. The energy was outstanding from start to finish, with enthusiastic runners, well-organized volunteers, and spectators lining the course. The City of Brotherly Love truly showed up.
Since I couldn’t make it to the expo, I opted to have my bib and shirt mailed in advance—an option I really appreciated. The only downside was missing out on the race mug, which I’ve heard (and seen) is a great perk.
This was my first time on the course, though I heard from repeat runners that it was adjusted this year, with the main hill moved earlier to around mile 6. Aside from that, the course felt relatively flat and very runnable. There were plenty of aid stations, and the multiple out-and-back sections made it fun to spot and cheer on other runners along the way.
A few small tweaks could make the experience even better: a clearer start area map showing the order of the color-coded corrals, more visible mile markers (larger and in brighter colors), and improved race communications. The pre-race emails leaned heavily toward sponsor content, and some links didn’t lead where expected.
As for the shirt, it wasn’t my favorite—but from what I’ve seen, it’s an improvement over last year’s.
Overall, this is a high-energy, well-supported race in a great city, and one I’d definitely recommend.
Love RUN!
This was my first ever HM in Philly and what a race! The scenery is terrific, combining City + Park. The first four miles are inside the city and the … MORE
This was my first ever HM in Philly and what a race! The scenery is terrific, combining City + Park. The first four miles are inside the city and the city showed up for all the runners. One big hill between mile 6-7, not the worst but it made me slow down for a little bit. I would highly recommend this race to everyone!
Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Although I am not a beginner (still a slow runner), I would say this is a very beginner-friendly course and a great race to make your first half marathon. I … MORE
Although I am not a beginner (still a slow runner), I would say this is a very beginner-friendly course and a great race to make your first half marathon. I PR’D today by 3 minutes and the crowd support definitely helped. Overall, I highly recommend this race to anyone.
Great Race in the City of Brotherly Love
Fun half marathon in Philadelphia with wonderful and friendly crowd support. Also, part of the race swag includes a mug; I love mugs! Highly recommend! MORE
Fun half marathon in Philadelphia with wonderful and friendly crowd support. Also, part of the race swag includes a mug; I love mugs! Highly recommend!
Great weather and good course
* Big hill at mile 10, otherwise flat * Good view, going through the city for the first few miles * No security, don't need to wait for a long … MORE
* Big hill at mile 10, otherwise flat
* Good view, going through the city for the first few miles
* No security, don’t need to wait for a long time before my corral started
* Good weather, just below 10 degree celsius
* Good t shirt and a mug as a swag. Post race bag can be better but it’s not bad.
* FREE finish line video
* Worth doing it again, I almost got a PB this year.
Great race, nice views
The race was a great experience from the pre race accommodations, volunteer help services, and pre run snacks/drinks they provided. The beginning of the race before 7k break off was … MORE
The race was a great experience from the pre race accommodations, volunteer help services, and pre run snacks/drinks they provided. The beginning of the race before 7k break off was scenic and energizing. Overall race experience was good, enough water stations placed over the course. Would like if some stations had quick snacks or candy for better fuel but helpful nonetheless. Ending of the race was good, enough people enough to give medals and provide snacks. Overall 10/10 experience!
Solid course for a PR
Relatively very flat course with spectators along many parts of it. There is a hill around mile 10, but overall, it is a great course with beautiful scenery. This race … MORE
Relatively very flat course with spectators along many parts of it. There is a hill around mile 10, but overall, it is a great course with beautiful scenery. This race had great hype all throughout the day.
Love Running on Flat Roads
This was my second year in a row doing the Philadelphia Love Run so some more details may be in my first review. While I still felt this was a … MORE
This was my second year in a row doing the Philadelphia Love Run so some more details may be in my first review. While I still felt this was a very good race, there were quite a few relatively minor aspects I thought were slightly worse so I downgraded it to 4 sneakers this year. My biggest frustration was pre-race. I had plans again to go to a Flyers game in the afternoon and it would have been tough for me to pick up my packet between the 5K and the hockey game along with it being out of my to go to the expo because I flew in Friday night and stayed at a hotel by the airport which is near the sports complex so I’d have to go in and then back out of the city to get the packet. As a result I paid $25 for packet mailing. However something crazy happened with my mail where my neighbor moved out but USPS accidentally cleared my mailbox and forwarded my mail not my neighbor’s and this happened around the deadline for packet mailing so I emailed the RD asking if they hadn’t mailed the packets yet if it could be mailed to my parents house instead and if that wasn’t possible what the options were and I got a very blunt and rude reply that I needed to notify them earlier that I had moved (I did not move) and that if it didn’t arrive someone else would need to pick up my packet at the expo which is a situation I literally spent $25 to avoid. I was very frustrated and I sent a very detailed email about my situation and my frustration and got a nicer reply so didn’t drop this review to 3 sneakers like I planned to after their initial reply but it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. Also if you are going to charge $25 for packet pick up (which is totally fair as I know the expo generates revenue and makes things easier race day) you need a better solution than the solution if you didn’t pay $25 for people with crazy issues with USPS. I really think you can offer race day packet pick-up in that specific of a situation without the runner begging you for it. Anyways I digress the mail issue got cleared up and thankfully my packet arrived. Packet included bib and a fine, short sleeve tech shirt with the race logo. It was a nice shirt but not remarkable. Race morning was quite chaotic (which is expected for a big race) so I’m really glad I didn’t have someone pick up my packet. All the streets are closed near the start. My mom was on the trip with me and dropped me off about 1 mile from the start as we couldn’t get closer. Everything else about the start was smooth. There are a lot of porta potties. Of course there were lines but for a race with over 10,000 runners it wasn’t bad. There are organized corrals and pacers. I believe the slowest pacer was 2:45 I lined up around there to see if I could keep up but I knew I probably couldn’t as my body wasn’t fully recovered from the mountain I raced on last week. It took about 30 minutes for all the corrals to cross the start line. The course was the same as last year and it is really nice. The first 4 mile or so are through downtown Philadelphia and are the best part. The next section is still nice and is a mostly out and back along the Schuylkill River where most Philadelphia races are located with a brief tour around some cool monuments. It is mostly flat with an uphill at mile 6 and 10. After my last two races it was nice to run a flat road race. I remember the two hills being a bit tough last year but after that UTMB race they were a piece of cake. I literally went up the one at 6 miles and didn’t think anything of it and told myself after I got up it there is a big hill at mile 6 coming up and after it didn’t arrived I realized that small hill was it. Race is well organized. It is clearly marked and there are aid stations every 1-2 miles with water and gatorade and one had Gu. There is some spectator support although not as much as expected for how big the race is but I’m sure the spectators had a hard time getting into the city. One other issue is the course seemed a bit long. My friend who I did manage to meet up with at the end agreed. I was aiming for about 3:05 but finished 3:08 as the course was about 0.2 miles longer than I expected. I know that certified courses are longer than 13.1 but usually I finish around 13.3 miles in a big, crowded race but my GPS said 13.5 miles which is more than usual. It is possibly my tangents were terrible. One thing I love about the race is it is back of the pack friendly. It has a stated 3:30 time limit but they keep it open for every one. At the finish you get your medal. It was a decent medal but a bit simple and not as nice as last year. I actually know someone who was going to do the Love Run but decided against it after the medal reveal as they were so underwhelmed by it. The post race food was also awful. You got these snack bags. Mine had these disgusting mocha espresso bar things and some packaged cookies. It also seems some people got other food than me. It was odd the 5K I did the day before had much better post race food. There were food trucks if you really wanted something more substantial. You also can pick up the race mug. The design was also underwhelming this year. I decided to meet my mom at the zoo after the race as it was a 1.5 mile walk and we weren’t sure she’d be able to pick me up much closer. Overall I still think this is a very good race. It is a really nice course that is mostly flat with a few hills to add a bit of a challenge and production was very good. However this year the swag was a bit underwhelming and the post race food was not good. Parking and the start were also chaotic but not much more so than other similarly sized races. I’d also recommend they work on their customer service and have a better solution if USPS makes a mistake. I’d still recommend this race for Pennsylvania especially if you like big, city races. I will likely do it again as I like to visit Philly but I may stay downtown within walking distance of the race and hope the flyers are playing in the evening so I can go to the expo to avoid any race packet mailing drama.
Appropriately challenging but fun
Course that primarily goes through Center City and Fairmount. A couple of climbs the most notable one at mile 10 but overall fun running experience MORE
Course that primarily goes through Center City and Fairmount. A couple of climbs the most notable one at mile 10 but overall fun running experience
Great race for PR
Water stations are adequately placed according to map. Signs for each mile are not frequently placed along the route, a bit confusing when I tried to compare my ruining time … MORE
Water stations are adequately placed according to map. Signs for each mile are not frequently placed along the route, a bit confusing when I tried to compare my ruining time to the distance. The scenery is unbeatable!
fun race, smooth process, great weather
I trained in Philly so this was a very local race for me. I felt the expo and race day itself to be well organized and not chaotic. The water … MORE
I trained in Philly so this was a very local race for me. I felt the expo and race day itself to be well organized and not chaotic. The water stations were well placed, and loved the crowds cheering for the runners. Perfect place for a first half marathon
Great Race!
Always such a fun race and a great environment to be in! It is run very well, super organized, and there is the perfect amount of runners every year. The … MORE
Always such a fun race and a great environment to be in! It is run very well, super organized, and there is the perfect amount of runners every year. The course has 2 or 3 hills but nothing too crazy. Such good vibes and I cant wait to run it again next year 🙂
Smooth and Fun
It's a very well run race. It's a fairly large race, but it runs very smoothly. The course is not overly difficult and I love the variation between running the … MORE
It’s a very well run race. It’s a fairly large race, but it runs very smoothly. The course is not overly difficult and I love the variation between running the flat streets in the city and the hills along the river. There’s enough elevation that you don’t get bored, but not so much that you’re complaining the whole time. Perfect for a seasoned runner or a beginner! Weather could be hit or miss at the end of March.
Loved the race. Enjoyed being in Philly
Fast course with 1 major and 1 minor hill climb. The major being a substantially graded hill around mile 10. It’s not overally long but chopps your legs. The minor … MORE
Fast course with 1 major and 1 minor hill climb. The major being a substantially graded hill around mile 10. It’s not overally long but chopps your legs. The minor is a short but steep onramp from a lower road to a bridge overpass of the River. Out and back is nice to see teammates and competitors. Really enjoyed running in downtown Philly. Was at an easy pace with teammates from the area so it was more of a guided running tour than a race for me which was very enjoyable.
Love it
The Love Run is a great race. High energy vibes, great swag, great pacers all around great race! This race is really well organized and the organizers are concerned about … MORE
The Love Run is a great race. High energy vibes, great swag, great pacers all around great race! This race is really well organized and the organizers are concerned about your satisfaction and enjoyment. One year my shirt did not fit and I was able to exchange it via email after the race. One I look forward to year after year.