Whether you’re a seasoned runner or a first-timer, Philadelphia Marathon Weekend has an event for you. The AACR Philadelphia Marathon, the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon, or the Rothman Orthopaedics 8K gives runners options to push themselves. Up for a challenge? Then register for the Patriot Challenge (half marathon …
MORE
Whether you’re a seasoned runner or a first-timer, Philadelphia Marathon Weekend has an event for you.
The AACR Philadelphia Marathon, the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon, or the Rothman Orthopaedics 8K gives runners options to push themselves.
Up for a challenge? Then register for the Patriot Challenge (half marathon and 8K), the Independence Challenge (full marathon and 8K), the Liberty Bell Challenge (full and half marathon), or, for the ultimate fitness challenge, go ahead and sign up for the Freedom Challenge (full marathon, half marathon and 8K).
The course has been designed to be scenic, fan-friendly and, above all, great for running. It’s no wonder it’s consistently listed among the top ten races in the country.
The beautiful, fast and scenic course takes runners past historic landmarks, through urban neighborhoods, and along Philadelphia’s picturesque waterfronts.
LESS
Great spectator support
A beautiful course with top notch spectators holding some goofy signs. One of the fastest courses I’ve run on, with lots of wide streets. Nice, cool weather. Organization not great … MORE
A beautiful course with top notch spectators holding some goofy signs. One of the fastest courses I’ve run on, with lots of wide streets. Nice, cool weather. Organization not great though – package pickup unnecessarily slow and awkward; same with passing security into the start area – took over 30 minutes.
Hills and Loops
The race start was chilly, and it took a bit of time to get through security and to get the waves started. The race was well organized once you got … MORE
The race start was chilly, and it took a bit of time to get through security and to get the waves started. The race was well organized once you got into the runner area. The course overlapped itself several times, and we looped around a park for a bit. There were more hills than I anticipated. I completed the half the day prior with my 14 yo son. The marathon the next day repeated a lot of the half. It was an all around good experience. dress warmly!
first marathon!
what a lovely race to run my first marathon! good weather, generally smooth logistics, and a hilariously obnoxious medal (in a good way) which i will cherish forever - it … MORE
what a lovely race to run my first marathon! good weather, generally smooth logistics, and a hilariously obnoxious medal (in a good way) which i will cherish forever – it is one of a kind! city sights were so fun and crowd energy was great. i slogged a bit both up and down kelly drive, but the finish line was unbeatable! overall good experience 🙂
You should run this!
Race Communication, Expo, and Misc Not much email communication overall after you registered. The mobile app was well done offering highlights of the course as well as the usual race … MORE
Race Communication, Expo, and Misc
Not much email communication overall after you registered. The mobile app was well done offering highlights of the course as well as the usual race info. Expo was typical, though merchandise seemed unusually expensive. I booked my hotel thru the marathon web site.
One thing I really enjoyed about this race was the close proximity of everything. My hotel was across the street from the Expo and Reading Terminal Market which contains restaurants of seemingly every cuisine. Race start was 1 mile from the hotel (easily walkable but I took the shuttle). Historical sites were also within a mile or so walk. I took an Uber from the airport to get into town ($55) but learned the SEPTA has a train line that would have dropped me a block from the hotel ($12). I took the train on my return to the airport and felt safe: Stops were well announced.
Race Day
I bussed to the start using the shuttle the race offered. No wait. Once at the entry gates there was a security line. It was long but moved fast. There were many porta potties, however many runners commented theirs lacked TP. (For context, the half marathon was the day before. We surmised the porta potties were not resupplied after that race.) Bibs listed your starting corral on it. This was loosely enforced from what I observed, and those who wanted to move up did so. I started in corral G around 7:40 which was about 35 minutes after the elites left.
Temps at the start were upper 40s with a 10-15 mph wind. The course itself had good variety to it: mostly flat, 3 hills of notes but all manageable. Last 10 miles were undulating terrain. Crowd support was AMAZING thruout! I did count 4 unofficial adult beverage stops offered by locals, if one wanted to partake.
Post race support was typical. Nice chicken broth at the end with the usual banana, etc. Race medal was awesome with a working little Liberty bell built into it.
Amazing crowd support
The marathon ran through some interesting and some not so interesting areas but almost every mile had a crowd of people cheering you on. Some areas the crowd was very … MORE
The marathon ran through some interesting and some not so interesting areas but almost every mile had a crowd of people cheering you on. Some areas the crowd was very loud. The race start was delayed for a few minutes and if you are slow like me, then the back of the pack didn’t start until approximately 45 minutes after the first gun. Each corral gets their own start, which is nice to get hyped back up after standing in the cold for so long. The course is not flat but I wouldn’t call it hilly either. There are some challenging inclines sprinkled throughout the course. My one big gripe was that the portable toilets seemed to be mostly towards the front of the race and became almost nonexistent as the miles progressed. If I was running the half it would have been fine, but us poor marathon runners need them on the back half too.
Overall it was a fun race and I would recommend it.
Awesome for a first Marathon
Porta potty definitely ran out of toilet paper, Bring some if you do the half or the full, I done the half marathon five years, this year I decided to … MORE
Porta potty definitely ran out of toilet paper, Bring some if you do the half or the full, I done the half marathon five years, this year I decided to dive into the 26.2 miles. Heating tent are good, if you get there early and there’s a long line move onto the next gate. I filled my empty water bottles when I got past Security. The weather was perfect this year you could not beat it. I wore shorts and you can see my videos on my YouTube channel. I’ve been running with an action camera since I started running in 2017. Start time is pretty close to on time. I usually start in the back which being there are so many participants. The H corral started about 7:45. You can see from my results.
Very Poor Logistics; Some Scenery
This was my first time in philly and I ran both the half and the full marathon - "The Liberty Challenge". Here are my pros and cons list I think … MORE
This was my first time in philly and I ran both the half and the full marathon – “The Liberty Challenge”. Here are my pros and cons list I think runners should know.
Pros: When in the city, it was great scenery. Cool historical stuff, old houses, etc. Rolling hills were manageable.
One medal was cool (dinging bell!)
The shirts are nice quality, long sleeve, and the designs are great.
Good crowds in some parts
Warming tents much appreciated.
Cons List:
Cannot bring in water which means you need to use their PLASTIC water bottles (16 oz) to fill up. They ran out of water. I know. Explain this to me.
Half Marathon course support was way smaller than the full – there was only one spot with the fruit bars and they were on the ground.
No other sugar provided on either course. Only Nuun and water.
The three medals we received (half, full and the challenge) are all the exact same with just different wording. Total bummer.
The porta-potty lines were INSANE.
The race on both days started 45 minutes late.
Amazing crowd support thru a great city!
The energy of Philly is electric, from the fellow runners to the city itself. I'm a back of the pack runner, and there were spectators cheering me to the very … MORE
The energy of Philly is electric, from the fellow runners to the city itself. I’m a back of the pack runner, and there were spectators cheering me to the very end, enthusiastically too! As other reviewers have stated, there were some aid stations that were broken down early or out of water of Nuun. The course through the city itself is fun and engaging, but the out and back along the river from mile 16 to mile 24 is a morale killer. It’s just a constant long rolling hill, with nothing too spectacular to look at. There were crowds out there cheering though! All in all, a great race. I would definitely recommend running it at least once 🙂
Good race but not my favorate
I ran the 8k last year and just did the half this year. I went though the security check pretty quickly but spent a long time waiting for the toilets. … MORE
I ran the 8k last year and just did the half this year. I went though the security check pretty quickly but spent a long time waiting for the toilets. Checked my bag at 7 and then waited for over half an hour for my corral in the chilly wind.
The first half of the course is in the city but there was not much too see. I was expecting more scenery especially near the river. I usually prefer running in closed city streets but I prefer the second half this time. It was a little hilly in the second half but not too bad.
I just started to run half marathons this fall. Overall the weather is cold and I don’t really like this course. It would be a great choice if you like Philly or into more challenging races. I registered for the love run next spring. It seems to be a better choice for me.
Great race through history
This race was easily one of my top 3 races. I really enjoyed all aspects of the race and would definitely consider doing it again! Starting with packet pickup and … MORE
This race was easily one of my top 3 races. I really enjoyed all aspects of the race and would definitely consider doing it again!
Starting with packet pickup and the Health Expo. Packet pickup was simple and easy. I got there not long after the expo opened on Friday. It was definitely a mad house, but the workers did a great job of helping people and getting them their bibs and extras. Lots of booths and vendors to check out. It was certainly one of the better expos I’ve been too, on par with Dallas and Baltimore. The race shirt included was a nice performance long sleeve shirt, fits well and looks nice!
Race day went off extremely well. Security was tight, but I would expect it at a bigger race. There were shuttles from many hotels to the race location. I hopped a shuttle to get there. Oh my goodness! The driver had the heat cranked up to the max, we were sweating before we even got to the site! Philly was cold and chilly on Saturday morning. The ground was very soggy from the rain the last few days. The race had a warming tent onsite, which was nice. However, one of my complaints would be there was no light in the huge tent. Everyone had to use their phone lights to see. Lights in the tent the next time around would be great! Otherwise, everything else was great, bag check was smooth, lining up for the race was easy, the start was smooth, though the delays between waves was wearying.
The race itself was amazing! Beautiful scenery almost the entire length of the course. We first ran through town, down Market street and past Independence Hall and many major historical sites. Wow! From there we dropped down to the riverfront. Oh! I forgot to mention, the wind that day was brutal. After you leave the water front, you run through some amazing neighborhoods. They were great, I particularly loved running up South St. then you are back to downtown. the crowd support at this point was AMAZING! It was a great vibe and really pumped up the runners. After that you run across the river through Drexel University and into the park. The park area was fine, crowd support was thinner, but expected. Finally back into town for the final finish. Again crowd support the final push was amazing!
The race medal was great, everyone was wearing them around town all day. You could easily tell the runners from the Liberty bells ringing around our necks. Overall this was easily a top 3 destination run for me. I would highly recommend this race for anyone. Great scenery, great crowds support, great race prep and execution. Well done!!
BYO water bottle and toiler paper
**YOU CAN (AND SHOULD!) BRING SEALED WATER BOTTLES THROUGH SECURITY** We arrived at 6 am for a race start of 7 and the water station was dry. The lines for … MORE
**YOU CAN (AND SHOULD!) BRING SEALED WATER BOTTLES THROUGH SECURITY**
We arrived at 6 am for a race start of 7 and the water station was dry. The lines for the bathrooms were lengthy and slow, and the state of the port-o-potties was frankly disgusting. NO toilet paper and an extremely unhygienic state in general (and I’ve been to a music festival or two). Security was easy, we ended up driving in and did a spothero reservation for the garage at 1815 Cherry St and walked over which was perfect. You do need to take everything out of your pockets, so if you are not doing gear check, bring a gallon sized ziplock so you’re not dumping all your gels into the little bucket at the metal detector.
Course-wise, I was in Corral G and we crossed the start at 7:45, so if you are in a later corral, don’t fret about not being in it right at 7:00. As is expected, slower groups have more depleted resources, and it was hard to know who had just water and who had nuun when grabbing a cup from the hydration station. The course was great, relatively flat with a little bit of gain going up towards the park and coming back from mile 20, but I found the hills doable. The crowd support is awesome, but there was a lot of spectator crossing/entering to record/support their friends which was disruptive and difficult at times to navigate. I had someone jump in front of me to record her friend, only to stop right in front of me to step off the course and we collided a bit. I didn’t think any of the swag (a bag and a shirt) was that great, nor was I impressed with the optional stuff to buy– I actually thought the half marathon shirt was WAY cooler. The finish line tent had orange and apple juice, water, bananas, apple sauce, muffins, and (my personal favorite) hot chicken broth–the salt was amazing!
Overall, it’s a good race if you want the crowd energy, most of the course has supporters, and it’s a cool way to see a lot of the city.
Philly Love
Philly really came out with the love and energy. The run ranks second on crowd support to the NYC Half. Cold and windy conditions didn’t stop folks for coming out. … MORE
Philly really came out with the love and energy. The run ranks second on crowd support to the NYC Half. Cold and windy conditions didn’t stop folks for coming out. Love the course and organization. Of course I had a couple beers at mile 5ish.
Maybe next time, I’ll have better planning and not go out the first 3 and some change miles at an 9min mile pace. I felt so cold that I didn’t finish my Patriot Challenge of running the 8K about 35 mins after finishing the half.
That’s state number 11 for me and overall Half of 25.
I will be doing this one again in the future.
Awesome run through a historic city
The swag was awesome. Nice half zip and incredible medal. Did this run as part of the Freedom Challenge. Start and end at the museum, run through center city and … MORE
The swag was awesome. Nice half zip and incredible medal. Did this run as part of the Freedom Challenge. Start and end at the museum, run through center city and on the outskirts of Philly.
Awesome run through a historic city
Did this run as part of the Freedom Challenge where you also run the half and full marathons. Took my time to not burn out the legs and enjoy the … MORE
Did this run as part of the Freedom Challenge where you also run the half and full marathons. Took my time to not burn out the legs and enjoy the city. Starts and ends by the museum. The course takes you through center city and then both sides of the river, by boat house row.
Awesome run through historical Philly
Everything about the weekend was awesome. Great expo, great race, and great finisher medal. The run is through downtown Philadelphia. The crowd was loud and awesome. MORE
Everything about the weekend was awesome. Great expo, great race, and great finisher medal. The run is through downtown Philadelphia. The crowd was loud and awesome.
Don't run with bronchitis
Not my best race since I ran sick, don't recommend it. I wasn't the last to finish but it was close. The hardest part was seeing people getting swept out … MORE
Not my best race since I ran sick, don’t recommend it. I wasn’t the last to finish but it was close. The hardest part was seeing people getting swept out of the race or flat out quitting. After mile 16 there weren’t any more water stations or first aid stations available for runners in the back of the pack. Luckily some of the spectators who were left, helped runners get water and something to snack on. If it weren’t for them, I’m not sure myself or others that were around me would have finished.
Security was probably the worst part of the race to be quite honest. They made everyone throw away their waters and there weren’t water available to refill your bottle again that I’ve seen. The lines for security were long and slow, that the marathon started and you’d see masses of people still in line trying to get through to start the race. Luckily I got there in just enough time to start.
The medals were honestly awesome! I did the freedom challenge and that was HUGE!!
Also, my husband who’s a front of the pack runner, who ran this race, had an entirely different experience. Lots of crowds, plenty of water stations, etc. So even though it wasn’t my day, he had a blast! I still recommend people to try it out, just don’t run with bronchitis like I did.
Amazing Spectators!
By far, this marathon has had the craziest spectators (in a good way!). I could not believe how many spectators there were screaming for us. They were so supportive. I … MORE
By far, this marathon has had the craziest spectators (in a good way!). I could not believe how many spectators there were screaming for us. They were so supportive. I ended up running faster than I planned. I think it was because of the high energy from the spectators. The expo was nice. It was also nice staying in the city. They provided shuttles to and from the hotel I stayed at, which was super helpful.
All great, but the bag check
This is a very well organized race and a lot of positive energy from the people around. I think they were trying something new with the checking of bags, it … MORE
This is a very well organized race and a lot of positive energy from the people around. I think they were trying something new with the checking of bags, it didn’t work. Race started and there were still too many people in line to check their bags. The race merchandise and expo were very good….a very nice idea having hot chicken broth at the end.
Best spectators, best cheering
Definitely, the amount of spectators, and how they cheer you, it is unbelievable. It is clear that the Philly people love their marathon, and you feel cheered like nowhere else. … MORE
Definitely, the amount of spectators, and how they cheer you, it is unbelievable. It is clear that the Philly people love their marathon, and you feel cheered like nowhere else.
Medal and race shirt were really good.
The course is beautiful, but challenging because of the rolling hills. The total ascent is more than 600 ft.
There were very long lines to use the portable toiles at the start, even just 5 minutes before the start. Early arrival is highly recommended.
After the finish line, the food variety was sort of limited.
First half of the Patriot Challenge
This year's expo seemed to be a little thinner than last year's, but the race weather was perfect. I hear that security was a nightmare, but I got there right … MORE
This year’s expo seemed to be a little thinner than last year’s, but the race weather was perfect. I hear that security was a nightmare, but I got there right when it opened so breezed through and got a seat in the warming tent to pass the time until the race started. This year’s weather was perfect (I even wore shorts!), and the medal as always was very nice…though unfortunately the race ran out for the slower runners (I started early since I was doing the challenge). I’m sure they were disappointed, but the race is doing all they can to make up for it and promptly addressed the issue which was caused by record race turnout. This year’s shirt was again a long sleeve tech shirt featuring a running Ben Franklin kite and all. The challenge medal is huge and the entire reason I do the challenge when I run this event haha.
The course itself is a nice running tour of Philly and while it has some hills of note, I wouldn’t call it hard just challenging at times. Due to the weather, crowd support along the race course was amazing. My disappointment from this year is no street pretzels at the finish. Those I missed, but the other usual post race snacks were there and I had to run along to the 8k anyway.