I just finished registering for it, who else is doing it???
I’m doing the 1/2.
Is there a 1/2? I thought they only had an 8K with the marathon…
Is there a 1/2? I thought they only had an 8K with the marathon…
probably the philadelphia distance run, not on the same date.
i was thinking about the philly marathon (despite never once having run nearly that far in my whole life). but it’s such a boring route. start at the art museum, finish at the art museum… i’m so tired of anything that involves the drives loop. the marathon used to wind its way through the city, that one i’d have tried to do.
I ran the Philly Marathon last year…liked it. The first half goes through downtown, down by the Deleware River, past the zoo. The second half is an out-and-back along Kelly Drive…for slow BOPs like me the second half was boring and demoralizing (watching the quick runners heading to the finish when I was still heading out). The one bright spot of the second half was the little diner on the side of Kelly Drive (forget the name) that had a huge hand-painted sign that simply said “Fried Macaroni and Cheese”…perhaps the most inspirational message I have ever seen during a race.
Medal was nice and the long-sleeve t-shirt was better than most marathon shirts. Crowd support was sparse but people were out there.
There was no half last year…just an 8K.
Hope you enjoy it if you run it.
I’m doing the 1/2.
The start and finish lines will be on Eakins Oval, by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. From the start line, runners will head towards Center City on the legendary Benjamin Franklin Parkway lined with glorious fountains, international flags and a vast array public art. You will then pass City Hall and Independence Hall. After heading back up Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the course will roll into the serene and picturesque Fairmount Park along the Schuylkill River before finishing back at Eakins Oval.
Of course, this means that the finish line will be just after the top of the hill behind the Art Museum … so we are going to run 12.95 miles, then essentially run the Rocky steps … oh, THAT sounds like fun!!!
The “Rocky steps” are not part of the course, but they are really easy to run so you can run them for show after the race.
I’ve run the race three times and like the course. The fan support is nothing like Chicago, but it’s more than Detroit, which I’ve run a few times as well. Course is not particularly hilly, just a big one around mile 10 and a smaller one in Mannyunk around mile 20; lots of crowd support for the second one. Imay be running it again this year, depends upon how my knee, which has decided to act up, survives the Half IM on Saturday.
I do it every year. I suspect this year will be no different, though I won’t register until Oct. or Nov. This will be my 7th year. It’s now a pre-Thanksgiving tradition, and I’d hate to miss it.
The 1/2 marathon, the Phila Distance Run, is in September, the week after DiamondMan. Last year I did both Diamondman and the Distance Run, but this year I’ll probably sit the Distance Run out.
I’ll more than likely be there (4th time running it). The course is nice and 95% flat. The only real hills are near Memorial Hall (mile 10), the offramp as you leave Manayunk (mile 21ish) and the slight rise in the last 400 meters which feels worse than it is.
The “Rocky steps” are not part of the course, but they are really easy to run so you can run them for show after the race.
Yes, I know that … I also know that the hill BEHIND the Art Museum is longer, steeper and more painfull after 12 miles (where it used to fall on the course) than the Rocky steps …
I lived in Philly (Gray’s Ferry, Fairmount, West Rittenhouse and The Gayborhood) for 10 years and ran the drives every weekend.