I ran the Philadelphia Marathon in 2010 and set my Marathon PR during that race, so its safe to say I have a soft spot for this race!
Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the Expo but the race organizers made it easy for me to have a friend pick up my race packet! The start of the race had lots of Porta Potties and enough space to warm up with strides, and hang with family. There was plenty of parking lots, but I would say the parking situation could have been a bit more organized as it tool longer than I would have liked. My favorite part of the start was the Corrals! To have corrals separated by expected finishing time is a fantastic idea that I feel more races should implement! This helped to eliminate crowds at the start and make the race flow very smoothly especially in those ever so critical early miles!
The race itself was fantastic! I absolutely love the city of Philadelphia and this was a great way to see it! Lots of sights and also great routes by the water that showed another side of the city. Running around others in my general pace group helped me a lot on this race. Its easier to run your race without having to pass slower runners all day long. The out and back during this course worked great as it gave me an opportunity to see my family! This race wasn’t necessarily FLAT but it wasn’t hilly either. It was a fair course and one that I’d recommend to attempt a PR or BQ
Post race was great but it was all about meeting with my family. I loved the Philadelphia Soft Pretzels at the end of the race, it was heaven sent at that point! This race is highly highly recommended. Its a great alternative to some of the bigger races that get sold out quickly like New York, Chicago, Boston and MCM. It is a well organized event and a great course!