Phialdelphia Marathon----fast course?

Their website and course map would be a wonderful place to start.

Alan

I ran it a few years ago and it seems pretty fast. A number of guys ran qualifiers there. Not me though, as I can't even dream that fast these days.

A fairly good size hill at about 9 or 10 (up then down), but mostly flat otherwise. The logistics are pretty easy to deal with too. The start and finish are at the same place, so no bus to a start hours in advance. I stayed in a hotel a half mile from the start. Walked over about a half hour prior to the race.

I have a listing of all amjor marathons in the US offering prize money above $2k for the winner. In this listing I have also analyzed the courses based on the information provided on the website (elevation map, course layout, etc.) and based on personal experience and that of trusted friends.

Philadelphia is on my list and among the fastest courses listed. From a course perspective I would recommend it for running a fast time.

But weather, logistics and other consideration should be taken into account.

In addition to the aforementioned 9-10 hill, there are some very slight hills in the second half but in general it is flat along the river. You might not even consider these late race climbs to be hills if it wasn't the last 10k of a marathon but they deserve note. Overall, it is a pretty fast course though.

The organization was a disaster last year. Maybe that's not a big deal for the invited and elite athletes, but for those of us looking to run well a little ways back, there was congestion and confusion with half marathoners, some course confusion, some mile marker problems, and some pre- and post-race logistics that were among the worst I've encountered at a 'big-city' marathon.

If you register for Philly in 2007, make sure you use American Express, or do whatever you have to in order to get into the VIP tent.

Before the race, there were definitely not enough porta potties for the number of runners, the entire pre-race organizing was a NIGHTMARE. The Expo was in a tiny tent and it was way too crowded to even move.

The course itself is pretty flat. Some hills, but nothing that will kill you. The worst was around mile 9, just a long winding incline that really wasn't all that troubling.

The mile markers, however, were off in some spots.

Finally, after the race back in the VIP tent they ran out of food and drinks.

At least the weather (42) wasn't bad, and the wind was somewhat calm.

Search for threads, I know there was one about how screwed up the race was. If they say they hired someone else to organize the race or that they are going to make major improvements, go for it. If not, I would go to Chicago if possible.

IMHO...it is not fast. There is a serious hill @ 8-9, a lot of rolling hills, and idiotic management.

The start is ok.

Water/support is pretty good.

Course management is poor - a lot of potential traffic from miles 6-10.

Forget trying to store your bag or take a dump before the race.

The organizers treat it like a local "Turkey Trot". So it will never have the polish of Chicago, or a European marathon.

Spoke w/ some of the organizers at Boston this weekend - they are aware of the problems and are going to address them. E.G., the expo will be moved to an larger indoor site, they will bring in extra start mats so they can use the whole width of Franklin Pkwy, etc.

I also suggested that if they are going to retain the half marathon (a mistake, IMO) they might want to send the halfers on the SECOND half of the marathon course, up to Manayunk. That way they would not interfere w/ the marathoners, they'd be off the course before they even came upon them. That is going to be considered.