2009 Philadelphia Marathon NEW FINISH ***MUST READ***

Wow, that does look like it could pose some problems...

My guess is that they will have it roped off somehow, half-way on the outside, finishers in a chute on the inside.

They will probably open it up after the caboose comes through the half-way point...

the problem anymore is that the caboose will not come through half way until about 4 hours or so.

The lines on the picture are not accurate. The red line is closer to what the 1/2 does, but the finish is in the middle of the Oval (towards where the A is, but only about halfway).

The full goes the direction of the green/blue lines for about a block and does a wide u-turn (kind of annoying) and then heads out towards Kelly drive on the right side of the oval as you look at the picture.

Coming back, the full stays on the same side of the oval it went out on and turns into the middle of the oval to the same finish line.

I can't see the dropbox link that you've posted because it's blocked at work, but what I'm seeing at the website doesn't look too bad. It seems the same as, or very similar to, the finish in the distance run.

VF Runner wrote:

The lines on the picture are not accurate. The red line is closer to what the 1/2 does, but the finish is in the middle of the Oval (towards where the A is, but only about halfway).

The full goes the direction of the green/blue lines for about a block and does a wide u-turn (kind of annoying) and then heads out towards Kelly drive on the right side of the oval as you look at the picture.

Coming back, the full stays on the same side of the oval it went out on and turns into the middle of the oval to the same finish line.

what you are describing is last year's course (except for the finish which used to be on the very top of the oval in front of the Art Museum)

THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT - read this:

"• S/B on MLK Drive to slight left (up the down ramp) to right onto Ben Franklin Parkway on South

side of Eakins Oval.

Half Marathon: S/B on inbound inner lanes of Ben Franklin Parkway to Finish line in the 2200 block

of the Ben Franklin Parkway at the Light Pole LUXEMBOURG.

Full Marathon: Continue around Eakins Oval counter-clockwise and outbound on Kelly Drive

........

(full marathon finish):

S/B Kelly Drive (inbound) to right in front of Art Museum to left around South side of Eakins

Oval

Slight right onto Ben Franklin Parkway to the Finish line in the 2200 block of the Ben

Franklin Parkway at the Light Pole LUXEMBOURG."

waterbottle wrote:

I can't see the dropbox link that you've posted because it's blocked at work, but what I'm seeing at the website doesn't look too bad. It seems the same as, or very similar to, the finish in the distance run.

UPDATED LINK:

Ok, so my wife, son (who is running the half) and I are flying in on Sat and flying out on Sun. Any recommendations for day before food, other Philly things, section of town etc? I don't care a lot about Liberty Bell and all that but am not opposed either. I would prefer to not endure too many walking miles or time on my feet. Since this got must read status and my first time there (no cheese steak as marathon food unfortunately)I figure someone can help. Good luck to anyone running.

I stand corrected.

It's just been one mess after another since they added the f-ing 1/2.

What do you think the odds are that they will have some kind of explanation for how this will work at the expo?

The sad thing is that a good explaination isn't going to solve the problem - the way I see it, even if EVERYBODY knows what to do, there is still a criss-cross between the marathon finishers and those (there will still be lots) approaching the halfway point.

Besides the changes described by "On your Left!!" - the other change occurs around the 10 mile mark - you do less running up atop by Memorial Hall and make up for it after you come down the Black Rd hill by turning LEFT (instead of right), taking on a bit of distance, then doing a U-turn.

3 main differences compared to last years course:

Got rid of one U-turn (previously at half way point on Ben Franklin Pkwy)

Added a U-turn as described above

Moved the finish line creating the criss-cross delema

Stinkin half-marathons. Wish they were not mixed in with the full. It really messes things up. It's all about the money!

PreRunner wrote:

Stinkin half-marathons. Wish they were not mixed in with the full. It really messes things up. It's all about the money!

I totally understand and usually agree w/ what you're saying. BUT..... in this case - the criss-cross concern would still be there with no half marathon, although I think one of the reasons they're changing the finish line is because the old half marathon finish was basically taking a full loop around the oval.

So, you're point is still well taken because this is what happened ...

* Had a great marathon event/course originally

* Introduced half marathon - led to finish line problems

* Solution to half marathon finish problems is folding the full marathon course on itself

"on your left!!!" wrote:

waterbottle wrote:

I can't see the dropbox link that you've posted because it's blocked at work, but what I'm seeing at the website doesn't look too bad. It seems the same as, or very similar to, the finish in the distance run.

UPDATED LINK:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dfwb62mc_23cxjkbtfr

Ok, so after seeing that link, I realize what you're talking about. Not what I was thinking of.

This is total horse shit.

I ran the marathon 2 years ago, wouldn't do it again, nor recommend to anyone. While Philly is a great city and the race has the POTENTIAL to be one of the best marathons in the US, the direction and management was very poor. They also changed the course that year, less than a month out. Also very crazy, starting and finishing with the half-marathoners. Again have fun, great city, poor race!

Mogdor the Vitriolic wrote:

This is total horse shit.

I don't think any of us will argue with that!!!

Get ready to throw the 4:40-6:30 marathoners an elbow or two while you are kicking to chase down prize money or a PB!

I do not mind this additional challenge, but who is responsible for any injuries that ensue?

Actually I do mind it a lot; thinking about dealing with this during the race is just going to get to me mentally. In the last 10k I will be wanting to just grit my teeth and finish, but I won't be able to do that: I'll be thinking about how I have to run 9.5k, navigate a swarm of people, then run another few hundred meters.

There's seriously no way they can set it up to avoid a big impedence to sub-3:15 finishers. Even if they rope off one lane for finishers and one lane for halfway-ers, at some point those lanes have to cross! Unless they plan to build a highway overpass or a subway tunnel, this ain't gonna work.

For all this money we pay to enter the race, this is what we get?

Philly is quite stingy about comping entries for 2:25-2:35 guys. That's fine with me. I will gladly pay to enter a race as long as I am getting a good value for my money. ie, AS LONG AS STUFF LIKE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN!

Ironic side-point: whenever people bash the slower-than-4:30 marathoning crowd, the response is 'look, how is this at all a problem for you as a sub-3:15 runner? Why do you care what is going on in the race hours behind you?' Well now folks we have an answer. We care because those people aren't racing hours behind us, they're gonna be racing right next to us, at the moment when we are really racing!

Everyone please cut and paste the email written by the OP, and send to the organizers! No way they will respond unless a ton of us do this.

thinking on a rainy day... wrote:

Ironic side-point: whenever people bash the slower-than-4:30 marathoning crowd, the response is 'look, how is this at all a problem for you as a sub-3:15 runner? Why do you care what is going on in the race hours behind you?' Well now folks we have an answer. We care because those people aren't racing hours behind us, they're gonna be racing right next to us, at the moment when we are really racing!

You finally have one point, bravo for you.