With around 18,000 participants (1/2 + full run together), this is a big-city marathon. It was the 3rd largest I have run, with only the Marine Corp.and San Diego marathons being larger.
Since I have come to the point that I don't think I can get set a new PR, I decided to take my time and enjoy the course, so I took pictures along the way and posted them to facebook as I ran.
The weather was perfect, a bit chilly at the start, but just right once we got moving. It was in the 40's to about 50 by the end, and was also sunny most of the time.
The first half of the course was more interesting than the final 13.1 (it ran through a park with neat building built for expo in 1876, past the zoo, "Boathouse Row" on the east bank of the Schuylkill River, which is a row of 15 boathouses housing social and rowing clubs and their racing shells. The boathouses are all at least a century old, and some were built over 150 years ago, and also the famous art museum from Rocky). A good part of the second half is a basic out-and-back that follows the Schuylkill River up to Manayunk. Most of it is a pretty stretch, but I always hate a long out-and-back, especially in the last 1/2, and it seemed like the turn around in Manayunk would never come.
Manayunk is an awesome little town with a lot of neat shops and restaurants, after the race we went up there for a while, did some shopping at some really neat thrift stores, had a drink in a awesome coffee shop (with lot's of sugar-free creations), and ate dinner at a Indian restaurant.
Finish time was 5:15:02 within a minute of my 1st and 3rd marathon's.
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