Philadelphia Marathon


The Philadelphia Marathon is an annual marathon sporting event held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the third Sunday of November each year since 1954. The Philadelphia Marathon ranks among the top ten in the nations largest marathons with over 30,000 runners, 60,000 spectators and 3,000 volunteers. The 30,000 runners come from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and over 42 countries. The marathon course is professionally certified at by the Road Running Technical Council of USA Track & Field. Leo Dignam is the current executive director of the Philadelphia Marathon.

History

The roots of the AACR Philadelphia Marathon can be traced back to 1954, the race’s unofficial inaugural year. The marathon then largely was a suburban event and went by many different names; the Greater Philadelphia Independence Marathon and the Fairmount Park Marathon. The marathon today, was established under the name of the Philadelphia Marathon in 1994 under then Mayor Ed Rendell as an annual running event that took place entirely within the City of Philadelphia.
This yearly event takes place on the 3rd Sunday in November or “the Sunday before Thanksgiving”. The Marathon is a top U.S. running event and top Boston qualifier with 30,000 runners participating in one or more of 5 featured events. During Marathon Weekend over 60,000 spectators and over 3,000 volunteers provide valuable race day support. Working along with volunteers from local schools, colleges and universities and the community actively participate to organize cheer zones, manage replenishment stations, monitor the course and provide support to help runners have their best possible runner experience while in the “City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection”.
As a major City event, the Marathon was produced by the Office of the City Representative. In 1995,a group of dedicated runners and Dr. Peter Sharkey of the Rothman Institute, a top Philadelphia orthopedic practice, sponsored a smaller running event as part of the Sunday Marathon event. Now, 23 years and 3,000 runners later, the Rothman 8K is an integral part of Marathon Weekend and an enjoyable event for beginners or those who just want to run. It is also for some, a warm-up for the longer distances. In 2006, a half marathon was added to the Sunday line up by Janis Pierce, the City Representative at that time, and a runner.
In 2011, two competitors died, which were the first deaths to occur in the Philadelphia Marathon in over a decade. The first was Jeffrey Lee, a 21-year-old Nursing and Wharton student attending the University of Pennsylvania. Having collasped after crossing the finish line of an apparent heart attack, the cause of his death actually remains unknown. Although the cause of death was officially diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, after further examination of the autopsy, it was concluded that the diagnosis may not have been accurate since the size of his heart would have been normal for an athlete. Therefore, medical professionals believe his death may have been caused by an underlying heart condition, not a heart attack.
The second death was of Chris Gleason, a 40-year-old experienced triathlete from Clifton Park, NY. Gleason collapsed a quarter-mile from the finish line from heart attack.
In 2013, Gore-Tex was announced to be the title sponsor for the next three years.
In 2017, American Association of Cancer Research was announced to be the title sponsor for the next three years for the .
In 2017, Dietz & Watson was announced to be the official sponsor for the .
In 2017, the Rothman Institute agreed to continue its sponsorship of the . The Rothman Institute has been part of the Philadelphia Marathon for over 19 years, dating back to when Drs. Richard Rothman and Peter Sharkey began sponsoring the 8K as part of their community outreach efforts.
In 2017, Dunkin' Donuts was announced to be the official sponsor for the .
In 2018, Garmin joined the team of sponsors for the Marathon, and was named the official timer and running watch for that year's marathon.
In 2020, the Marathon was cancelled after mayor Jim Kenney announced a moratorium on public gatherings of more than 50 people within the city of Philadelphia on July 14th due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Registrants were given the option of either transferring their entry to 2021, 2022, or 2023, or obtaining a refund.

Course

The course begins and ends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Philadelphia Marathon course is relatively flat and offers a view of many historical landmarks that include Independence Hall, the Betsy Ross House and the Liberty Bell. The course travels the streets of Old City on Penn’s Landing, parallel to the Delaware River, along the Schuylkill River and out to Manayunk. The highest elevation in the course is approximately 148 feet. The terrain presents many uphill and downhill challenges for the runners, though the course itself is very flat compared to other large scale marathons.

Runner information

The event also serves as a qualifying race for entry into the Boston Marathon for participants whose times meet age group bracketed standards. The race also features a state of the art timing system, using a small chip that attached to the back of each runner's bib that provides a 'chip time' for when the person has crossed the start and finish lines, as well as giving a traditional 'gun time'.
Health and Fitness Expo - Runners pick up their race packets that include a race bib, timing tag, T-shirt and bag at the free two-day health and fitness expo located in the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Cheer Zones – Spectators can select from more than 20 cheer zones throughout the course to show support to the runners.
Transportation - Detours throughout parts of the city begin at 3AM and run until 1PM

Awards

Several cash prizes are awarded for the full marathon.
All marathon runners receive a Philadelphia Marathon T-shirt, a Finisher Medal and a finisher certificate.

Other races

Dietz & Watson Half Marathon

The Half Marathon was added to Race Weekend in 2006 and winds through Philadelphia’s most scenic and historic neighborhoods. From the history-steeped streets of Old City, through one of the liveliest stretches of Center City, across the Schuylkill, up through the bucolic trails of Fairmount Park, and back down to canvas the banks of the river. The course is also sanctioned by USA Track & Field. Dietz and Watson is the current sponsor for the half-marathon portion of the Philadelphia Marathon weekend. Each runner receives a t-shirt, a finisher medal and a finisher certificate.

Rothman 8K

The Rothman Institute sponsors an 8-km companion race to the Philadelphia Marathon. This race follows a shorter loop of the marathon, starting off on the expansive Benjamin Franklin Parkway before taking a turn on the scenic banks of the Schuylkill River and Martin Luther King Drive. Each runner receives a T-shirt, a finisher medal and a finisher certificate.

Environmental impact

The Philadelphia Marathon, who collaborated with Green Mountain Energy partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement to turn the race into an eco-friendly sporting event.
In 2007, the Marathon’s eco-friendly events began with recycling paper, cardboard, plastics, food and medals. Each year the “going green” efforts continued. Pallets were recycled, the Marathon partnered with the More Foundation by recycling sneakers to support families in Ghana, partnered with the Streets Department and began composting cups and organics and introduced the “Waste Watchers Volunteers” to facilitate on-site sorting. In 2012-2013, the Philadelphia Marathon received a Gold Certification from the Council of responsible Sport and organization that certifies special events for environmental sustainability and community engagement. In 2014-15 the Marathon received Green Certification along with achieving Zero Waste.
Some of the sustainable initiatives include:
Winners by Country
NumberCountryLast Time
62United States2017
8Kenya2017
7Russia2013
6Ethiopia2019
3Ukraine2008
2Netherlands2011
2Canada2005
2Jamaica1985
2Austria1964
1Mexico2015
1Finland2009
1Yugoslavia1996
1Bermuda1985

Winners by Continent
NumberContinentLast Time
68North America2017
14Africa2019
9Europe2011
7Asia2013