From Friday, Nov. 17, through Sunday, Nov. 19, seasoned runners and first-timers alike will hit the city streets for a series of races!
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This is the 30th year the event is being held. It's also been deemed one of the top 10 marathons in the country.
Those participating will jog through historic Center City, Fairmount Park, University City, Manayunk, and more. Runners will also see the city's most iconic landmarks, like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Boathouse Row, while spectators cheer them on.
The races also contribute to the American Association for Cancer Research, with a goal of raising $600,000 this year.
Ahead of this massive event, here's everything you need to know for Philadelphia's Marathon Weekend:
EVENTS, RACES
- Health & Fitness Expo at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (Nov. 17, 18)
- The Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon (Nov. 18)
- The Rothman Orthopaedics 8K Run (Nov. 18)
- The Nemours Children's Run (Nov. 18)
- The Patriot Challenge - 8K and Half Marathon (Nov. 18)
- The Independence Challenge - 8K and Full Marathon (Nov. 18, 19)
- The Liberty Bell Challenge - Half and Full Marathon (Nov. 18, 19)
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- The Freedom Challenge - 8K, Half Marathon, and Full Marathon (Nov. 18, 19)
- The AACR Philadelphia Marathon (Nov. 19)
All of the above races kick off at 22nd Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway. See links for various start times.
RELATED | Maps for all 2023 Philadelphia Marathon Weekend races
OUT OF MEDALS
The Philadelphia Marathon Weekend is so widely popular, that event organizers said on Saturday that this year they ran out of medals.
Each runner is supposed to receive a medal at the end of their race.
In an Instagram story, the event apologized for the shortage, writing in part:
"With great numbers comes great responsibility, and we acknowledge that we fell short in ensuring every runner received a medal today. We understand the disappointment of not receiving a medal after your hard work- Please know that we are committed to rectifying this."
The statement went on to say that runners would eventually get a medal in the mail. Officials say participant data will be used to send everyone a medal who did not receive one.
They also stated a discount code for next year's race will also be sent out.
Read the full statement from Philadelphia Marathon below:
The Philadelphia Marathon Weekend would like to issue a sincere apology to all runners who did not receive a medal at the finish line this morning. We acknowledge that we fell short ensuring that every runner received a medal. We understand the disappointment of not receiving a medal and are committed to rectifying this quickly. Through our participation data we will have a record of those who did not receive a medal today and we will be sending them one as soon as possible, along with a discount code for next year's race to express our appreciation for their patience and understanding.
We followed race practice and based the number of medals needed on the industry average percentage of people who register but do not end up running. Not only did we break the record of number of registrations the race has ever experienced, we also had the highest number of day-of participants show up for all three races that took place today, which is significantly higher than race averages. We are deeply sorry for any disappointment this may have caused and are dedicated to making it right.
Based on our projections, we are prepared and excited to welcome our AACR Marathon participants tomorrow and we are looking forward to another record-breaking race day.
SPECTATORS' GUIDE
Philadelphia Marathon Weekend isn't just a special event for the runners, but for the faithful fans as well!
Athletes every year look forward to the enthusiastic spectators cheering them on from the sides, often with colorful signs in hand.
Visit philadelphiamarathon.com for spectator maps if you want to help get runners across the finish lines.
And if you know someone and want to track their progress as they go, use the marathon's runner tracking system! Once a race is over, you can see results at philadelphiamarathon.com.
ROAD CLOSURES, TRANSPORTATION
You can find a full list of road closures for the entire weekend on the city's website, phila.gov. There are numerous closures throughout the entire weekend beginning as early as 9:30 a.m. Friday.
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"No Parking" regulations will also be strictly enforced over the weekend. All vehicles on the race route will be relocated by city officials.
There will be restricted access to the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday and Sunday. During racing hours, visitors will have access to the museum via Spring Garden Street (the Spring Garden Street Bridge) to Anne D'Harncourt Drive.
SEPTA officials also announced that its transit system will experience detours starting at 6 a.m. Saturday that will last until Sunday. Select buses will operate on different routes during the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon and the AACR Philadelphia Marathon.
You can find route changes below or at SEPTA.org:
Routes K-12: K, R, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12
Routes 16-31: 16, 17, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 31
Routes 32-47: 32, 33, 35, 38, 40, 42, 43, 47
Routes 47M-125: 47M, 48, 57, 61, 64, 65, 124/125, Trolley Route 15 (Bus)
In addition, Bus Routes 7, 32, 33, 38, 43, 48 and 49 will operate on a temporary detour for the setup of marathon events on Ben Franklin Parkway between Eakins Oval and 20th Street.
For access to the start and finish lines of each events, spectators can take the Regional Rail to Suburban or 30th Street stations.
Riders should check SEPTA's System Status page for the latest information.