My marathons

Saucony Love Run Philly Half Marathon

Philadelphia
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photograph by Rgordon6~commonswiki (Wikimedia Commons), Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The half marathon starts and finishes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, at the foot of the Rocky steps, and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is closed from 20th Street through the museum on race morning.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Start and finish at the Rocky stepsStart and finish at the Museum of Art, below the Rocky steps.
  • Mile four in 1 h 20 min, 3.5 hours to finishMile four by 1 h 20 min; 3.5 hours overall, then unsupported.
  • A cool spring morningAverage low 39 F, high 56 F on race day.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseFinishStart and finish at the Rocky stepsStart and finish at the Museum of Art, below the Rocky steps.

The race begins and ends at the Museum of Art, 2451 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, right at the foot of the famous Rocky steps where family and friends can photograph the finish. The Parkway is closed from 20th Street through the Art Museum on race morning, for Homeland Security precautions, and asks runners to allow extra time for arrival and parking.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsMile four in 1 h 20 min, 3.5 hours to finishMile four by 1 h 20 min; 3.5 hours overall, then unsupported.

The organiser sets two checks: runners must hit mile four in 1 hour 20 minutes from the start and complete the race in 3.5 hours, otherwise they can still finish but unsupported. The minimum age is 13, and anyone older than 10 but under 13 may take part accompanied by a registered adult through the whole course.

Sourced

Whole courseConditionsA cool spring morningAverage low 39 F, high 56 F on race day.

For race day the organiser gives an average low of 39 degrees and an average high of 56 degrees Fahrenheit, with average precipitation of 0.12 inches, and calls it very similar to the weather at the Philadelphia Marathon.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Philadelphia, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7.3mile 4.6
  2. km 14.7mile 9.1

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
21.1 km13.1 mi
cut-off
3:30 h

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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