Philadelphia Marathon
Philadelphia Marathon race day weather
Cool morning, steady finish warmth
Runners will face temperatures starting at 48°F and climbing to 55°F, with a light breeze from the SSW. The average humidity is high at 77%, prompting a need for hydration strategies. Key challenges include headwinds from miles 3-4 and 16, urging runners to conserve energy during those segments. With the finish in warmer conditions, starting conservatively is advisable.
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Philadelphia Marathon route and elevation
The Philadelphia Marathon course has about 628 ft (191 m) of climbing and 604 ft (184 m) of descent, a net rise of about 24 ft (7 m). It is hillier than 64% of the marathon courses racecast.io has mapped, measured by what the hills cost in time. The hardest mile is mile 13, with 98 ft (30 m) of climbing.
Biggest climbs
- Miles 3.6 to 8.2: climbs about 105 ft (32 m).
- Miles 9.3 to 10.7: climbs about 100 ft (31 m).
- Miles 12.3 to 13.3: climbs about 85 ft (25 m).
What the hills cost
- 3:30 on a flat course is about 3:31 here (1 minute slower).
- 4:00 on a flat course is about 4:01 here (1 minute slower).
- 4:30 on a flat course is about 4:32 here (2 minutes slower).
Hills only, priced mile by mile on the course map. The pace calculator above adds the race-day weather.
Even-effort splits for a 3:30, 4:00 or 4:30 finish
| Mile | Climb | Descent | 3:30 | 4:00 | 4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 ft | 6 ft | 8:02 | 9:11 | 10:20 |
| 2 | 15 ft | 20 ft | 7:57 | 9:05 | 10:13 |
| 3 | 9 ft | 32 ft | 7:52 | 8:59 | 10:07 |
| 4 | 20 ft | 4 ft | 8:06 | 9:16 | 10:25 |
| 5 | 7 ft | 4 ft | 8:00 | 9:09 | 10:17 |
| 6 | 0 ft | 1 ft | 7:58 | 9:06 | 10:15 |
| 7 | 5 ft | 0 ft | 8:01 | 9:09 | 10:18 |
| 8 | 69 ft | 6 ft | 8:30 | 9:43 | 10:55 |
| 9 | 29 ft | 65 ft | 7:49 | 8:57 | 10:04 |
| 10 | 86 ft | 30 ft | 8:26 | 9:38 | 10:51 |
| 11 | 21 ft | 19 ft | 7:59 | 9:07 | 10:16 |
| 12 | 22 ft | 57 ft | 7:50 | 8:57 | 10:04 |
| 13 | 98 ft | 70 ft | 8:12 | 9:23 | 10:32 |
| 14 | 37 ft | 38 ft | 7:58 | 9:06 | 10:14 |
| 15 | 29 ft | 38 ft | 7:55 | 9:03 | 10:12 |
| 16 | 19 ft | 97 ft | 7:41 | 8:47 | 9:52 |
| 17 | 6 ft | 7 ft | 7:58 | 9:06 | 10:14 |
| 18 | 11 ft | 12 ft | 7:58 | 9:06 | 10:15 |
| 19 | 31 ft | 16 ft | 8:05 | 9:14 | 10:24 |
| 20 | 30 ft | 27 ft | 8:00 | 9:08 | 10:16 |
| 21 | 44 ft | 56 ft | 7:55 | 9:03 | 10:11 |
| 22 | 42 ft | 42 ft | 7:58 | 9:07 | 10:15 |
| 23 | 21 ft | 24 ft | 7:57 | 9:05 | 10:13 |
| 24 | 9 ft | 9 ft | 7:58 | 9:06 | 10:15 |
| 25 | 12 ft | 10 ft | 7:59 | 9:08 | 10:16 |
| 26 | 25 ft | 17 ft | 8:02 | 9:10 | 10:19 |
| Last 0.2 | 18 ft | 0 ft | 1:54 | 2:11 | 2:27 |
Explore the Philadelphia Marathon course with the weather and your pace along the route, or compare it with other races.
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About the Philadelphia Marathon
The Philadelphia Marathon starts on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 22nd Street, passes Independence Hall in Old City and crosses the Schuylkill River into University City. It climbs through Fairmount Park, follows Kelly Drive to an out-and-back through Manayunk, and finishes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The course is USATF-certified and a Boston qualifier, and the course records are 2:13:28 for men (Mike Chesire, 2021) and 2:28:34 for women (Leslie Sexton, 2021). The marathon runs in late November, with a half marathon and 8K the day before. Wikipedia
Race weekend
Tips from Runners
From 90 race reports by runners: what worked for them, not official race information.
Several runners hit long security lines at the Parkway start, and one lost 40 minutes there. A 2024 runner recommends reaching the checkpoints by 5:30 so you aren't rushed.
Use the start village portable toilets soon after you clear security. Several runners found the lines swelled close to the gun, and a 2023 runner saw people forming their own line at each unit move much faster.
Ease off on the climbs at miles 8, 10 and 12 and don't hammer the descents. One runner who let it fly downhill paid for it on the long drop onto Kelly Drive near mile 16.
Don't trust your watch's pace through Center City, where several runners saw GPS thrown off by the tall buildings. Run by effort until the course leaves downtown.
If you stay in Center City, the hotel shuttle buses got a few runners to the start smoothly in 2023 and 2025. A 2024 rider's bus took 30 minutes because of traffic diversions.
Expect the gentle rise into Manayunk near mile 19 to bite more than it looks. A few runners used the turnaround there as their cue to push on the straight run home.
Supporters downtown can catch you more than once. A couple of runners saw family at mile 6, one also at mile 1, and a 2024 runner's family watched in Manayunk near mile 19.5.
Hold back through the loud crowds on Walnut Street around mile 6. A 2025 runner admits running that mile far too fast, and a 2019 runner had to rein in the city miles.
- Several runners hit long security lines at the Parkway start, and one lost 40 minutes there. A 2024 runner recommends reaching the checkpoints by 5:30 so you aren't rushed.
- Use the start village portable toilets soon after you clear security. Several runners found the lines swelled close to the gun, and a 2023 runner saw people forming their own line at each unit move much faster.
- If you stay in Center City, the hotel shuttle buses got a few runners to the start smoothly in 2023 and 2025. A 2024 rider's bus took 30 minutes because of traffic diversions.
- Supporters downtown can catch you more than once. A couple of runners saw family at mile 6, one also at mile 1, and a 2024 runner's family watched in Manayunk near mile 19.5.
- Ease off on the climbs at miles 8, 10 and 12 and don't hammer the descents. One runner who let it fly downhill paid for it on the long drop onto Kelly Drive near mile 16.
- Don't trust your watch's pace through Center City, where several runners saw GPS thrown off by the tall buildings. Run by effort until the course leaves downtown.
- Expect the gentle rise into Manayunk near mile 19 to bite more than it looks. A few runners used the turnaround there as their cue to push on the straight run home.
- Hold back through the loud crowds on Walnut Street around mile 6. A 2025 runner admits running that mile far too fast, and a 2019 runner had to rein in the city miles.
Philadelphia Marathon FAQ
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Philadelphia Marathon reviews and race reports
Fast, crowded Center City miles give way to hills near the zoo, then a long Kelly Drive grind to Manayunk.
The climbs past Drexel and through Fairmount Park — The climbs up 34th Street past Drexel to the zoo and on through West Fairmount Park break up an otherwise flat course. Several runners found them harder than expected, while a few strong runners barely noticed them.
Center City's packed opening miles — The first miles through Center City draw loud, deep crowds that several runners loved. It is tight early, with runners packed close, and it gets quieter once the course leaves the city around mile 8.
The Kelly Drive out-and-back to Manayunk — The second half is mostly a long, straight out-and-back on Kelly Drive to Manayunk, and you pass the leaders coming back the other way. A couple of runners were in survival mode or cooked by the time they reached Manayunk.
Struggled with hills after training on flat routes
Miles 10-13 are moderately hilly and over the course of this period I could feel my quads getting beat up and my stride tightening. I trained on very flat routes, and I think part of my problem was getting beat up by the elevation changes. When I got to Kelly drive for the long out-and-back to Manayunk I knew that I was going to be in survival mode.
Debut marathon, executed race plan perfectly, hit goal time.
I was super happy to make it to the turnaround because it meant I had executed the first 3 steps of my plan as I had hoped. Nothing had gone wrong, I was perfectly teed up to see what I had left for the straight shot down Kelly Drive to the finish line - the real challenge. A combination of the downhill coming out of Manayunk and seeing my friend again did cause me to get a little overly excited and drop a 5:20 21st mile.
Overcame early gel mishap to achieve sub-3 finish
The Philadelphia Marathon was honestly perfect. The weather was amazing, the crowd support was off the charts, the course was fun, and the atmosphere was wonderful. Having my family with me and running in memory of my mom made the entire experience that much more special. This was probably peak marathon experience for me; it's hard to imagine something topping it.
Perfect weather and aggressive negative split strategy paid off
Weather was absolutely perfect: started out ~35 F and got up to ~45 F by the time I finished, partially cloudy, very little wind. I run super hot so absolutely love this temp. Around 19 I popped out of the pack on the downhill of a roller and to get some space for a fluid station and decided it was time to just let it go and see what I had left. Legs were definitely hurting but no cramps and it felt like what I had trained for so I focused on staying with or passing people and shut my brain off.
Felt fresh in super shoes, thanks to the Manayunk crowd boost
Weather: High 30s, so I wore shorts, long sleeve, hat, and socks as gloves (ditched hat/gloves mid-race). First race in super shoes (AlphaFly)—game changer! Legs stayed fresh and I think this was a major reason why. Took gels with water every 30 min and electrolytes at stations where I wasn't taking a gel.