Parking & Pre-Race
Parking is always a pain, so I recommend getting to the race at least 1-1.5 hours ahead of time, unless you have someone dropping you off. Or, if you are hardcore, you can just jog or bike over. The port-a-potty lines are always an adventure, but moved along pretty well this year. From what I noticed, it seemed like they had a considerable amount more than last year. They also have a VIP port-a-potty area, which you can either purchase a pass or if you got $150 or more of merchandise from any of the sponsors, such as Brooks, then you got a free pass. My wife and I qualified for the free pass, and stupid me, I forgot them...so we used the regular port-a-potties. Not a problem, they were well stocked this year with toilet paper.
Pre-Race in the Corrals
Getting into the corrals was a lot easier this year. There wasn't any security to see which corral you were entering, so technically it was first-come-first-serve despite what corral you should have been in. This was only moderately annoying because there were a lot of walkers and slow runners who went in the early corrals, which made running around people more of a challenge. I was a lot slower last year and in corral 18, instead of corral 5 this year, so I didn't really have to worry about this issue then. Still, it wasn't a really big deal.
Everything felt very organized and it didn't feel chaotic at all; just a lot of excited energy from the runners as you would expect. The weather was perfect! A nice chill in the morning and cool at the end of the race. Although it did feel a lot warmer after the race with the sun out in full blast. Fortunately, this race usually falls on a gorgeous days every year, so I expected good weather.
And We're Off!
It took about 5 minutes for Corral 5 to get to the starting line after the horn was blown. However, corral 17 for example, took 30 minutes to get to the starting line. This was because the later corrals had multiple corrals together. The first part of the race through the city in regards to the roads was a lot better this year. There had been road work last year and tons of uneven road and potholes to avoid. However, there were a ton of ignorant spectators and locals who felt they could just cross the race coarse and runner's were the ones who had to go around them. This is the first race where I saw this situation as bad. The Pittsburgh Half in May had some people like this, but nowhere near as bad. I have to admit that when I saw a 250+lb clydesdale runner take out some kid walking across the street with this headphones on, I got a nice laugh and only hoped that the runner was not hurt...the kid cursed at the runner...while the other runners cursed at the kid to get off the race course.
The Course
You can see the course map on the Rock 'n' Roll Philly page if you want to see the full details and elevation map. Overall, this is a very flat course. However, it ends on an uphill, which sucks. Not only that, but the last couple miles are in almost full sun, which combined with the uphill makes this a very challenging end-course. But, the rest of the course is fine. The only hard turns are in the first few miles through the city. Once you are get out of the city and onto Kelly Drive, it opens up for the rest of the race. There is a slight turn at Falls Bridge, but the road is very open and you make more of a gradual wide turn than a sharp turn. And then it's West River drive to the finish at the Art Museum. Overall, a scenic and very enjoyable race.
One thing I love about Rock 'n' Roll events is that you get music all throughout the course. This year was awesome. No country music (I don't like country, sorry)...but lots of jazz, a drummer, and other groups. Plus, there were they occasional speakers setup playing some decent tunes. Annoyingly the race starts with Eye of the Tiger...which is a song I would prefer to hear towards then end of the race when I need that last bit of motivation to speed up and complete the race. Oh well, they'll figure it out one of these years.
Finish Line Goodies
I think a lot of people complained about the finish line food and drink last year, because there was a LOT more this year. I am angry that Philly races don't seem to give out Philly Soft Pretzels anymore. I know it's not cheap...but seriously, this is a Philly race...I want a Philly Pretzel...and I don't want to pay for it. Sorry, I guess I am spoiled by the past. But, it's expected, as races have grown so large. The race this year was sold at 22,500 people. The race-day overall count was 25,209. Not sure how that works out. Anyway, they had lots of versions of chocolate milk (wish they had chocolate almond milk since I don't like dairy before or after a race), lots of Gatorade, water, Herr's products, bananas, bagels, and more. It was a good spread...I just wish I had a bag to put it all in. My arms were full of stuff.
Right after the finish line you got your race completion medal (in my picture below) and got a finish line photo.
The After Party
The beer garden is impossible to find just like last year. Very annoying and not clearly marked to be spotted over the crowds. Gotta love a free beer after a race though. They also had a "Merch" area. Why Merchandise is being called Merch now is beyond me, since Merch sounds like something you need to see a doctor about;
Me: Hey, did you know I got merch from the race
Friend: Oh man, that sounds painful, you should get that looked at...I hope there is medicine for that
So, the main band to perform was Walk Off the Earth. Sorry, this type of music is not my taste. I either want old school AC/DC style rock, STP, Green Day, or some old or new school hip hop or dance music. Thankfully, for me anyway, there was no country music playing on the race course or anywhere else. I am not a fan of country music, sorry everyone. Anyway, I didn't stick around for the concert, but I read that people who do like that music thought the performance was good.
Overall, a fun and enjoyable race and I highly recommend it. Congratulations to all of the other runners who completed the race!
