Philadelphia Marathon, Half, 8K

This morning, an estimated 18,000 runners “kicked asphalt” as they ran in the Philadelphia Marathon, Half Marathon, and Rothman 8K. The temperature was in the 20’s at the start of the race; I overheard that this may have been the coldest Philly Marathon ever. In some cases, the water at the water stops had turned to ice, and resulted in a slippery path for the runners.

However, the runners seemed to be in good spirits- it was another sunny day in Philadelphia, and there was terrific crowd support.

The winners of the men’s and women’s marathons were both from the Ukraine, but Philadelphians weren’t far behind them. The 11th male and the second female finishers were both local residents.

I could sense a lot of enthusiasm from the runners, volunteers, and the spectators. For anyone who doesn’t mind getting up early and being outside in chilly weather, I’d recommend getting involved with the event next November.