The Art Museum to Manayunk and back: level start to finish, 646 feet of climbing, and all its climbs in the first half. Here is the course mile by mile, and how I’d run each stretch.
A typical race morning: 41°F with a 32°F dew point at the 7am start, a combined score of 73. Every race morning since 2000, the forecast six days out and your goal pace adjusted for it are on the Philadelphia Marathon weather page. For any other forecast, my heat pace calculator does the same math.
Over these 3.6 miles the course climbs 53 feet and drops 88, 34 feet net down.
Philadelphia starts on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and runs east through Old City to the Delaware River, flat and crowded. The temptation is to run the first miles off the excitement. Let the field spread out, and settle in on Columbus Boulevard along the river.
Over these 3.9 miles the course climbs 68 feet and drops 35, 32 feet net up.
Front Street, South Street, then west across Center City on Chestnut and back over the Schuylkill on Walnut: flat, loud and full of turns. This is the easiest stretch of the course. Run goal pace and no quicker, because the hills come next.
Over these 5 miles the course climbs 179 feet and drops 141, 38 feet net up. The two climbs: Up 34th Street from mile 7.7 (+70 feet over 0.9 mi, 1.5%); Up to Memorial Hall from mile 9.2 (+93 feet over 1.9 mi, 0.9%).
Here’s the hilly part of Philadelphia: a climb of about 75 feet up 34th Street out of University City, then the steepest climb on the course in West Fairmount Park up to Memorial Hall around mile 10, then a steep drop down Lansdowne Drive. Run the climbs by effort and let the pace slip. Don’t race the descents to get it back; the second half is flat, and your quads will need to be fresh for it.
Over these 3.3 miles the course climbs 104 feet and drops 158, 55 feet net down. The climb: The Girard Avenue Bridge and 33rd Street from mile 12.8 (+74 feet over 1.5 mi, 1.0%).
The Girard Avenue Bridge, a climb up 33rd Street, and a loop through East Fairmount Park take you past halfway, then Fountain Green Drive drops you down to the river. Check in at halfway: if goal pace still feels controlled after the hills, the flat second half is yours.
Over these 5.5 miles the course climbs 168 feet and drops 156, 15 feet net up. The climb: Main Street in Manayunk from mile 20.7 (+47 feet over 0.5 mi, 1.8%).
Kelly Drive runs flat along the Schuylkill out to Manayunk, where Main Street rolls a little to the turnaround around mile 20 and the crowds are the loudest of the day. It’s an out-and-back, so you’ll see the leaders coming back. Don’t let that pull you into a surge. Fuel on schedule here.
Over these 4.9 miles the course climbs 73 feet and drops 58, 13 feet net up.
The last five miles run back along Kelly Drive by the river, flat, quiet in places, and open to any wind off the water. This is where Philadelphia is won or lost. Lock onto a group, run one boathouse at a time, and if there’s anything left, use it once you can see the Art Museum.
| Mile | Elevation at the marker | Climb | Drop | Street |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mile 1 | 39 | +13 | −14 | Benjamin Franklin Parkway |
| Mile 2 | 33 | +12 | −19 | Arch Street |
| Mile 3 | 12 | +28 | −48 | Market Street |
| Mile 4 | 19 | +13 | −7 | South Christopher Columbus Boulevard |
| Mile 5 | 32 | +18 | −4 | South Street |
| Mile 6 | 37 | +17 | −11 | South 5th Street |
| Mile 7 | 36 | +12 | −16 | Walnut Street |
| Mile 8 | 56 | +33 | −9 | Walnut Street |
| Mile 9 | 59 | +52 | −51 | North 34th Street |
| Mile 10 | 110 | +69 | −17 | West Girard Avenue |
| Mile 11 | 132 | +24 | −3 | Centennial Loop |
| Mile 12 | 115 | +9 | −28 | Belmont Avenue |
| Mile 13 | 67 | +6 | −52 | West Girard Avenue |
| Mile 14 | 134 | +68 | −2 | North 33rd Street |
| Mile 15 | 102 | +16 | −47 | Reservoir Drive |
| Mile 16 | 22 | +14 | −95 | Fountain Green Drive |
| Mile 17 | 21 | +8 | −8 | Kelly Drive |
| Mile 18 | 24 | +10 | −8 | Kelly Drive |
| Mile 19 | 46 | +42 | −15 | Ridge Avenue |
| Mile 20 | 58 | +49 | −42 | Main Street |
| Mile 21 | 32 | +18 | −41 | Main Street |
| Mile 22 | 38 | +57 | −54 | Ridge Avenue |
| Mile 23 | 27 | +7 | −17 | Kelly Drive |
| Mile 24 | 22 | +4 | −9 | Kelly Drive |
| Mile 25 | 23 | +13 | −12 | Kelly Drive |
| Mile 26 | 50 | +32 | −3 | Kelly Drive |
| To the finish | 51 | +2 | −2 | Kelly Drive |
Race week, start to finish: how I’d run the three-week taper, what to take in during the race, how much to slow down in heat and humidity, and what the four weeks after should look like.
A course map tells you where the hills are. It doesn't know your training, how you handle a long climb, or what your legs look like at mile 20. I write every plan by hand and set race-day pacing with each athlete. It starts with a free 20-minute call.
Book a free intro callRace-day weather and heat-adjusted pace: Twin Cities Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Columbus Marathon, Detroit Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, NYC Marathon, California International Marathon, Honolulu Marathon, Houston Marathon, LA Marathon, Boston Marathon, Grandma's Marathon. All race-day weather pages.
RunFitCoach is not affiliated with the Philadelphia Marathon or its organizers. Course line © OpenStreetMap contributors. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (1 m bare earth), sampled every 50 m and smoothed over 250 m. Bare-earth elevation leaves bridges out, so bridge decks are rebuilt from their ends. Distances are scaled to the certified 42.195 km, so mile marks can sit a little off the course markers. The line is routed street by street through the 2026 course’s turns rather than surveyed, so here that can be up to a quarter mile.
Free intro call, twenty minutes. No payment until we both say yes.
Book your intro call