Philadelphia Marathon
| Philadelphia Marathon | |
|---|---|
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Distance | Marathon |
| Primary sponsor | GORE-TEX |
| Established | 1954 |
| Official site | www |
The Philadelphia Marathon (aka the Philadelphia Independence Marathon), founded in 1954, is an annual marathon sporting event hosted by the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the third Sunday of November each year. The Philadelphia Marathon ranks top ten in the nations largest marathons with over 30,000 runners, 60,000 spectators and 3,000 volunteers. The 30,000 runners come from all 50 states and over 40 countries. The course is a certified 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi), and is sanctioned by the USA Track & Field. The Philadelphia Marathon, who collaborated with Green Mountain Energy partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement to turn the race into an eco-friendly sporting event. Desiree Peterkin-Bell is the current Race Director of the GORE-TEX Philadelphia Marathon, she began the position in 2013.
Some of the sustainable initiatives include:
In 2011, two competitors died. One was a 21-year-old student; the other was a 40-year-old experienced triathlete.
In 2013, Gore-Tex was announced to be the title sponsor for the next three years.
The course begins and ends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Philadelphia Marathon course is relatively flat and offers a view of many historical landmarks that include Independence Hall, the Betsy Ross House and the Liberty Bell. The course travels the streets of Old City on Penn’s Landing, parallel to the Delaware River, along the Schuylkill River and out to Manayunk. The highest elevation in the course is approximately 148 feet. The terrain presents many uphill and downhill challenges for the runners.
The event also serves as a qualifying race for entry into the Boston Marathon for participants whose times meet age group bracketed standards. The race also features a state of the art timing system, using a small chip that attached to the back of each runner's bib that provides a 'chip time' for when the person has crossed the start and finish lines, as well as giving a traditional 'gun time'.
Health and Fitness Expo
Runners pick up their race packets that include a race bib, timing tag, T-shirt and bag at the free two-day health and fitness expo located in the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
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Wikipedia