The 2023 AACR Philadelphia Marathon has kicked off and NBC10’s Karen Hua has a look as runners leave the starting line.
What to Know
- Expect road closures and public transit changes Sunday, Nov. 19 as the races of the Philadelphia Marathon weekend take over the City of Brotherly Love.
- The full marathon, which started at 7 a.m., was held Sunday, Nov. 19.
- Roads are expected to be reopened by 2 p.m.
Thousands of runners are racing through the city this weekend for the AACR Philadelphia Marathon, Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon, Rothman Orthopaedics 8K, Health & Fitness Expo and Nemours Children's Run. That means traffic in the area is coming to a screeching halt, especially around the Art Museum area.
Here is a complete guide to all the marathon events, as well as road closures.
AACR Philadelphia Marathon Sunday
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The AACR Philadelphia Marathon takes place on Sunday, Nov. 19.
Race results have come in. You can check out all the results, here.
NBC10's Karen Hua caught up with Bernard Koech, of Kenya, who took first place at a time of two hours and 14 minutes. He said that this year, the weather was on the runners' side, unlike the previous marathon.
Transportation and Transit
"Today is better than last year, last year was really freezing," he said.
The 26.2-mile race started at the intersection of 22nd Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The start time for push rim wheelchairs was 6:55 a.m. while the start time for runners and walkers was 7 a.m.
Registration for the marathon ended earlier this month. The cost of registration was $155.
You can view the full course map here or in the picture below. You can also view the elevation map here.
View all the frequently asked marathon questions and answers here.
What the weather looking like Sunday?
Skies should be clear with temps that aren't too bad for running.
Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon, Rothman Orthopaedics 8K Saturday
Thousands of runners ran on Saturday morning with the 13.1-mile Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon. The race started with wheelchair athletes pushing off at 6:55 a.m., with runners starting at 7 a.m. on the Ben Franklin Parkway.
In fact, so many people took part in the race that, on Saturday afternoon, officials took to social media to apologize that not all runners were able to get medals they earned that day. '
The race course covered Center City, Old City, University City, Mantua and parts of Fairmount Park. Here is the elevation map.
The Rothman Orthopaedics 8K started at 22nd Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway with wheelchair athletes pushing off at 10:55 a.m., and runners at 11 a.m.
Health & Wellness Expo
The Philadelphia Marathon Weekend, the Health & Fitness Expo took place Friday and Saturday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City.
The free expo took place on Friday, Nov. 17 from noon to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Impacted roadways and areas
- The Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Friday. Nov. 17 through Sunday, Nov. 19
- The I-676 off-ramp at 22nd Street (westbound) will be closed on Sunday, November 19 at 4 a.m. for event security preparation. Ramps at 15th and Broad Streets may also close, if needed.
- The I-76 off-ramp at Spring Garden (eastbound). Soft-close at 4 a.m. and hard-close at 6:15 a.m. on Sunday, November 19.
- Citywide along the 26.2-mile route of the AACR Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, November 19. The full route can be viewed online.
Sunday, Nov. 19, Road Closures
2 a.m. Closures
- 2000-2400 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
- Spring Garden Street, from Pennsylvania Avenue to Benjamin Franklin Parkway
- 23rd Street, from Pennsylvania Avenue to Benjamin Franklin Parkway
- 22nd Street, from Winter Street to Park Towne Place (Local Access to Park Towne Place)
- 21st Street, from Pennsylvania Avenue to Winter Street
4 a.m. Closures
- I-676 off-ramp at 22nd Street (westbound)
- I-76 off-ramp at Spring Garden (eastbound)
6 a.m. Closures
- 17th Street, from Arch Street to Vine Street
- 18th Street, from Arch Street to Callowhill Street
- 19th Street, from Arch Street to Callowhill Street
- 20th Street, from Arch Street to Callowhill Street
- 21st Street, from Arch Street to Spring Garden Street
- 22nd Street, from Arch Street to Spring Garden Street
- Benjamin Franklin Parkway, from 16th Street to 20th Street
- Arch Street, between 3rd Street and 16th Street
- 4th Street, between Arch Street and Vine Streets
- Race Street, from 6th Street to Columbus Boulevard
- Columbus Boulevard (southbound lanes), from Vine Street to Washington Avenue
- Southbound off-ramp, from I-95 at Washington Avenue
- Washington Avenue, from Columbus Boulevard to Front Street
- Front Street, from Washington Avenue to South Street
- South Street, from Front Street to 7th Street
- 6th Street, from Bainbridge Street to Market Street
- Chestnut Street, from 6th Street to 16th Street
- 15th Street from Chestnut Street to Walnut Street
- Walnut Street, from Broad Street to 34th Street
- Chestnut Street, from 33rd Street to 34th Street
- 34th Street, from Chestnut Street to Girard Avenue
- Lansdowne Drive, from Girard Avenue to South Concourse Drive
- South Concourse Drive, from Lansdowne to West Memorial Hall Drive
- East Memorial Hall Drive, from South Concourse to Avenue of the Republic
- Avenue of the Republic, from East Memorial Hall Drive to Catholic Fountain
- Belmont Avenue, Montgomery to Parkside Avenue
- States Drive to Lansdowne Drive
- Lansdowne Drive to Girard Avenue
- Girard Avenue Bridge, from Lansdowne Drive to 33rd Street
- 33rd Street, from Girard Avenue to Reservoir Drive
- Reservoir Drive, from 33rd Street to Edgley Drive
- Edgley Drive, from Reservoir Drive to Fountain Green Drive
- Fountain Green Drive, from Edgley Drive to Kelly Drive
- Kelly Drive
- The Falls Bridge
- Ridge Avenue, from Schoolhouse Lane to Manayunk Avenue
- Main Street, from Ridge Avenue to Conarroe Street
"All streets (with the exception of Eakins Oval) are scheduled to be reopened no later than 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 20, and many roads in Center City will open earlier in the day as they are cleared and serviced. Eakins Oval and Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be fully open to traffic by 5 p.m.," the city said.
Just Want to See Art, Go to the Museum?
Looking to get to the Philadelphia Museum of Art this weekend? Access to the Philadelphia Museum of Art during event hours will be maintained via the Spring Garden Street Bridge to Anne D’ Harnoncourt Drive on Saturday and Sunday, the city said.
Other Parkway area museums and attractions plan to open regularly.
SEPTA Service Detours, Service
"Select buses will operate on different routes during the Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon and the AACR Philadelphia Marathon," the city said.
Detours on the SEPTA routes listed below begin at 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
- Routes K, R, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12
- Routes 16, 17, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 31
- Routes 32, 33, 35, 38, 40, 42, 43, 47
- Routes 47M, 48, 57, 61, 64, 65, 124/125, Trolley Route 15 (Bus)
In addition those routes, bus routes 7, 32, 33, 38, 43, 48 and 49 "will operate on a temporary detour to allow for the setup of marathon events on Ben Franklin Parkway between Eakins Oval and 20th Street," the city said.
Customers can take Regional Rail trains to Suburban Station or 30th Street Station for access to the start and finish line areas.
The Broad Street Line and Market Frankford Line subways can also leave people off within walking distance of the starting lines.
Be sure to check out SEPTA's System Status tool before you head out.
