The Philadelphia Marathon is this Sunday and that means you need to be on your toes if you’re trying to get around the city that morning (an additional 150,000 or so people are expected to come into the city beginning at about 5 a.m.). The main race starts at 7 a.m. at 22nd and Ben Franklin Parkway and we have compiled some information below on street closures, changes in SEPTA routes and places to watch the race.
The race route enters West Philly along Chestnut Street before hooking a right on 34th Street and proceeding to Fairmount Park. The race winds through the park near the Please Touch Museum before connecting with Martin Luther King Drive and following the river before turning back toward the Art Museum. The 6-mile West Philly section are miles 7 through 13 on the 26-mile course. See below for the exact route, “cheer zone” spots and approximate times runners will be blowing through.
Public transit routes will be impacted and some some streets will be closed. Bus routes that cross the marathon route will be rerouted from about 4:30 a.m. until, in some cases, early evening, according to SEPTA. Here is a list of bus routes that will be changed, including buses 21 and 42. If you need to get to Center City or thereabouts on Sunday your best bet in most cases will be the Market-Frankford line.
The city also says it will enforce “no parking” regulations along the race route and will begin towing violators early Sunday morning. Look for signs.
Some of the major areas impacted include:
– The inner lanes of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Friday, November 15 through Sunday, November 17.
– Citywide along the 26.2-mile route of the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, November 17.
The following streets will be closed at 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17, and will reopen, as runners pass through the race course. All race routes will remain closed until 4 p.m. (Taken from the marathon website.)
• 21st Street, from Spring Garden to Arch streets
• 22nd Street, from Spring Garden to Arch streets
• Benjamin Franklin Parkway, from 22nd to 16th streets
• Arch Street between 16th to 4th streets
• 4th Street Arch to Vine streets
• Race Street, from 4th Street to Columbus Boulevard
• Columbus Boulevard (Southbound lanes), 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, Front to 6th streets
• 6th Street, Bainbridge to Market streets
• Chestnut Street, 6th to 34th streets
• 34th Street, Chestnut Street to Girard Avenue
• Lansdowne Drive, Girard Avenue to South Concourse Drive
• South Concourse Drive, Lansdowne Drive to West Memorial Hall Drive
• West Memorial Hall Drive, South Concourse to Avenue of the Republic
• Avenue of the Republic, West Memorial Hall Drive to Centennial Circle
• Old Lansdowne Drive to the Sweetbriar Loop
• East on Black Road to Martin Luther King Drive
• Martin Luther King Drive
• North on Kelly Drive to the Falls Bridge
• The Falls Bridge
• Ridge Avenue, Schoolhouse Lane to Manayunk Avenue
• Main Street, Ridge Avenue to Green Lane.
Here are a list of the “cheer zones” (places to watch the race that include some sponsored zaniness) on this side of the Schuylkill:
• Wawa Cheer Zone, 34th & Chestnut Streets—Mile 7.5 (7:10 a.m.-9:15 a.m.)
• 34th Street & Fairmount Avenue—Mile 8.3 (7:15 a.m.-9:30 a.m.)
• Kids Cheer Zone, 34th Street & Girard Avenue @ the Philadelphia Zoo—Mile 8.5 (7:15 a.m.-9:30 a.m.) J
• West Memorial Hall Drive near Please Touch Museum—Mile 9.8 (7:15 a.m.-9:45 a.m.)
Course Turnaround at Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive & Black Road—Mile 11.1 (7:20 a.m.-10:00 a.m.) A runner’s favorite, the Vaudevillians NYB return again for a wild and quirky time to keep runners going as half marathoners are almost to the finish line and the full marathoners are getting into the groove.
The Philadelphia Marathon route (from the official website). Click to enlarge:
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