- Weather
- 52°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~1,500 runners
- Course
- Flat to rolling
- Elevation
- 300 ft gain
East Bay Bike Path along Narragansett Bay
PR9Weather9Experience7
Late November · Northeast · Out-and-Back / Loop
Philadelphia Marathon
Philadelphia, PA · Sunday, November 22, 2026
Follows the Schuylkill River past Boathouse Row before finishing near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, home of the "Rocky Steps." Flat to gently rolling, and late November timing puts it in genuinely cold-weather racing territory.
Historic downtown & Schuylkill River
- Best for PR
- Boston Qualifier
- First Marathon
Opens the race organizer's website
Typical start
41°
Cooler than 86% of U.S. marathons
Modeled historical conditions
Elevation gain
450ft
Flatter than 36% of races
Estimated total climb
Field size
11K
Larger than 96% of races
Estimated field
PR potential
8.8/10
Ahead of 50% of races
Almanac model
Percentiles compare this race against all 224 U.S. marathons in the Almanac.
Course profile
450 ft gain · 0 ft net
Flat to rolling course, out-and-back / loop.
0510152026.2
Race-day weather
Modeled from location, month and coastal proximity, not verified race history.
6 AM
33°
Start
41°
Midday
52°
ExcellentGoodWarmHeat risk
Typical start sits at 41°F, excellent marathon conditions.
Typical dew point 34°F, 22% chance of precipitation, wind around 7 mph. All modeled.
The bottom line
A quietly fast race that does not ask for much beyond honest pacing.
Philadelphia Marathon is a strong choice for a PR attempt, and Philadelphia offers very little meaningful elevation. The tradeoff is that nothing about it is extreme in either direction.
Why runners choose this race
A out-and-back course around Philadelphia, PA, with gentle rollers but no sustained climbing.
The case for it
- PR attempts
- Boston qualification
- First-time marathoners
The tradeoffs
- No notable warnings in the data.
Course and logistics
- Course type
- Out-and-Back / Loop
- Surface
- Road
- Profile
- Flat to rolling
- Total gain
- 450 ft(estimated)
- Total loss
- 450 ft(estimated)
- Net elevation
- 0 ft(estimated)
- Field size
- ~10,000-12,000 runners(estimated)
- Crowd support
- Heavy crowd support
- Entry
- Data coming soon
- Start / finish
- Start and finish in the same area
Race details
- Typical timing
- Late November
- Next confirmed date
- Sunday, November 22, 2026
- Region
- Northeast
- Editorial tier
- Featured
- Data last reviewed
- 2026-08-26
- Best for PR
- Boston Qualifier
- First Marathon
- Out-and-back
- Loop course
- Destination race
Similar races
Races with a comparable profile.
- Weather
- 40°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~30,000 runners
- Course
- Net downhill
- Elevation
- 800 ft gain · -450 ft net
World Marathon Major; strict BQ entry
PR9Weather9Experience10
- Weather
- 41°Ftypical startModelled estimate
- Field size
- ~400 runners
- Course
- Flat
- Elevation
- 200 ft gain · 0 ft net
Event: Great Woods Marathon
PR9Weather9Experience6