While half marathons aren't for the faint of heart, you don't need to be an uber-athlete to take part. This half is one of my favorites, and worth the price of admission. It's well-organized, and you can score free stuff. The race is a solid test of endurance without being too grueling, thanks to a relatively flat course. The course itself is quite scenic, offering runners the opportunity to take on streets usually clogged with traffic, through historical neighborhoods, and along the tranquil Schuykill River. You're rarely alone unless you're exceedingly slow (or a Kenyan). Bands every couple of miles provide entertainment - and let's not forget the energetic crowd. Register today! Can't run? Volunteer to support the event! Every little bit counts. read more

I like this race. I think it is a fantastic race if you want to run with 15-20,000 other people... but I am sick of doing big corporate races. I just want to run, be timed, have a blast. I run on average 20 races a year. I always fall somewhere in the middle, so I'm not zippy-I can hold my own. The more races I do the more I appreciate showing up the day of a race, getting your race packet, pinning your bib on and going. Larger races such as the ING do tend to have a fantastic expo with some free schwag, and closeout deals-a plus for the cheap-skate like myself. They also tend to cost a heck-of-a-lot more than smaller community races. The negatives are as follows: parking headaches getting to the expo, you're a number-not a name, sterile feeling. Overall, it's a fantastic race for those who love to race. I'm just not doing anymore for a while. I've decided to do half marathons in smaller towns that cost a lot less and really show the effort of the few organizers who poured their entire self into them. read more

The FIVE stars is actually for ME..cause I finished the race despite thinking I was going to die. Great crowd. Lots of supportive people. I was very proud of everyone. This was very physical challenging and everyone deserved 5 stars. I also signed up for the full marathon in Nov. After today, I doubt my ability to complete the full marathon. I can't imagine finishing today (13miles) and then someone tells me "great...13 more miles"...I'll die. Great Work...I must say I love the ice bath at the end provided for my feet. Great great great. read more

This was my first ever half marathon and it couldn't have been a better experience! It was very well organized. One of my biggest peeves wit big runs is waiting a long time to start running and pass the starting line. With an announcer letting each corral go every 2 minutes, it didn't feel like we were standing too long, we knew what was going on and what corral was starting because we cold hear the announcer and all the runners weren't trampling each other. (Take notes Broad St Run). Along the route, there were water stations, Gatorade stations, first aid, Porta potties, and energy gel packet stations. The route was very scenic and for the majority of the route flat. Once you crossed the finish line, you received your medal, water, chocolate milk, gatorade, bananas, chips, tin foil blankets, protein bars, granola and moat importantly beer! I had a great time and would recommend this run to everyone. read more

ING Rock N' Roll Half Marathon - Races & Competitions Near Me

This was my first half-marathon ever -- note it's now the ING Rock N' Roll Half Marathon. First off, the expo was fantastic -- well run, not crowded on Friday, lots of booths. And most importantly, at the convention center! (As an aside, I find it funny that Broad St Run does their expo at the Linc given that SEPTA is a sponsor, but oh well). I bought a sweet wicking shirt and a onesie for my nephew (I honestly can't resist spending money on that child), and got to try some really awesome samples (I really liked the AboutTime Meal Replacement Bars). As for the run, I have to say, it's a 4.5. I thrive off the crowd, and because most of the run is on the loop, there's just not that many people cheering. But the loop is my favorite "me" run, so it was very pretty. Lots of Cytomax and water stops, and even a Gu table (with Jet Blackberry -- my go-to, no less!). The bands were OK but I was on my MP3 player the whole time anyway. Great crowd, and great medals at the end! I'd do another Rock N' Roll race in a heartbeat. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by the awesome experience I had running this race in 2012 - largely because of the clusterf**k experience at the Rock n' Roll half in Vegas. I'll probably run it again this fall. I was able to take advantage of a discounted registration on National Runners Day, but even at full price, this event would have been worth it. There was ample info provided in advance about expo times and location, course access, maps, shirt sizing, etc. The expo was large and very well-organized with lots of great freebies. Race day dawned with perfect weather (not that ING had much control over that) and a quick SEPTA bus ride from my house got me to within ~1/4 miles of the start area. There were ample pre-race refreshments available, lots of space for warm-up and stretching, and (most importantly) sufficient numbers of strategically placed toilets. The corrals were well-spaced and timed, but not that well-monitored. This was a pretty and fun course with great cheer support and music along the way - a quick loop from the museum into Old City and back through Chinatown before an out-and-back on both sides of the Schuylkill for the last ~7 miles. The water and Gatorade stations had minimal chaos, and they even had energy gel handouts at mile 10. The number of people registered felt perfect for the course. There was always a good crowd around, but I never had to actually throw an elbow to have my own space to run. The finish line was also well-organized with lots of refreshments and good flow to keep people moving away from the finish. I was briefly apprehended by a chubby little security guard who thought I was going to try to jump one of the barricades, but when I explained that I merely wanted to throw up in the trash can behind him, he moved out of my way rapidly. read more

This half is painfully expensive and not worth the price. Why, you may ask? First, the cost of this sucker is as much as the full Philadelphia Marathon. Second, the course route is something that Philadelphians train on all of the time. It is the same old boring loop around the Schuylkill river, you know...the same place nearly 98% of all Philly races take place. They try to keep it fresh by adding rock bands to the mix, but the bands I saw were just tooling around and not really playing anything. I'm not a super elite, fast runner- I'm part of the middle pack, and I was disappointed I didn't hear some awesome tunes. This race is also super crowded from start to finish unlike the ODDyssey Half and Philadelphia Marathon. The only positives about my experience is that the start and finish are convenient to public transportation, you get a super huge medal after the race, and you can partake in a beer garden. I wouldn't break my neck trying to register for this baby. I think it was a one and done. read more

I'm a sucker for medals and I'm so happy to get my Philly medal! Half marathons are great, its just the right distance for a challenge but not so long to provoke major injury. I ran alongside a barefoot guy who made my experience a real treat. "Bare foot guy, you are cool, wherever you are". This race is a blend of city and park running. I can't say scenic wise it was that cool but then again, I see these places all the time. The music part did not do anything for me. Overall, very enjoyable experience but I am someone who doesn't like to run a race twice. Training wise - must do it! I have to thank Gu Chews for making this run an enjoyable one. I never knew how to properly use nutrition for performance. Don't miss the clinics, they are fun and you can shop til you drop too (but don't). Train with 2 pairs of shoes so you can alternate. Enjoy! read more

Ran this race last weekend and I still have "Eye of the Tiger" stuck in my head. I love this race. This is the second year I ran the Philly Distance Run and I'll definitely be back in 2010. This is a great race to set a PR: flat, fast and most of the second half is in the shade. I'm not a fan of the first five miles which twist around Center City, but once you're out along the river you're good. Be aware that there's a little switchback right before the finish. It's an easy spot to get tripped up since you're tired and trying to accelerate. This year's weather was terrific--cool and sunny--hopefully next year will be the same! The start and finish in front of the Art Museum is lovely--but be prepared for the inevitable endless reference to "Rocky" (including an impersonator wishing runners good luck before the start). Philly's an easy drive from DC so I recruit some friends ad make a nice little weekend getaway of it. read more

I enjoyed this more when it was the Philadelphia Distance Run. When Rock n Roll took over, the prices went up and have continued to go up each year (for what, I'm not exactly sure). I ran in 2009 and it was reasonably price and I signed up late. When ever the cheapest deal is $60 at the expo for the next year and it jumps after the expo, that's a sign to look for new races. I ran in 2010 and 2011 and lost interest. part of it is because a good 8 miles is around Kelly Drive/ MLK Drive which is around the corner from where I live and what I use from my long runs. Bands are average and the expo is the same as every other Rock n Roll expo so I tend to not stick around for it read more

The best long run in Philadelphia. Beautiful scenery through the city and along the river on a cool September fall day. Yes, it takes some preparation (do the Broad Street Run first), but you can do it, you just need to put in the training time. Like the other big races, it has gotten very crowded as the number of people who want to race has grown exponentially. That means there will be too many people at the start so you'll be weaving for a mile. There will be 300 port-a-johns but everyone will have a long line. Train for the BSR, then keep training for the Half, then you're Marathon bound. Get them all done in one year, you'll be in the groove. read more

I wasn't excited for this race as it approached, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. It's hard not to get pumped up by 22k other runners shooting down the streets of Philadelphia. The course is great, the staff and the event is well organized. The race is pretty expensive, but I think it's worth it. There are a lot of water stops, and GU Energy gel at mile 8. The give-aways are so-so, and the health fair is okay but could be better. Still, I had a great race, got a great time (1:41!) and was really pumped up by the excitement in and surrounding this race. Crowds line the entire course and that really keeps you going. read more

My parents, boyfriend, and I all signed up for the half marathon a few months ago and since we live in Baltimore, we decided to stay at a hotel in the area the night before, especially since there was no packet pickup available on race day. We arrived in Philly around 3 pm, checked into the hotel, and went to the convention center. The expo was set up nicely and there was no confusion with getting the bibs and shirts. I didn't realize the shirt sizes were all men's and I had ordered a medium, which was way too large. They were nice enough to let me switch my shirt to a small. There were many vendors and free samples in the expo and we had plenty of time to check it all out. We were within walking distance of the starting line, so we woke up around 6 am and headed to the race around 7 and it was such a beautiful day. Even though we had all used the bathroom before we left the hotel, we all had to go again. We stood in the longest line for the port-a-potties and didn't even get to go until after the race had started. After we got out of the port-a-potties we joined the nearest corral (there were at least 20 corrals and each one started a minute apart) and walked up to the start line until it was our turn to go. And we were off! The music and the bands were great, however not all of them were rock and roll, but some were jazz and actually a little mellow for my liking. When I am running, I want to hear something that will pump me up! Most of the race was pretty flat, which makes it a lot easier to run and I really like the part that was by the river, but that part went on a little long. There also weren't as many supporters and fans in that area, so it kind of dragged. The GU at mile 8 was a booster and there were plenty of Cytomax and water stands along the way. There were mile markers at every mile and also a 5k, 10k, 15k, and 20k marker signs which were helpful. Personally, I could have had a faster time, but either way I am happy to have another complete half-marathon under my belt. I received a bottle of water immediately upon finishing along with the awesome medal. There were so many post-race snacks, I didn't even get to see them all. Bagels, fruit cup snacks, bananas, Cytomax, yogurt covered fruit, Larabars...so many choices! I met up with my family and we crashed on the lawn and enjoyed some music from the Bon Jovi cover band while we rested. I will probably sign up for this race again next year. Beautiful scenery, great supporters, and a cool shirt. I just wish there were more rock and roll bands. read more

Just finished the Distance Run and I couldn't be more pleased! This is the 32nd annual run and from the looks of it (by my novice eyes), it seems VERY well run and organized. They have this thing down to a science and it seems like everything went off with out a hitch. One of the best things about this run is that they have some great corporate sponsors to help make a great swag bag (including technical shirt) and great food options at the end. Who else gets a MGD 64 and lunch from P. F. Chang?!?! Oh and a quick disclaimer.... I may just be raving because my run went so well (2:00:34) but regardless, I encourage other kids that like to eat and drink (as much as me) to get out there and give it a shot next year! read more

Good times! I had no expectations whatsoever for the expo on Saturday--after having a chest cold for three weeks and even lower expectations for my first half-marathon considering that I'd just spent three straight weeks on the couch hacking up phlegm, I thought I would just get in, get my stuff, and go, but instead, my boyfriend and I had a totally fun time at the expo and it made me psyched to run the next day! We had different food samples and chatted with different friendly vendors while picking up some cool swag (yeah, I know they're trying to sell you stuff, but I had a series of really nice conversations about only peripherally-related-to-running subjects with a couple of enthusiastic and talkative people). The run itself was awesome! Despite my three sedentary weeks, I was fine on the fast & flat course--you get to run on the city grid (where I usually run, but something about running up the middle of Arch Street on a Sunday morning is super-joyous) as well as along the Schuylkill (trees and shade were nice on a super-sunny September morning). I am psyched with my time, my consistent splits, and just the overall atmosphere of the course that made those successes so much more easy to achieve--I was euphoric on a couple of occasions during my first hour of running because the little kid cheerleaders and spectators made me get misty-eyed. I even high-fived some of the cute kid cheerleaders, resulting in a happy tingle in my hand as I ran along. A bummer: some of the bands were between songs or setting up as I ran past--whaaat? The only memorable/fun band was the one before mile 6--those dudes were actually officially loudly rocking out, as opposed to some others where I just kind of ho-hum ran past as they played. But that's all icing on the cake. I would definitely register for next year, and the organization & quality of my overall experience made me interested in running other Rock & Roll half marathons in other cities. (I could get behind earning the Desert Double Down medal with the sweet cactus on it by running Vegas and Arizona). read more

Extremely poorly organized race. Start was fine, water stops were ridiculous. Sparsely manned, and not tables filled with cups, people filling as needed! The entertainment was a joke. Hardly any bands, and at the finish, they played music, not a live band as advertised. Many runners noted gps registered much farther then 13.1. Runners had to stop and wait in lines for drinks! Finish had an odd, horrible smell, was filthy, and they ran out of medals! The Rock nRoll series claims medals were stolen, yet people say this has happened at their other races. Overall, poorly run & not at all worth the $ . Broad street was much nicer, and if you want a real nice race, run Disney! read more

Poorly organized. Spectators stole 1,000 medals? (That's what the company told me after emailing) Water station tables turned over? Out of refreshments at the end. I'm not the 1st and not the last runner, but at that price every runner should have supplies. Wait, did you want to buy VIP porta potty access? Or buy live tracking? Priorities. :/ read more

For the cost of this race I thought it would be better organized. There weren't nearly enought porta-potties at the start. The lines to use them were very long and runners had to abandon the lines after waiting over a half hour to start the race. This led to runners having to stop on the course to use the few potties setup on the course. The lines were shorter there but it meant losing race time. The other problem was lack of water on the course. I was at a 10 min mile pace and many of the water stations could not handle the demand - empty cups or no water. The volunteers were overwhelmed and did their best. The crowd was very energized and all the cheering was great! I thought there would be more bands almond the course. read more

After several attempts to get a hold of anyone from Competitor Group about the water station issue, I still haven't heard back from anyone. Way to treat people who are spending $120 on your crappy race! read more

This is a great half. Fast and flat and includes the scenic Kelly Drive loop. Water tables and GU are well-staffed and frequent along the course. Rock N' Roll courses always pull a good expo with lots of corporate sponsors and freebies and this is no different. Also super convenient that it's in the convention center and runs for multiple days. The shirts were much cuter this year (2011) than the year before. The women's ones run pretty small so size up. It's definitely crowded at the beginning and around Independence Hall/Chinatown, but it spreads out a little bit once you get onto the parkway and really opens up when you hit Kelly. I've never bothered to stay for the concert. read more