Running: A guide to the Philadelphia Marathon

Get ready, runners, and spectators, and those who hate life when Philadelphia streets are closed: This Sunday is the Philadelphia Marathon and Philadelphia Half Marathon.

That also means it's time for your unofficial course guide. I ran the Philadelphia Marathon in 2011, and the half-marathon in 2010. I also talked to a few runners who have run the course many times over. Here's what to expect.

The first seven miles are very crowded. That's not just because half-marathoners and marathoners run together, but because you're running through small streets with a lot of turns, and this is where a lot of spectators come out to line the course. In 2010, I got caught up in a pace group near a water stop at the turn from Race Street onto Columbus Boulevard, and was forced to walk to make it through.

Your best approach is to relax.

"Don't waste energy trying to pass, weave, and zigzag as soon as the gun goes off," said Gerard Pescatore of Glenside, who will be running the Philadelphia Marathon for the sixth time. "There will be plenty of time to make up ground. The race will open up soon enough."

Speaking of this part of the race, Mary Johnson of Hamden, Conn., who has run both the full and half- marathons, has this advice for marathoners: "Ignore the shouts from people around miles six and seven, telling the half-marathoners that they're halfway done," she said. "Those cheers are not for you." And spectators: Knock that stuff off, too.

Chestnut Street is a scream tunnel. This is probably the most crowded part of the race, spectator-wise.

"Running through the crowded streets there are so many people cheering that you feel like a rock star," said Liz Pagonis of Philadelphia, who's running the marathon for the third time.

But if you get caught up in that crowd energy, you can start running too fast too soon. Stick to your pace. You still have miles to go, whether you're running the full or the half-marathon. But do enjoy the energy while you can.

The course is not flat. You'll realize that when you get into Fairmount Park.

"The hill that gets me is in the first half - around mile nine - going up toward Memorial Hall. It feels neverending," said Pagonis.

My worst miles in the Philadelphia Marathon were on Main Street in Manayunk, miles 18 to 21. You can see a mass of runners going up and down the hills - which don't seem difficult when you're walking down Main Street on a Saturday night but look insurmountable when your legs and hips are screaming - that you're about to run.

The hills aren't terrible, though. It's not as if we're mountain running here.

"Run by feel, not by pace, when you're hitting the big hills," said Robert Reese, executive producer of RunnersWorld.com, who will be running this marathon for the sixth time. "The course isn't pancake flat, but it's not terribly hilly either, so as long as you run smart, you can post a great time."

Martin Luther King Drive is a near-finish - for some. One of the hardest things, mentally, about running a marathon that also includes a half-marathon is watching people around you get psyched for the end of the race when you're not even halfway done.

If you're running the full marathon, be prepared to see a finish line that's not yet yours. It can be a mental blow. If you're a half-marathoner, keep the celebrating down until the races split. Your marathon companions will thank you.

The second half of the marathon is very different from the first. Once the half-marathoners peel off to the finish, marathoners head out on Kelly Drive to Manayunk, then run back. It's a much quieter second half of the race. There are far fewer runners, of course, but there's a major drop in spectators, too.

"This disappoints some, but I find that it can be a great spot to focus on your stride, improve your mechanics, and conserve energy in the final miles," said Reese.

I found it mentally difficult, especially in the last lonely four miles of the race.

"That last stretch out and back from Manayunk is long, quiet, and coincides perfectly with the wheels coming off the bus both mentally and physically," said Bridget Hanahan, a Drexel Hill native who is coming back from Somerville, Mass., to run her fourth Philadelphia Marathon. "I almost always 'quit running forever' somewhere on my run back up Kelly Drive."

(And if you're a spectator who doesn't know where to set up shop, this is where you can go to help out runners the most.)

There's beer in Manayunk. No, this is not a sanctioned hydration stop sponsored by the race. And, yes, it might sound weird to have beer while running, but a half- cup of beer before turning back down Kelly Drive, at least to me, tasted amazing. Beer is carbs, right?

Nov. 15: Health and Fitness Expo, race packet pickup, noon-9 p.m., Convention Center

Nov. 16: Rothman Institute 8K, 7:30 a.m., 22d Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway; Kids Fun Run, 9 a.m. registration, 10:30 a.m. race, 22d Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway; Health and Fitness Expo, race packet pickup 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Convention Center.

Nov. 17: Philadelphia Half Marathon and Philadelphia Marathon, 6:57 a.m. wheelchair and handcycle racers,

7 a.m. runners, 22nd Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Health&Fitness Expo. Convention Center, Hallway F, free, open to public and includes numerous activities, vendors and seminars. Friday: noon-9 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Marlton Lakes Fall 5K/2 Mile, Marlton, 9 a.m. start, $15 preregister, $20 post. sjtiming.com

Rothman Institute 8K, 7:30 a.m. 22d Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Kids Fun Run onsite registration begins at 9 a.m., races begin at 10:30 a.m.

Gore-Tex Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon. Wheelchair and handcycle competitions begin at 6:57 a.m.; Runners begin at 7. 22d Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The King's Run 5K, 1-mile walk, 1K Kids Fun Run. At Christ the King Regional School, Haddonfield. 5k at 8:30, registration, pickup at 7:30. 5K and 1-mile walk $20 ($25 race day) and 1K kids run $10 (15 race day). Registration @ckrs.org or runsignup.com. Long sleeve T-shirts for the first 300 registrants.

Mid-Atlantic Dairy Toss Your Turkey 5K, Pottstown campus of Montgomery County Community College, 8:30 a.m. Fee: $30, family rate of $120 for up to 6 members. Free running shoes to male/female who throws the provided frozen turkey the farthest. runtheday.com or lrechtin@pgsd.org. Race benefits Pottstown Meals for Homeless Program and Pottsgrove H.S. XC.

Bucks County Running Club Series. Every Sunday, from Dec. 1 through Feb. 16. Race-day registration at the boathouse at Tyler State Park. All races start at 9:30 a.m., except for the Cham-Pain 5K on New Year's Day (noon).

Winter Wonder Run 6K at the Institute Woods, Princeton Friends School, 470 Quaker Rd., Princeton. Check-in 8:45 a.m. 6K starts at 10. Limited to 150 participants. Walkers welcome. Prereg. online only till Nov. 23 is $29, including T-shirt; after is $35. Discount for no-shirt option. Day-of registration credit card only, $35, not including T-shirt.

Light Up Lansdale 5K & 1-mile Fun Run. Penndale Middle School, 400 Penn St. Lansdale. Registration: 7:45 a.m. Fun Run starts at 8:30, 5K at 9. Register at pennsuburban.org. $25 before 12/1, $30 after. Long sleeve T-shirts to the first 250 registrants.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School Baseball Jingle Bell Jog 5K/1-m ile. At the high school. Onsite registration begins at 7 a.m. Race at 9. Fee: $25 pre-registration, $30 after Dec. 1. brynmawrrunningco.com

BCRR Winter Series: Covered Bridge 5K, Bucks County Running Club. The Boathouse, Tyler State Park, Newtown, 9:30 a.m. Contact Janet Lewis (janet.lewis@alumni.duke.edu) or www.bcrrclub.com/winter-series.html $10 per race (or $35 for 11-race series, which includes BCRR membership. Rates go up after Dec. 1.

Freezer 5K run & 1-mile family fun walk. Horsham, along the power-line trail at the Simmons Elementary School. Fun Walk, 9:45 a.m., 5K at 10. Online registration: $25 at Freezer5K.com, ends Dec. 11. $30 day of race.

BCCR Winter Series: Jingle Bell 5.3-mile race. 9:30 a.m. The Boathouse, Tyler State Park, Newtown, Pa. Contact race director Steve Cickayat scickay@comcast.net or http://www.bcrrclub.com. Fee: $10.

BCRR Winter Series: Tyler Challenge 10k. The Boathouse, Tyler State Park, Newtown, 9:30 a.m. Contact Janet Lewis (janet.lewis@alumni.duke.edu) or www.bcrrclub.com/winter-series.html $10 per race.

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