"Having failed to secure a spot in the NYC Marathon (the only marathon I've run -- and only once), I looked for a race that would be close to home, and have good crowd support. I read up on Philly, saw that it was fairly flat, and that there was

This is a great race, in just about every regard. If this isn't your PR race then you aren't trying hard. It's up and down for the first few miles and then the rest of the race is downhill. And not like falling-down-the-mountain downhill. It is almost imperceptible, which is the

My first half marathon. Gorgeous New England woodland scenery. Not much of an expo or anything beforehand (at least, not in 2015) but fantastic Smuttynose beer afterwards. I might have had one or three while waiting for my wife to finish the marathon.