While City officials continue to monitor COVID-19 case trends closely.  Planning for the 27th annual running event is underway. We will be following all health and safety guidelines that align with Philadelphia’s COVID-19 safety policies. 

Though plans remain subject to change, as of today the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend is scheduled to return to the streets of Brotherly Love, but with a fifty percent reduction in runners this year.

We are excited as we plan for the return of an iconic Philadelphia event, and we’re committed to creating the safest environment for our staff, athletes, volunteers, and partners. Safety is our top priority, and we continue to work closely with public health experts to plan and execute a safe, successful marathon weekend.”

This will include a limit on number of participants, social distancing measures, increased spacing in corrals, along with a modified expo, finish line festival, course fuel and hydration. We will have specific spectator zones to reduce capacity at our start and finish line area and there will be a mask requirement pre- and post-race.

Please note: all details surrounding COVID-19 are subject to change as we move closer to race weekend.  Athlete compliance with all rules surrounding COVID-19 is mandatory. Athletes not following COVID-19 rules may not be allowed to race.

Some of the pre-event and event day precautions will include:

• 50 percent reduction in runners for each of the four events: AACR Philadelphia Marathon, Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon, Rothman 8K, and the Dunkin’ Munchkin Run.
  • Potential for runner participation to increase if COVID-19 restrictions ease.
• Restricted access to start and finish lines exclusively for runners; spectators will be limited to spectator zones located throughout the course of the race.
• The Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon will begin at 7 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m. to allow for increased distancing between runners. All other race event times will remain the same.
• Hydration and nutrition stations will follow public health safety guidelines.
• Expo at the Pennsylvania Convention Center will be modified to public health safety guidelines.
• A pre-event questionnaire will be sent to all registered participants assessing their exposure risk in advance requiring them to disclose known symptoms.
• Participants and planned spectators who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms in the week leading up to race day will not be allowed to attend.
• There will be no registration or packet pick-up on event day.
• Runners will be required to wear a mask covering their mouth and nose in the start line corral and after crossing the finish line.
• Runners will be assigned into eight corrals with 10 runners starting in waves every 10 seconds to allow for more distance between runners. Runners will be spaced three feet apart in starting corrals.
• Traditional high fives and other significant celebratory points of contact will not be permitted at the finish line.
• Runners will be required to remain socially distanced from others when they cross the finish line.

Based on your computer set up, it is not uncommon that deferral registration or confirmation emails get blocked or end up in your SPAM or junk mail.
 
Please check you SPAM folder and any other email (such as work) that you may have registered with in 2020.
 
It may also be helpful to add [email protected] to your contact list.

Email [email protected] if you did not receive your deferral code.

You can view the instructions at https://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/races/deferral-instructions/

If you deferred your 2020 race registration, you will be sent an email on May 13th with instructions on how to register for the 2021 race using your deferred entry. 

If you chooses not to participate in the 2021 race, you may defer your entry to 2022 or 2023 in the race category associated with your 2020 registration. 

Yes. If you register to run an in-person event, you may choose to transfer into a virtual race up until registration closes. 

Refunds will not be provided to those who go from an in-person race to virtual race.

If you register for a virtual race, you will be given the option to transfer to an in-person event at the current in-person registration price using your RunSignUp profile, if space is still available.

In the event of a cancellation, all 2021 participants will be given the option to defer their registration to race in future years, or to receive a partial refund dependent upon the cancellation date.

Partial refunds will be determined based on race expenditures incurred by the City leading up to the cancellation date.

At this time, a virtual race weekend is not planned if all race events are cancelled.

In the event the race is cancelled, runners will be offered the option to donate their pro-rated refund to AACR.

No. Challenges are only for in-person or virtual. We will not be offering challenge medals for those who want to run one race in-person and another race virtually.

Yes. Each race will have assigned corrals with runners spaced 3 ft. apart. We will send 10 runners off every 10 seconds until the corral is cleared.

Runners will need to run in their designated corral.

Corral will be monitors and only those with the assigned bib will be allowed to enter.

More details on the start process to come as we get close to the race.

Currently we are not planning a post-race festival. Runners will cross the finish line where they will be given a bag that includes a mask, pre-packaged nutrition/hydration, finisher medal and proceed to the gear check or exit.