Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon

Sunday, September 20, 2020 • Philadelphia, PA • Course Map

Note: The 2020 event has been cancelled.

Set for its 11th annual running this year, the Rock & Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon sees more than 15,000 runners cross the finish line each year, at a race that unfolds largely along the banks of the Schuylkill River.

In fact, the race atmosphere had been pretty close to that of the Rock ‘n’ Roll themed marathons and half marathons around the country already, as the event had rock and roll bands and musicians stationed on stages along the race’s 13.1 miles in recent years, along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The race welcomes both runners and walkers for its out-and-back 13.1-mile course, which starts and finishes near the Eakins Oval, which lies just a stone’s throw from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

From there, runners first follow a roughly four-mile loop through Philadelphia’s downtown district that takes them past local landmarks like City Hall, the headquarters of the American Philosophical Society and Philadelphia’s Washington Square, where runners then turn left and head along Arch Street back toward the Oval for the next stretch of the course along the river.

It’s along this stretch of the course that the race shows off some of the city’s most scenic areas, as runners make their way along the both the southern bank of the Schuykill River, along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and then along its northern bank after crossing over the river at the Falls Bridge, after which they follow Kelly Drive back southward toward the Museum of Art to the race finish line, just past the Oval.

The race is largely fast and flat with few hills to speak of — participants will experience very few changes in elevation, as the course starts at 35 feet above sea level and rises to its highest point at about 55 feet.

Throughout the course, runners and walkers are treated to numerous scenic city views, especially on the portions of the route that run alongside the Schuylkill River and both the east and west sections of serene Fairmount Park.

Runners will have a course time limit of 4 hours to complete the race; that means they’ll need to finish within 4 hours of crossing the starting line according to their personal chip time (not within 4 hours of the starting gun time).

The view from the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, where the race finishes. (Photo by Rebecca Wilson/flickr)

The view from the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, where the race finishes. (Photo by Rebecca Wilson/flickr)

Race Weather & Climate

Located near the confluence of the Schuykill and Delaware Rivers in southeastern Pennsylvania, just under 100 miles southwest of New York City, Philadelphia typically sees mild to cool weather in September, which has brought record temperatures here as low as 35°F (in 1963) and as high as 102°F (in 1881).

On the day of the race (Sep. 20), the average low is 61°F and the average high is 77°F.

Past Results

Course Map

See the race route map for the Rock & Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon here.

Starting Time

7:30 AM

Course Time Limit

4 hours

Fees

  • $79 and up for the half marathon
  • $50 and up for the 7.6K
  • $39 and up for the 5K
  • prices subject to increase as race day approaches

Registration

To reserve your spot in the 20200 running of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon, register online at Active.com here.

Official Race Website

runrocknroll.com/philadelphia

Comments

Ever run in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philly Half? Share your impressions here, or post your review in the Comments below.

See more races in: September, Pennsylvania

14 comments… add one
  • dennis ryan October 24, 2019, 11:29 am

    two things
    I just did the 2019 half and never got notified of pictures to buy? they always did that in the past
    how would I find all my past half and full marathon times in Phila since 1984?

    Reply
  • Patrick J Crowley September 12, 2019, 7:45 pm

    What a useless site. I want to just look for details on gear pickup days/times and all I can see are lots of silly comments

    Reply
  • jaime a. palma September 9, 2019, 4:57 pm

    Trying to drive down Sunday 2am only if same day packet pick up

    Reply
  • Naresh M. Mamnani August 17, 2019, 4:42 pm

    I had registered in April-2019 for a half-marathon on 09/15/19 and paid $92 + fees totaling $106. The RnR came up with a special $52 for half-marathon in June-2019. I reached out to RnR about refunding the price difference which was not done. As of today (08/17/19) the price for half-marathon is $72. My question is to you why you are penalizing early registrants? It is very unfair.

    Naresh

    Reply
  • Ashley Page May 11, 2019, 8:03 pm

    What type of gear is allowed? Can we bring our own water or is it only allowed during the water break stations?
    Thanks, Ashley

    Reply
  • Murali September 20, 2018, 2:42 pm

    Hello,
    I ran Rock n Roll Philadelphia half marathon on sunday 9/16. I had a medical emergency and was taken to near by hospital. I was unable to collect my checked in bag which had my wallet, cellphone and car key. I sent email to rnrphilly@competitorgroup.com and no response until now. Is there a phone number or email to track my checked in bag? Appreciate any information.

    Reply
  • Candace D Reeves September 13, 2018, 4:09 pm

    I’d like to see my daughter and son in the race…and I’m in Texas…any streaming options or connectiveness to their timing chips?
    Thanks and hope y’all have good weather!

    Reply
  • Amanda Heyboer September 10, 2018, 10:36 am

    I live in Charleston SC. Is there any chance the race will be canceled due to weather. Here in Charleston we are watching Hurricane Florence. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Terrell Johnson September 10, 2018, 10:43 am

      Hi Amanda!

      I’ve been watching the news about the storm and you guys are definitely in my thoughts. I’d recommend these things to keep up with any changes to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half:

      – Reach out to the official race organizers here: http://www.runrocknroll.com/contact/

      – Follow the Rock ‘n’ Roll Series on Twitter, as they’ll likely post updates there: https://twitter.com/runrocknroll

      – Download the Rock ‘n’ Roll Series app: https://rtrt.me/app/rnra

      Any updates they have to make will most likely come through one or all of those channels.

      Hope that helps!

      Terrell

      Reply
  • Trudy lowe August 31, 2018, 4:32 pm

    The site won’t let me register

    Reply
  • Alan Davis November 18, 2014, 1:05 pm

    how can I find my finish time in the philly half marathon in 1993?

    Reply
    • Jim Marino September 18, 2017, 5:05 pm

      Simmcodatasystems.com

      Reply

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