How to Track and Watch the 2026 Philadelphia Marathon: The Race App, Start Times, Corrals and Where to Stand

Philadelphia expects its biggest marathon yet. The organizer's November 5 announcement anticipates 20,000 runners in the TIAA Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, November 22, after 3,000 bibs were added this year, plus 15,000 in Saturday's Dietz & Watson Half Marathon and 5,000 in the Rothman Orthopaedics 8K. All three sold out.

For a spectator, the useful thing about this course is its back half. The marathon runs out Kelly Drive to Manayunk and back, so the same streets carry runners twice, a few miles apart. All times below are Eastern.

Track runners in the race app

The official Philadelphia Marathon Weekend app runs on RTRT.me. The race app page says to search "Philadelphia Marathon" in your phone's app store, create an account and add runners to your favorites. The page's direct "open in app" link still points to the 2024 event, so search the store or use the app download page instead. Without the app, RTRT has a web page for the 2026 event.

Two details catch people out. Many runners keep their results anonymous, and the organizer says that if you can't find yours by name, ask them for their bib number and track that instead. The app also has a "Send a Cheer" button, which puts a short message, with an optional photo, on your runner's app on race day.

Timing points on the marathon are at 5K, 10K, 15K, 20K, the halfway mark, 25K, 30K and 40K, per the marathon page. The page lists no checkpoint between 30K and 40K, so expect a gap of about six miles in updates late in the race.

Start times and corrals

The marathon starts on the 2200 block of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, just east of Eakins Oval, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. From the marathon page and the FAQ:

The course stays open seven hours, and runners have to hold a 16-minute mile, according to the FAQ. Corrals go by the finish time a runner gave at registration. The FAQ says 2026 assignments come out in November; last year the marathon ran from Corral A (under 3:00) to Corral H (4:50 and over), behind an elite corral. Philadelphia Runner leads 16 free marathon pace groups, from 2:50 to 5:30.

Where to watch

The race's list of marathon hydration stations doubles as a map of the course. It goes from the Delaware waterfront through Old City, across the Schuylkill to University City, into West Fairmount Park and East Fairmount Park, then out Kelly Drive to Manayunk and back to the Art Museum. Stations with two mile numbers are the spots you can see your runner twice.

Manayunk is the obvious place to stand. Main Street sees runners at miles 19.8 and 20.2, and Ridge Avenue at 18.9 and 21.3, so one spot gives you two looks at the point where a marathon starts to hurt. The marathon page names Manayunk and University City as neighborhoods where residents come out to cheer.

For timing, simple arithmetic works. A 4:00 marathoner averages about 9:10 a mile, which puts them at mile 10 around 8:32 a.m., in Manayunk around 10:00 and at the finish around 11:00, counting from the 7:00 gun. Runners in later corrals cross the start line some minutes after that, so add their delay. A 3:30 runner averages about 8:01 a mile: mile 10 around 8:20 and Manayunk around 9:40.

Pre-approved cheer groups can be in place as early as 6:00 a.m., and the cheer zone page gives Sunday's window as 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Only approved groups may put up tents or tables on the route.

The finish

The finish runs toward the Art Museum steps. New this year are two recommended finish viewing areas with more seating, per the announcement. Enter the north area from the north side of Kelly Drive at 25th Street. For the south area, go in at any of the other spectator entrances and walk through Eakins Oval.

The start and finish area is a secure zone on both race days. Spectators get in from 8:00 a.m. (earlier only if a checkpoint has no line), and the FAQ lists the entrances, from 22nd Street and the Parkway to 25th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. After 8:00 a.m. the checkpoint at 25th and Pennsylvania only admits people to the north viewing area. Everyone is screened by metal detector, only clear bags are allowed, and one unopened bottle of up to 16 ounces gets through. Leave big umbrellas, backpacks and selfie sticks at home.

Gear check has moved to tents in Maja Park, between 22nd and 24th Streets just south of the start, and stays open until 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Bags are returned in lines by the last digit of the bib, so if you're meeting your runner there, know their number. The four professional division winners get golden olive wreaths grown in Marathon, Greece, a gift from the Hellenic Republic.

Getting there

The organizer's advice is to walk or take SEPTA. The getting here page warns that bus routes near the Art Museum are detoured during setup and the races, and suggests checking septa.org for detours. A bike valet near the start runs from 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The city had not posted 2026 road closures on the race's site as of November 11; the last notice there covers 2025.

Race weekend

• Expo and bib pickup, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Hall F (12th and Arch): Friday, November 20, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Saturday, November 21, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It's free. There's no race-day packet pickup: marathoners must collect their bibs by Saturday, and half marathoners on Friday. Leave big bags at the hotel, the expo page asks.
• Pros at the expo: Meb Keflezighi, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Jared Ward, Lauren Fleshman, Dakotah Popehn and Nathan Martin, the race's professional ambassadors, speak on panels and do meet-and-greets on both days. The Friday opener runs from noon to 1:00 p.m., with a meet-and-greet right after. Bart Yasso moderates, and 2024 champion Katie Florio talks about running in Philadelphia with Liberty Track Club on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
• Official shakeout run, presented by Coopah: Friday, November 20, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., from the Art Museum steps, with the same six pros, per the expo schedule. Space is limited and registration is required; only runners entered in a 2026 race weekend event can join, per the race's announcement.
• Plogging shakeout: Friday at noon, Racing for Sustainability leads a 3-mile run that picks up litter on the way, starting in front of the convention center and heading up the Parkway. Supplies are provided.
• lululemon shakeout: Friday, November 20, a 5K run or 1.5-mile walk from Evolve Fitness in Old City (126 Race Street). Check-in opens at 6:45 a.m. and the run leaves at 7:30, with carbs afterward. Sign up on Eventbrite.
• Endorphins pop-up: Endorphins and New Balance set up at Bluestone Lane's Walnut Street café, at Walnut and 20th Streets near Rittenhouse Square, all weekend: Friday 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the first hour Friday and Saturday reserved for Endorphins Flash Pass holders. Everyone gets free coffee, fuel and a New Balance x Endorphins shirt while supplies last, with finisher posters on Saturday and Sunday and New Balance medal portraits on Sunday. It also hosts shakeouts in Rittenhouse Square (Friday at 7:00 a.m. before the half, Saturday at 10:00 a.m. before the marathon) and a cheer zone outside the café at 7:00 a.m. on both race days. RSVP for each on the Endorphins event page.
• Also on the weekend: a Children's Zone open to the public, the Charity Village and a beer garden with Triple Bottom Brewing, which brewed a race-weekend pilsner, Parkway Pils, for this year.

The half marathon on Saturday

The Dietz & Watson Philadelphia Half Marathon starts at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 21, from the same spot on the Parkway, and the half marathon page lists an 11:30 a.m. end time. The half marathon page lists its own hydration stops, including Columbus Boulevard at mile 2.6, 1334 Walnut Street at 6.3, 3401 Chestnut Street at 7.6 and Kelly Drive near the Girard Avenue Bridge at mile 12. The same app tracks both days.

Results

The organizer says results are unofficial until finalized, and that it works closely with the Boston Marathon to verify qualifying times. Recent years were timed on MyChipTime; the 2025 results are linked from the marathon page. We'll post the 2026 results link and winners on our Philadelphia Marathon results page as soon as they go up.