Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon
Encyclopedia
The Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon is an annual half marathon
road running
event which takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
in the United States
on the third Sunday of September.
The competition was established in 1978 as the Philadelphia Distance Run and was held under this name until 2009. Since 2010 when the Competitor running group bought the rights to the race, it has been part of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series
of running competitions.
The race quickly became a top level race with international competition: four-time Olympic champion Lasse Virén
of Finland won at the second edition and he was followed by further foreign Olympic medalists in New Zealand's Rod Dixon
and Michael Musyoki
of Kenya. Joan Samuelson took consecutive victories in the women's race in 1983 to 1985, which included an world record times of 1:09:14 hours and 1:08:34 hours in 1983 and 1984. The latter mark stood as the American record for over twenty years and was broken by Deena Kastor
at the 2005 edition of the Philadelphia Distance Run, with her winning time of 1:07:53 hours. The men's race has also seen historically fast times: Michael Musyoki's winning time of 1:01:36 hours in 1982 was a world record and in 1985 Mark Curp
ran a further world record time of 1:00:55 hours. On top of this, Dionicio Cerón
's winning time of 1:00:46 hours in 1990 was recognised by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians
as their world best mark, as per their stricter criteria.
The current course records were set in 2011 and both are the fastest times ever recorded for the half marathon on American soil: Mathew Kisorio
ran the fourth fastest time ever (58:46 minutes) while Kimberley Smith's women's record of 1:07:11 hours made her the seventh fastest female ever in the half marathon.
Key:
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
event which takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on the third Sunday of September.
The competition was established in 1978 as the Philadelphia Distance Run and was held under this name until 2009. Since 2010 when the Competitor running group bought the rights to the race, it has been part of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series
Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series
The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series is a collection of road running events owned and operated by Competitor Group, Inc. The series is known for lining race routes with live bands, cheerleaders and themed water stations.-Events:...
of running competitions.
The race quickly became a top level race with international competition: four-time Olympic champion Lasse Virén
Lasse Virén
Lasse Artturi Virén is a former Finnish long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics...
of Finland won at the second edition and he was followed by further foreign Olympic medalists in New Zealand's Rod Dixon
Rod Dixon
Rodney Phillip "Rod" Dixon is a former New Zealand middle distance runner. He won the bronze medal over 1500 metres at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and in 1983 won the prestigious New York City Marathon.-Biography:...
and Michael Musyoki
Michael Musyoki
Michael Musyoki is a former long-distance runner from Kenya who won the bronze medal in 10,000 metres at the 1984 Summer Olympics....
of Kenya. Joan Samuelson took consecutive victories in the women's race in 1983 to 1985, which included an world record times of 1:09:14 hours and 1:08:34 hours in 1983 and 1984. The latter mark stood as the American record for over twenty years and was broken by Deena Kastor
Deena Kastor
Deena Michelle Kastor is an American long-distance runner. She holds American records in the marathon, half-marathon, and numerous road distances. She won the bronze medal in the women's marathon at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece...
at the 2005 edition of the Philadelphia Distance Run, with her winning time of 1:07:53 hours. The men's race has also seen historically fast times: Michael Musyoki's winning time of 1:01:36 hours in 1982 was a world record and in 1985 Mark Curp
Mark Curp
Mark Curp is a former world and American record holder in the half marathon. He attended the Central Missouri State University....
ran a further world record time of 1:00:55 hours. On top of this, Dionicio Cerón
Dionicio Cerón
Dionicio Cerón Pizarro is a former marathon runner from Mexico, whose personal best in the classic distance was 2:08:30. He represented his native country three times at the Summer Olympics: in 1992, 1996 and 2000....
's winning time of 1:00:46 hours in 1990 was recognised by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians
Association of Road Racing Statisticians
The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road records for standard race distances and to establish...
as their world best mark, as per their stricter criteria.
The current course records were set in 2011 and both are the fastest times ever recorded for the half marathon on American soil: Mathew Kisorio
Mathew Kisorio
Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio is a Kenyan long-distance runner.He was born in Kapchumba in Nandi North District as a son of runner Some Muge. His brothers Peter Kimeli Some and Nicholas Kipchirchir Togom are active runners as well....
ran the fourth fastest time ever (58:46 minutes) while Kimberley Smith's women's record of 1:07:11 hours made her the seventh fastest female ever in the half marathon.
Past winners
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1978 | 1:07:35 | 1:24:34 | ||
| 2nd | 1979 | 1:04:48 | 1:20:06 | ||
| 3rd | 1980 | 1:03:39 | 1:17:56 | ||
| 4th | 1981 | 1:02:12 | 1:13:33 | ||
| 5th | 1982 | 1:01:36 | 1:13:13 | ||
| 6th | 1983 | 1:02:49 | 1:09:10 | ||
| 7th | 1984 | 1:02:14 | 1:08:34 | ||
| 8th | 1985 | 1:00:55 | 1:09:44 | ||
| 9th | 1986 | 1:01:43 | 1:11:41 | ||
| 10th | 1987 | 1:02:07 | 1:10:47 | ||
| 11th | 1988 | 1:02:17 | 1:10:47 | ||
| 12th | 1989 | 1:02:01 | 1:11:24 | ||
| 13th | 1990 | 1:00:46 | 1:09:39 | ||
| 14th | 1991 | 1:03:00 | 1:12:53 | ||
| 15th | 1992 | 1:03:13 | 1:10:59 | ||
| 16th | 1993 | 1:01:26 | 1:10:26 | ||
| 17th | 1994 | 1:02:04 | 1:10:03 | ||
| 18th | 1995 | 1:01:30 | 1:12:56 | ||
| 19th | 1996 | 1:01:02 | 1:10:40 | ||
| 20th | 1997 | 1:00:27 | 1:10:06 | ||
| 21st | 1998 | 1:01:58 | 1:09:46 | ||
| 22nd | 1999 | 1:00:47 | 1:10:31 | ||
| 23rd | 2000 | 1:01:17 | 1:10:01 | ||
| 24th | 2001 | 1:01:25 | 1:08:30 | ||
| 25th | 2002 | 1:02:22 | 1:09:20 | ||
| 26th | 2003 | 1:01:29 | 1:11:20 | ||
| 27th | 2004 | 1:01:17.1 | 1:09:38 | ||
| 28th | 2005 | 1:02:23 | 1:07:53 | ||
| 29th | 2006 | 1:01:05 | 1:10:09 | ||
| 30th | 2007 | 1:02:02 | 1:08:45 | ||
| 31st | 2008 | 1:01:22 | 1:10:21 | ||
| 32nd | 2009 | 1:01:52 | 1:09:43 | ||
| 33rd | 2010 | 1:00:16 | 1:07:45 | ||
| 34th | 2011 | 58:46 | 1:07:11 |
External links
- Official website
- Historical race results (archived)