Runners, If youve got a few moments, we are in the mood for a little reflection. Yesterday was our 10th Broad Street Run since opening in Center City almost 10 years ago. This fall marks our 10th anniversary. Meeting over 1,000 runners at the post-race tailgate yesterday and seeing how vibrant our running community is made us pause for a moment of appreciation for how lucky we have been to watch its growth over the years. It wasnt always like this. The river wasnt always as well lit and packed with runners as it is today. Some of it (like the Schuylkill Banks extension into Center City) didnt even exist. And Broad Street, a race which has been around for 35 years, was 1/4 the size in 2004 than it is today. It is now the largest 10 Mile race in the country, and in our unbiased opinion, the best. We have seen a few things leave over the years that we wish were still here (PDR comes to mind). But there is one indisputable fact about the running scene here in Philly that was reaffirmed yesterday: The trails are alive like never before. From the loop to Forbidden drive. The Ben Franklin Bridge, Penns Landing, FDR Park, Belmont Plateau, and whatever 4,5,6, or 20 mile stretch of land you run on every day. There have never been more runners in this city than right now. There have never been more races and there have never been more clubs, organizations, and individuals who care so much about preserving what we have here (we could list them all but we would literally write over a thousand names). In a few hours we are going to launch the first race we have ever created ourselves. It took us 10 years but we think its finally time for a classic runners race that celebrates this city and what we have here. We hope you like what we have been working on and will join us in September as we approach our 10 year anniversary. Thanks for listening and forgive us for the long post, the Broad Street endorphins are still rattling around a bit. Keep doing what youre doing and run on. - Philadelphia Runner
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 15:17:22 +0000