The wet and foggy weather did nothing to dampen the spirits of the tens of thousands of runners participating in the largest 10-miler in the nation.
From the starting gate near Central High School in North Philadelphia to the finish line newly located next to Lincoln Financial Field, about 28,000 people pounded the pavement to participate in the Broad Street Run.
Moved up a week from its original date (when it’s forecast to be 70 and sunny😬), the run has always been a rain or shine affair.
The drizzle did not appear to slow down first-place finisher Raymond Magut, a 25-year-old from Kenya who completed the course in an impressive 45 minutes, 13 seconds. That should be a new course record (by about 1 second), and it averages out to 4:31 minutes per mile.
First place for women was notched by Cynthia Limo. She also broke the course record with her time of 50:55.
In the nonbinary runner category, which is new this year, Cain Leathers took top position with their time of 53:30. You can see all the results here.
For the grand majority of runners, the race was less about speed — though many people are repeat participants and try to beat their personal bests.
Beyond time, the event offers the chance to experience the city in a very unique way: by streaming down its central artery with tens of thousands of other Philadelphians by your side.
Doing it in the pouring rain just adds extra challenge and novelty.
Even more challenging? Rusty Burrell did the whole race dribbling a basketball, while dressed appropriately in a Charles Barkley uniform.
Some runners participate in teams that raise money for charity or nonprofit causes, like the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
Others do it for the fun and the immediate camaraderie you get from pushing yourself to the limit alongside others you know.
With very little elevation change (about 125 feet between start and finish) and an general downhill slant almost the entire way, the Broad Street Run is a favorite for many.
The Broad Street Run was first held in 1980, when just over 1,500 runners participated and it was sponsored by the Philadelphia Daily News.
Gov. Josh Shapiro was in Philly for this year’s event. While his wife, Pa. First Lady Lori Shapiro, ran the course, he took their kids to brunch at the Morning Glory Diner. The Bella Vista spot is so well-known for its political stances that its website was taken over by Trump supporters.
Have your own 2023 Broad Street Run photo or social media post you think we should add? Send it to tips@billypenn.com and we may include it here.
Correction: The Broad Street Run results page was showing an incorrect result when this article first published, so the first-place woman finisher has been updated.
