A few years ago I participated in one of Philadelphia's coolest athletic events, the annual Broad Street Run. I plan to try it again this year on May 2nd and if you're into running and are looking for an excuse to get an intimate and unique 'tour' of the city I highly recommend you give it a shot as well.
If you didn't guess from the name, the Broad Street Run is a run down Broad Street (in some places known as Avenue of the Arts or you could call it 14th Street to help keep your numbers straight). The run is ten miles long, starting at Central High School in the Olney section of North Philadelphia and running due south along Broad Street to the Navy Yard in far South Philadelphia. The Broad Street run is one of the coolest way to see the sights of Philadelphia, as well as an amazing cross-section of Philadelphia's people - about 30,000 runners participate every year from elite professional runners to local school kids and senior citizens.
The run passes through almost a dozen different neighborhoods and passes such landmarks as Joe Frazier's Gym, Temple University, the abandoned but still beautiful Divine Lorraine Hotel, the old Metropolitan Opera House, City Hall, the Academy of Music, the stadium district, and the newly-bustling Navy Yard where thousands of exhausted runners collapse onto the beautifully manicured lawn to catch their breath. The best part is that at a running pace you have time to observe the changes in architecture and neighborhood styles as you make your way down Broad - much more so than in a car.
If seeing all the sights along Philadelphia's north-south axis isn't enough for you, don't forget that you'll need to train in the weeks leading up to the run. Training gives you plenty of excuses to visit other interesting parts of the city such as Fairmount Park, South Philly, University City, the Ben Franklin Parkway, Wissahickon Creek, FDR Park, and the Ben Franklin Bridge to name just a few of my favorite spots to go for a run. If you see me out training or running among the crowd at the Broad Street Run in a few weeks please say hello!
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