The fastest Broad Street runners outran the rain Sunday. Others got soaked.
See who won the cold, rainy 2023 Broad Street Run.
Runners are reflected in a puddle at Broad Street and Windrim Avenue during the 43rd annual Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run in Philadelphia.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Race conditions for the 43rd Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run hovered between perfect and terrible Sunday morning, depending on who you asked, but the winners outran the rain and broke course records.
The fastest runners had a cool, foggy course for the bulk of the race, but heavy rains began to fall just before 9 a.m. while thousands of others were still chugging along Broad Street. More than 28,000 runners took part in Sunday’s race.
Advertisement
Spectators cheer on runners in the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners fly through the final mile of the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
A runner crosses the Broad Street Run finish line with duct taped shoes to keep their feet drier.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
First place finisher Raymond Magut at the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners in the final mile of the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners fly through the final mile of the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners approach the finish line in the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
A spectator holds a sign reading “Hurry up so we can drank,” on Broad Street during the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners pass under the I-95 overpass in the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
A runner carries a sign that read “Buzzed on Broad Street” in the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners pass under the I-95 overpass in the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Francesca (left) and (right) Rocco high-five runners while waiting to see their mom in the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
A runner approaches the Broad Street Run finish line on 11th Street in South Philadelphia.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners approach the Broad Street Run finish line on 11th Street in South Philadelphia.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Sarah and Madison Rose, 3, watch for their family at the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners stop to rest after finishing the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners approach the Broad Street Run finish line on 11th Street in South Philadelphia.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Mary Laughlin waves a cowbell as runners make their way down Broad Street. Laughlin was waiting to she her granddaughter Bayley Sacks, of Birdsboro, Pa. It was her 16th birthday on race day.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Trina Pilhuj, of Conshohocken, watches for her daughter from the center island on South Broad Street during the Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Runners pass the six-mile marker during the Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
A runner tries to stay dry during the Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Runners take the bad weather in stride during the Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Wet sneakers were the norm during this year's Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Members of the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra perform the marching band-style "Banda" from Act II of Puccini’s La bohème in front of the Academy of Music, as runners pass by during the Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Runners pass Walnut Street during the Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Tony Nogueira, of Glen Ridge, N.J., is the Broad Street Run's wheelchair division first place winner. Noguiera finished the 10-mile route in 39 minutes and 44 seconds.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Emelia Perry, first place woman in the wheelchair division, crosses the finish line at the Broad Street Run. Perry finished the race in 40 minutes and 30 seconds.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Raymond Magut, of Grand Prairie, Texas, is the Broad Street Run men’s first place winner. Magut finished the 10-mile run in 45 minutes and 14 seconds.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Cynthia Limo, of Lansing, MI, is the Broad Street Run's women’s first place winner. Limo ran the 10-mile route in 50 minutes and 55 seconds.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Cain Leathers, of Philadelphia, is the Broad Street Run's first place non-binary runner. Leathers ran the 10-mile race in 53 minutes and 31 seconds.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners finish the Broad Street Run in the rain on 11th Street in South Philadelphia.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners make their way along Broad Street near the starting line of the Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Runners at Broad Street and Windrim Avenue the Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Runners leave the starting area at West Fisher Avenue in North Philadelphia during the Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
A crowd gathers at the starting line at West Fisher Avenue in North Philadelphia before the Broad Street Run.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Runners pack the Broad Street Line at NRG Station before the start of the Broad Street Run. Participants and spectators usually park near the finish line, which was at 11th Street in South Philadelphia this year.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Runners pack the Broad Street Line at NRG Station before the start of the Broad Street Run.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Martha Howard, a Parks and Recreation employee, awaits runners at the Broad Street Run finish line on 11th Street in South Philadelphia.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Jim Foote (left) and Davis Hughes (right) keep warm before the start of the Broad Street Run. Hughes said he cut up an old blanket to bring to the race.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Richard Klein, of Lancaster County, wears an Uncle Sam hat at the Broad Street Run. Klien said when you aren’t fast anymore you need to have fun. He’s run every Broad Street Run since 1981.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
A group of runners from the November Project get inspired before the Broad Street Run. The November Project began in Boston as a way to keep motived and in shape during the winter months. It has chapters in cities across the world, including Philadelphia.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Runners attend mass at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church before the start of the Broad Street Run on Sunday. Mass started at 6:30 a.m.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Cool and cloudy is a dream for most runners, but there’s always an exception.
“I hate the cold. I love the heat and running in the heat,” said Valerie Westphal, 41, of Pennsburg. “I was hurting. It definitely got worse as it went on.”
Westphal clocked in just over an hour, and most of the runners with her were soaking wet from the steady rain. Some didn’t let the weather dampen the good vibes.
“I really love running Broad Street, and this is the first year it really felt back to normal since COVID,” said runner Jon Ferreras, 33, from Harrisburg. “I saw a lot of kids and DJs, bucket drums up by Temple. It was great.”
Ferreras said he didn’t hit rain until mile 8.
“It was fine up until then,” he said. “I mean, it gets you cold and things start cramping up a little, but you’ve already got the momentum to finish.”
Race organizers spent the previous 48 hours cruising up and down Broad Street, looking for imperfections in the road, trash, or anything else that might present a problem. As would all the runners, they also saw the fat rain clouds parked over the weekend on the weather apps and tried to adjust.
“So one things we did to prepare for all this bad weather was make sure all the trees well trimmed and groomed so there was less chance of branches or leaves in the road. We had arborists on staff this week,” said Maita Soukup, a spokesperson for the city’s Parks and Recreation department.
Soukup said drains were checked several times along with known areas that hold water. She said the city had planned on seeing more discarded clothing along the course with temperatures hovering around 50 in the rain.
“That becomes a bit harder for our volunteers because all the clothes are wet and heavier,” she said.
Ultimately, people were going to get wet, and runners who began pouring in after 9 a.m. were soaked, wrapping themselves in mylar blankets to warm up.
“I’m really glad it wasn’t raining when I started because I would have froze up,” said Matthew Grant, 64, a first-time runner from Brooklyn. “It’s a real balance. I like it cold myself. The rain hit me around mile 7 and it actually felt good because I was heating up.”
Isaiah Nettles, 17, was running with the group Students Run Philly Style. He finished in one hour and eight minutes wearing more clothes than others in shorts and tank tops around.
“I like running when it’s hot, so I wasn’t taking these clothes off. No way,” he said. “I’m still cold now.”
Kenyan-born runner Cynthia Limo was the top female finisher with a record-setting finish of 50:54.
Raymond Magut, 25, a native of Kenya who lives in Texas, was the first to cross the finish line at 45:13,breaking the overall course record. Magut received a rowdy reception as he crossed mile 9, seemingly sprinting, along South Broad Street. The previous record of 45:14 was set by Patrick Cheruiyot in 2007.
This year’s Broad Street Run featured a category for nonbinary runners for the first time. The winner, Cain Leathers, finished in 53:51.
