Phillies Charities 5k offers runners chance to get on Citizens Bank Park field

If you made a New Year's resolution to run a 5k, and you're a Phillies fan, your hometown baseball team has a race for you to consider: the Phillies Charities 5k, which will be run March 23.

Registration opens Monday at 9 a.m. at Phillies.com. The race is expected to sell out within 24 hours, so be quick to get to your browser.

"We knew they were there," Mary Ann Moyer said of running Phillies fans. She's manager of marketing initiatives for the Phillies and had kicked around the idea of holding a 5k for years. "We knew we could tap into that fan base."

The race, which starts and ends at Citizens Bank Park and includes a cool-down lap on the infield, started in 2011 and maxed out at 3,000 people. In 2012, the cap was raised to 5,000, which is where it will stay this year.

The net proceeds go to Phillies Charities. Last year, the race raised $63,000.

I ran this 5k in 2011. It was a fun event, with the Phillie Phanatic at the start and finish. The organizers have eliminated one big postrace problem: If you wanted a picture at home plate after that cool-down lap, it had to be taken by a Phillies photographer. The process slowed down the line on an extremely cold day, and you were charged for the photos.

Now, Moyer said, runners are encouraged to bring their own cameras. She also said the Phanatic will be more involved this year, and they're adding music to the course.

They're also changing the route. Jen Killius, 29, of Philadelphia, runs about 25 races a year, and last year she included this one. "The course was terrible," she said. "It was many, many turns that just snaked around the empty parking lots surrounding the stadium."

She's giving it another shot in 2013, though, since friends are also signing up, and, despite the 2012 course, she still had fun. "I'd probably be running it even if [my friends] weren't asking me because it's an easy distance for me with lots of fun race swag," she said.

That swag comes at a cost: $50, which is high for a 5k. Killius said the fee is worth it. This year, runners will get a long-sleeved tech T-shirt, Phillies bag, finisher's medal, and two free tickets to an exhibition game.

If you haven't run a 5k before, and you're looking for your first, this is one to consider, and not just because of the Phanatic and free baseball tickets. A big fear of most first-time racers is finishing last. This is one of the largest 5ks in the region, and will include runners of every ability, so there's a lower chance of that happening. And even if it does, at least you have a new Phillies T-shirt.

Saturday: Harbor House 5k. 5k run, 5k walk, and 1-mile kid fun run, Lakewood, N.J. Register by 5 p.m. Jan. 10 at runsignup.com.

Sunday, Jan. 13: Ryan Strong 5k. 5k run and 5k walk, Fairless Hills. Registration closes 11:59 p.m. Jan. 11 at runbucks.com

Sunday, Jan. 13: Icicle Ten Miler. 10-mile run, Wilmington. Register on site or at races2run.com.

Every Sunday through Feb. 24: Browning Ross Winter Series, Glassboro 5K. Register day of race only. For information, go to: tuffgangrunning.com.

To add your race, e-mail jquinn@phillynews.com.

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