Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

The next Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run will be held on May 4, 2025, at 7:00 a.m.

The Run is in close communication with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health to ensure the race is conducted with public health and safety as our top priority.

To run in the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run, you must enter the lottery. We can only allow a certain number of runners in the race, so we choose runners at random through the lottery.

The lottery opens on February 1, 2025 (12:01 a.m. EST) and closes on February 15, 2025 (11:59 p.m. EST).

Runners will be notified the week of February 16, 2025 on their lottery status.

Remember, you must enter the lottery to run the race.

The race will start at Broad & Fisher and finish in the Navy Yard.

Send an email to [email protected] and we will assist you with your registration.

Teams are for competitive runners from corporations or running clubs affiliated with USATF or RRCA. Each team may have up to five members. Teams are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Yes, there is an option to register as non-binary.

You should have received an email confirmation immediately after you registered online. Confirmations will not be mailed. If you haven’t received your confirmation, your registration may not have processed. You will need to go to the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run Solutions Center Health & Wellness Expo. You may also call 215-683-3594 or email [email protected].

There is no age limit for the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run.

If you are selected from the lottery on the week of February 16th, you will be able to make changes to your registration or purchase additional merchandise directly from your RunSignup profile.

This includes address changes or ordering an in-training shirt.

Here is a tutorial that walks you through editing your registration record on RunSignup (View tutorial)

You can only register as an individual for the race. Participants who would like to run with friends must register individually.

Runners will be charged the entry fee after the lottery selections are made.

Yes. Tenured runners (those who have competed in the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run 10 or more times) and runners who deferred in 2024 are eligible for guaranteed registration.

We will not be offering a virtual option for the 2025 race.

How the transfer process works

You may transfer your bib to someone you know.

If you wish to transfer your bib, it is your responsibility to find someone to transfer it to. Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run will help with periodic social media postings, but it will be your responsibility to find someone to transfer your bib. We recommend your running club or your running circle.

Once you find someone to transfer, log in to your RunSignUp account and follow the instructions on transferring.

Notes regarding bib transfers:

Links do not expire with transfers, but participants can cancel their initiated transfer. However, the deadline to initiate transfers must by made by April 15 and you must complete the transfer prior to April 17, 2025.

There is a transfer fee of $15, which will be paid by the person accepting the transfer.

Please note that add-on items (iTab, packet mailout) will not be transferred along with the registration. Once the transfer is complete, the original registrant must request a refund of add-ons, minus processing fees.

The originator will receive a full refund, minus processing fees.

The Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run does not permit anyone to charge fees over the standard entry fees for each event for a transferred registration. Anyone found overcharging will be banned from future races.

If you have any questions, call 215-683-3594 or email [email protected].

(View instructions on transferring your bib)

Defer your entry

The deferral program allows you to give up your spot in exchange for a guaranteed spot in the 2026 race.

You will not receive an entry fee refund for this year’s race if you decide to defer.

In addition, you will still be required to pay the entry fee for the 2026 race in which you have a guaranteed spot.

The deferral program closes on April 15, 2025 (11:59 p.m. EST).

Yes, you can defer your 2025 entry to 2026 if you are selected in the 2025 lottery.  Please be aware deferring your entry guarantees you a spot bypassing the 2026 lottery, but you will still be required to pay the 2026 entry fee.

We use a corralled wave system at the start of the race. Your corral assignment is based on the anticipated finish time that you provided at registration. Runners must be in their corrals by 6:45 a.m.

Start times

• Wheelchairs: 6:55 a.m.
• Elite athletes and first wave: 7:00 a.m.
• After the first wave, each of the following waves will start every three to five minutes

Anyone who wishes to move to a slower corral is free to line up with that later start group. If you would like to move to a faster corral, please bring your bib to the Corral Change Table at the Expo so it can be modified for admittance. Runners who line up in faster corrals without visiting the Corral Change Table first may be disqualified.

There are no pace groups; however, like-paced (based on submitted estimated finish times) runners are placed in corrals together.

There will be more than 500 portable toilets at the start, along the course and at the finish line. Please allow yourself enough time to use the facilities before the start of the race.

Please remember to hydrate before the race. Water, provided by ACME Markets, will be located at the following mile marks:

2.2 miles
4.2 miles
6.3 miles
7.8 miles
9.1 miles
Finish line

Bottled water, provided by ACME Markets, will be available at the Finish Line.

No backpacks, coolers, or non-clear bags are permitted along the route, including start and finish areas. Water stations are located throughout the course.

For your safety and insurance considerations, we do not permit headsets or earphones.

Yes, there is a category for non-binary awards. The first five runners to cross the finish line who registered as non-binary will receive the same amount of prize money as the male and female open division winners.

Yes, the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run has five charity partners: the American Cancer Society, The American Association of Cancer Research, the Fairmount Park Conservancy, Students Run Philly Style, and Back On My Feet. Partners benefit through the runners’ donations and pledges.

Yes, runners must be able to keep a 15-minute-per-mile pace.

Visit mausatf.org for information about obtaining a USATF Membership card.