Race and Course Information

The Blue Cross Broad Street Run is a point-to-point course scheduled on May 5, 2019. Named one of the fastest 10-mile courses in the country by Runner’s World, it starts at Broad Street and Somerville Avenue and ends inside the Philadelphia Navy Yard in South Philadelphia. This race is your opportunity to pass through many of the city’s neighborhoods, taking in the various communities that make up the City of Brotherly Love. The event begins at 8:00 a.m.

Still looking for a spot?

If you didn’t get into the race through the lottery, running for a charity is a great option!

Check with one of the following to see if they have any spots available:

• The American Cancer Society
• American Association for Cancer Research
• The Fairmount Park Conservancy
• Students Run Philly Style
• Back on My Feet

Blue Cross Broad Street Run Add-Ons Available

Participants can also purchase the following add-ons:

Packet Mail-Out ($25) – Unable to make it to the Health and Wellness Expo presented by Einstein Healthcare Network on May 3 (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) or May 4 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) at the Philadelphia Convention Center?  You can have your race day packet mailed to you!

Please note that packet Mail-Out is available to the first 250 registrants, and the deadline for selecting this add-on is March 31, 2019. If you chose to have your packet mailed to you, race packets will be mailed by the United State Postal Service and should arrive by April 30.

iTab ($12) –  A small self-adhesive plate engraved with your Name and Finish Time which fits neatly in to the back of your medal. Following results being made official, the iTaB will be engraved and mailed to you. The deadline to order this add-on is May 2, 2019.

Training Shirt ($35) –   Train in an “In-Training” Blue Cross Broad Street Run shirt.

Weather

Be sure to check NBC 10 for the most up-to-date weather forecast for race day.

Getting there

There are many ways to get to where you need to be on race day. Here are some options:

Coming from inside the city

The best way to get to the start area if you live in the city or are staying at a hotel in the city is to take the Broad Street Line, free of charge. Just be sure to wear your race bib on the front of your shirt.

After the race, you can either walk or take a shuttle bus from the finish area back to the parking areas and NRG Station.

Coming from outside the city

One thing to note is that there is no parking available at the start area.

If you’re driving into the city, we recommend that you park your car at the Stadium Complex at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue for free. You can then take the Broad Street Line at NRG Station, free of charge, to the start. Just be sure to wear your race bib on the front of your shirt. Note: it takes about 35 minutes to reach SEPTA Broad and Olney Transportation Center, just a few blocks from the start area.

If you’re taking SEPTA’s Regional Rail or Market-Frankford Line into the city, take it to Suburban Station, and then hop on the Broad Street Line from City Hall Station. If you’re taking PATCO from New Jersey, get off at the 12th and 13th & Locust Station, and walk two blocks west to the Broad & Locust Station on the Broad Street Line. Again, remember to wear your race bib on the front of your shirt.

After the race, you can either walk or take a shuttle bus from the finish area back to the parking areas and NRG Station.

For public transportation information, visit septa.org or call 215-580-7800.

Gear check

We provide free baggage and gear transportation from the start area to the finish line area. You will receive a clear plastic bag at the Health and Wellness Expo presented by Einstein Healthcare Network with your race packet. Please use this bag and make sure all items within the bag are visible.

Backpacks are not permitted at gear check for your safety and the safety of others.

Here’s how gear check works:

• Put some form of identification, including your name, address, and phone number, inside your bag in case we need to ship the bag back to you after the race. Any garments without a bag will not be accepted.
• Find a gear check bus located around the start area, including Olney Avenue, Old York Road, and Somerville Avenue. (There will be no buses on Broad Street.)
• Gear must be checked onto a bus by 7:45 a.m.
• Each bus will have 500 security wristbands. You will receive two matching wristbands and a sticker when you check your bag. Place one wristband on your gear and hand it to a volunteer. Place the second wristband on your wrist and place the sticker on the back of your race bib.
• Don’t forget the bus number in which you checked your gear, because buses will not be loaded by bib number.
• Pick up your gear in the Navy Yard at the south end of the Marine Parade Grounds, in the parking lot directly across Constitution Avenue.

Race bibs

You will receive your race bib, which shows your official competitor’s number, in your race packet. Please be sure to:

• Check that your information at the bottom of your bib is accurate.
• Fill out the medical information on the back of your bib in case of an emergency.
• Wear your bib on the front of your shirt on race day.
• Trade in your small tear-off the number to receive refreshments after the race.

If any information on your bib is incorrect, email info@broadstreetrun.com or call 215-683-3594 to have it fixed. Errors can also be corrected at the Solution Center at the Health and Wellness Expo presented by Einstein Healthcare Network.

A timing device will be embedded in your race bib. We use the IPICO timing system, a single-use bib tag. Read the bib instructions to ensure you receive an accurate time.

Start area

When you arrive at the start area, feel free to warm-up at the Central High School Athletic Field on Broad Street and Somerville Avenue. There will be more than 300 portable toilets located throughout the field. A group stretch will also take place one hour before the start of the race. The race begins at 8:00 a.m.

View a map of the start area.

Tips for before the race:

• Arrive at the start area early to allow yourself enough time to check your gear, use the facilities, and stretch before the start.
• Hydrate! Look for water flags for water stations.
• Stay off the surrounding streets.
• Be respectful of the residents of the area by keeping off their lawns, steps, and porches.

Corrals

We use a corralled, wave system at the start of the race. We base corral assignments on the anticipated finish time you provide when you register. You will receive your corral assignment by email in late April.

The starting line is located at Broad Street and W. Fisher Avenue. The corrals begin at the starting line and line up along Broad Street going north.

View the corral map.

Remember, this is run, not a walk. All runners are expected to run a sub-15 minute-mile pace. Any runners not keeping this pace will be directed to sidewalks to allow traffic to re-open in a timely manner.

If you’re planning on running a slower pace, please line towards the back of your corral.

Course restrictions

The following are restricted on the course for your safety and insurance considerations:

• Animals (except for seeing eye dogs)
• Baby joggers
• Bicycles
• Portable media players (i.e., iPods or mp3 players. Runners must be able to hear voice commands, vehicle sirens, and horns.)
• Skateboards
• Roller skates or blades
• Wheeled conveyances (other than wheelchairs*)

Water stations

Water and Gatorade^® will be available along the course and at the finish. Look for blue water flags for water stations. At the four stations where Gatorade is available, look for the bright green cups on the first tables of those stations on both sides of the street.

Water stations will be located at the following mile marks:

• Start area
• 2.2 miles (Gatorade station)
• 4.2 miles
• 5.2 miles
• 6.3 miles (Gatorade station)
• 6.9 miles
• 7.8 miles (Gatorade station)
• 8.5 miles (Gatorade station)
• 9.1 miles
• Finish line (Bottled water available, one per runner.)

Emergency services

Ambulances will be located along the course. If you get sick or are injured, remain calm until help arrives. If any runner comes upon an emergency and no help is in the area, please report it to any police officer along the course.

The following hospitals are located along the course:

• Temple University (N. Broad Street and W. Tioga Street)
• Hahnemann University (N. Broad Street and Vine Street)
• Methodist (S. Broad Street and Wolf Street)

Course entertainment

Music groups, high school bands, cheerleading squads, church choirs, and drill teams are invited to perform along the course to energize the runners and spectators.

If your organization would like to participate, call 215-683-3594 or email info@broadstreetrun.com.

Finish line

The finish line is located about one-quarter mile past the main gate of the Navy Yard, at the southern end of Broad Street.

View a map of the finish area.

After you finish the race, you will receive an official Blue Cross Broad Street Run medal.

Refreshments

Make your way to the runners’ refreshment area, which is blocked off from spectators. To receive your refreshment packet, remove your small tear-off the number on your bib and give it to one of the volunteers in the refreshment area. You may only receive one refreshment packet. Once you have left the refreshment area, you may not return.

You will find additional water at water tanks around the Navy Yard.

Restrictions

Please, no dogs or alcoholic beverages are permitted in the Navy Yard. We also ask for your cooperation in keeping the Navy Yard clean by putting all waste in the proper receptacles.

Lost runners

All runners should plan to meet family and friends at the Lost Runners Information Tent in the center of the Marine Parade grounds. We will not make any announcements about missing people from the Awards Stage. If someone is missing, go to the nearest information booth for instructions.

Door prizes

All registered runners are eligible for random drawings, which will be held throughout the day. You must be present to win any of the door prizes. Winners will be announced at the Awards Stage at the Navy Yard.

Getting back to your car

You may take a shuttle bus back to the parking areas from the Navy Yard. Spectators may also take these buses back and forth between the parking areas and the Navy Yard.

*The term “wheelchair” as used in this event means “push-rim wheelchairs” only. For safety reasons, hand-crank bicycle types of equipment are not permitted.

Drug testing

Athletes who take part in the competition may be subject to formal drug testing under the IAAF Procedural Guidelines for Doping Control or the Olympic Movement Anti-Doping Code. Drug testing and the adjudication of positive findings will be carried out by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Athletes found to have committed a doping violation will be disciplined according to USADA Protocol and suspended, if appropriate, according to IAAF rules. Such penalties may result in a period of ineligibility as well as disqualification from the event. Any substance taken by an athlete is at his/her own risk and may result in a positive sample. (This includes cold medicines, nutritional supplements, and some over-the-counter medicines).

Information on drugs and drug testing may be obtained by calling the USADA Drug Reference Hotline at 1-800-233-0393 or visiting usantidoping.org.