The Broad Street Run Lottery Opens Today

Registration for the country's largest 10-mile road race runs from February 1st through 15th.


Broad Street Run 10-Miler

The lottery for the epic Broad Street Run 10-Miler opens today. / Photograph courtesy Independence Blue Cross

We know most of you probably don’t even want to think about running right now. (The number of times we’ve heard lifelong Philadelphians say, “It has never been this cold,” over the past few days has been depressingly high.) Despite the finger-numbing temps, though, it is indeed that time of year again — time to set your alarms early and lace up your Asics as you start training for one of Philly’s most beloved races: the Blue Cross Broad Street Run.

But first, you have to make it in. Wannabe racers can’t just pay their $55 registration fees for the largest 10-mile road race in America and go on with their days. No, they’ve got to enter the lottery, which opens today and will close February 15th.

Know that your chances of being selected for the race, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, are the same if you register today or in two weeks…unless you’ve competed in 10 or more Broad Street Run 10-Miler races. Then you qualify as a tenured runner (congrats!) and are guaranteed a spot — but still have to fork over the registration fee before the lottery closes. For everyone else, we’d recommend throwing your name in before life gets in the way of your memory, especially if you’d like to enter as a three- to five-person team, for which there are limited spots. Be prepared to spend more if you’re chosen; teams pay $300 to $350 total, with corporate teams shouldering the highest rate.

Fortunately, you won’t have to wait long to find out whether you’re officially a Broad Street Run 10-Miler racer. Organizers will post a list of the lucky participants at broadstreetrun.com on February 19th. If your name’s not there, your credit card shouldn’t be charged.

Before you go through the process of registering, though, note that you must be able to run a mile in less than 15 minutes to be eligible for the race. Trust us, you don’t want to get trampled by tens of thousands of people — in 2018, more than 36,000 Broad Street Run 10-Miler runners crossed the finish line, and there may have been just as many spectators with signs — if you fall behind. (We recommend Never Give Up Training’s customized Broad Street Run training packages to keep you at the front of the pack.)

Secondly, if your name gets passed over, you can still run the race through one of five charities: the American Cancer Society, American Association for Cancer Research, the Fairmount Park Conservancy, Students Run Philly Style, and Back on My Feet…as long as you raise a minimum of $500 for your chosen  organization. The way we see it, you’re either paying a little for a good experience — or a lot for a good cause.

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