Katie Florio was overwhelmed with emotion Sunday morning after crossing the finish line. The 31-year-old Center City resident and financial adviser became only the second local woman in more than three decades to win the Philadelphia Marathon.
Florio was neck and neck with the runner up until the start of Mile 26 when she pulled ahead, winning the women's division with a time of 02:32:42.1.
"She pushed me for sure," Florio said. "She didn't speak English. She was from Ethiopia so it was funny in the race trying to communicate with each other. It was hard to do, obviously."
Florio -- who lived in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, before moving to Philly -- said her knowledge of the course helped her win in the end.
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“It’s incredible,” Florio said. “I placed one time third here but I wasn’t from Philly so it didn’t mean as much. Living in the city, I run these streets every day. It was cool. I knew the tangents. I knew the course.”
Florio told NBC10 her accomplishment was especially satisfying after having her first child in October of last year.
“Coming back postpartum, I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder,” she said. “You don’t know how if you’re going to get better and this season, I’ve gotten faster so it’s really incredible.”
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While it was her first win, it wasn't Florio's first race since becoming a mom.
"I competed in the Olympic trials in February and that was four months postpartum," she said. "So I just started from scratch."
Florio's husband, Paul Florio, also spoke with NBC10 about how proud he is of his wife.
"It was unreal. This is what dreams are made of," he said. "Going out and winning on your home track and having all your friends and family there. And so many people cheering your name and knowing your name because you're a local runner."
Now Florio is working to decide if she will defend her title next year.
"I mean, you can't do better than coming in first so I'm kind of like, I need to hang up the spikes but we will see," she said. "Maybe. I'll be at Broad Street in the spring for sure."
Sunday was a great day for Pennsylvania runners in general. In the men’s division, William Loevner of Pittsburgh won with a time of 02:16:12.
