NBC10’s Brandon Hudson shares the stories of Blue Cross Broad Street runners, who tell us their motivation for running.
Another Blue Cross Broad Street Run is in the books Sunday after more than 40,000 runners braved rain, wet roads and headwinds to compete in the 37th annual iconic Philadelphia 10-miler.
The race kicked off on Broad Street near Fisher Avenue, in Logan, just about 8 a.m. The first athlete to make it to South Philadelphia's Navy Yard was Tony Noguiera, who competes in a wheelchair.
After the finish line, Noguiera, of Glen Ridge, New Jersey, said he "felt great," despite the damp conditions. The 48-year-old told NBC10 he just competed in the Boston Marathon and that he races Broad Street as a training race.
The first-place runner, 24-year-old Abebe Mekuria, ran the 10 miles in 48:43 with a pace of 4:52 per mile. Mekuria didn't stick around for the awards ceremony after the race, but talked briefly with NBC10's Lauren Mayk at the finish line.
"I'm feeling not too bad," Mekuria said.
Just behind Mekuria was Mathew Kiplagat, 33, of White Plains, New York, who ran the race in 48:51 with a 4:53 mile pace. In third was David Fuentes, 29, of Austin, Texas, with a total time of 49:28 and a pace of 4:56 per mile.
The leading woman to cross the finish line was the Delaware Valley's own Crystal Burnick, of Skippack, Montgomery County. Burnick, 27, finished the race -- her fifth Blue Cross Broad Street Run -- in 57:05, with a pace of 5:42 per mile. She placed 92nd overall.
Burnick's fiance, Bob Bacon, crossed the finish line minutes after her, racing to give her a post-race kiss.
"She always impresses me more and more, and this is just icing on the cake," Bacon said of Burnick. Bacon, 28, finished the race in 59:45, clocking a 5:58 mile and placing 193rd.
The first local athlete to finish the race was Justin Garrard, 29, of Philadelphia, who came in eighth place, finishing the race in 50:07 with a pace of 5:00 a mile, according to the Blue Cross Broad Street Run placings list. Darryl Brown, of Exton, Pennsylvania, is the only other local runner who placed in the top 10. The 33-year-old came in 10th, finishing the race in 51:23 with a 5:08 mile pace.
Not far behind Burnick was another Pennsylvanian placing second among women in the race. 23-year-old Emily Giannotti, of Ephrata, completed the 10 miles in 57:53 with a pace of 5:47 per mile. She finished 109th overall. Finishing third for women was Amanda Scott, 28, of Boulder, Colorado, who finished in 57:58 with a pace of 5:47 per mile. She finished 113th overall.
Of NBC10's Blue Cross Broad Street Run team, anchor/reporter Keith Jones ran the race in 1:34:01 and paced at 9:24 per mile.
NBC10 traffic reporter Jessica Boyington, who learned she'd be running on Team 10 in her first Broad Street Run just a few weeks ago, finished in 1:38:21, running a 9:50 mile.
Daniel Stamm, of NBC10's Digital Team, finished in 1:15:56, running a 7:35 mile.
Telemundo62's Christian Cazares ran a 13:08 mile, according to the Broad Street Run results page, finishing the race in 2:11:37. CSNPhilly's Marshall Harris also ran in the race, finishing in 1:24:28, with a pace of 8:27 per mile.
Runners made their way down Broad Street, around City Hall at mile five, and continued on through South Philadelphia into the Navy Yard.
The Blue Cross Broad Street Run is the largest 10-mile race in the United States.
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Despite the dreary forecast with rain and cooler temperatures, as runners looked forward to the Sunday-morning race, they said they were still excited.
"This is a race I would run in the rain, wind sleet, snow. It's just a fun run," Fred Burke, a runner from Chicago, told NBC10. "I love the atmosphere and the energy."
