Running: Play the lottery? How about Broad Street Run registration

Philadelphia sports teams may be down in the dumps, but that won't stop at least one annual parade from rolling down Broad Street this year, courtesy of the local running community.

The Broad Street Run 10 Miler will stream from Broad and Olney down to the Navy Yard on May 3. Not only is it the largest race in the city and the largest 10-miler in the country, but it's also the eighth-largest race in the United States, according to Running USA.

If you want to be one of the more than 40,000 runners who will compete that day, plan now: You must register for the race's lottery, which opens Feb. 1 and runs through Feb. 13, for a chance to get in. No need to log on the second the lottery opens. Runners gain no advantage by signing up on the first day.

The Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department, which puts on the event, switched over to a lottery format in 2013 to make the process more fair for those who couldn't be at a computer at the exact time registration opened.

Despite the lottery, runners have a great shot at getting in. Last year, 88 percent of those who entered the lottery won spots in the race, according to race director Jim Marino. (As a comparison, only about 12 percent of those who enter the lottery for the New York City marathon get in.) Runners will know whether they're in by Feb. 17 through an e-mail and a charge to their credit cards.

Despite the race's exploding popularity, Marino has stressed that this is a community event and will stay that way. Switching to a lottery was one way to keep the registration process fair without overcrowding the course. Another was to keep the registration fee low. For the 2014 race, it's just $43 (a steal when many half-marathons are more than $100).

If you don't get in, you do have options.

Those who have run the race 10 times or more can get in via the race veterans program. In order to be considered, though, those runners must first enter the general lottery. If they are not chosen in the lottery, they can contact the race by March 1 for guaranteed entry.

Runners can also fund-raise for a race bib through five nonprofits: the American Cancer Society, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Students Run Philly Style, or Back on My Feet.

Still shut out? The region has plenty of races that time of year, including the Long Branch (N.J.) Half Marathon (April 26), Bucks County 10 Miler (May 3, Washington Crossing), and Wild Half (May 17, Wildwood, N.J.)