Broad Street Run 2019: Street closures, parking, SEPTA

Whether you’ve been training for months or setting an early alarm to cheer on friends and family, here's what you need to know about getting to the 10-mile race.

Courtney Chambers (left) and her father, Ed Sullivan (right) stretch in the Olney subway station before the start of the 2013 Blue Cross Broad Street Run in Philadelphia.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / File Photograph

by Patricia Madej

Published May 3, 2019, 11:20 a.m. ET

It's that time of year again.

The annual Blue Cross Broad Street Run will bring roughly 40,000 runners to the main thoroughfare Sunday morning, and whether you’ve been training for months or are preparing to set an early alarm to cheer on friends and family, there’s a lot you need to know ahead of time.

When and where

The 10-mile race begins at Broad Street and Somerville Avenue at 8 a.m. and ends inside the Navy Yard. More interested in details about records and prizes? Check out The Inquirer’s guide covering everything from the course to the post-race party.

Getting there

SEPTA

SEPTA’s Broad Street Line is your best bet. From the stadium complex, where runners are encouraged to park if they drive, it’s about 35 minutes to the Olney Transportation Center, just blocks from the race start. Runners will get to ride the line free until 9 a.m., according to SEPTA, as long as they show their race bib. The transit agency plans to deploy a handful of additional express trains.

Taking Regional Rail? SEPTA’s schedules and fare information can be found online. Suburban Station will be most lines’ most-convenient stop for racers or watchers to get off and connect to the Broad Street Line at the City Hall Station. The agency also encourages passengers to take advantage of early-morning service on the Glenside Combined Line, connecting them to Fern Rock Transportation Center, just one stop away from Olney.

Parking and shuttles

If you insist on driving, know that there’s no parking available at the start of the race.

Drivers are encouraged to park at the stadium complex, where they can board the line at NRG Station, the subway line’s southernmost stop. Parking at the stadiums is free, according to the Office of Emergency Management, but racers must be out by noon.

There are also parking garages located close to Broad Street.

Shuttle buses, found along Normandy Place near 13th Street in the Navy Yard, will also be available after the event to take runners back to the stadium lots or FDR Park. Counting on someone else to get you? A pickup lot will be located along West Pattison Avenue between 20th Street and the NovaCare Complex, according to race organizers.

» WEATHER: Don’t count on sunny skies for Sunday’s Broad Street Run

Road closures and detours

Your Sunday morning errands may need to take a rain check. The following sections of Broad Street will be closed Sunday before the race begins, according to OEM.

Starting at 4 a.m.: from Olney to Windrim Avenues
Starting at 7 a.m.: from Windrim to Erie Avenue
Starting at 7:30 a.m: to the Navy Yard

The majority of the course should reopen by 11:30 a.m.

Riders on some SEPTA buses should expect detours. Route 16 will see a temporary detour from 4 until 7:30 a.m, while dozens of others will experience detours from 7:30 a.m. until the end of the race.

For the latest travel news, riders are encouraged to download the SEPTA app, or follow the agency on Twitter. Those looking for information can also text RUNPHL to 888-777 to get alerts from the city.

» READ MORE: Am I ready for the Broad Street Run?

Cheer stations and where to watch

Independence Blue Cross has recommended a list of spots to watch the runners, including Temple University’s campus, Dilworth Park on the west side of City Hall, South Philadelphia High School, and Pattison Avenue near the sports complex.

There are a number of organized cheering events to choose from, too. The Temple Alumni Association will be holding one along the North Philadelphia campus, while the Vaudevillians New Year Brigade will hold their own at Shunk Street and Broad in South Philly.