Broad Street Run plans to return to its usual first Sunday in May race date

The Blue Cross Broad Street Run, Philadelphia’s signature 10-mile race, plans to return to its usual first Sunday in May time slot in 2022.

The race, which is organized by Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and sponsored by Independence Blue Cross, made the announcement on its website Friday.

Hopeful runners can register in early February for the 42nd edition of the run, according to the website. More details will be available then.

The course is popular among newbie and elite runners alike due to its progressive elevation decline — the few climbs on the course go by relatively quickly. As Penn Medicine put it in 2018, the course is made for personal bests.

» READ MORE: The Broad Street Run is mostly downhill, but how much does that really help?

The course isn’t hard on the eyes either, taking athletes from North Philly through City Hall and typically ending at the Navy Yard — 2021 being the exception because of Navy Yard construction. The city streets are usually lined with thousands of spectators, school bands, and dancers cheering participants on and distributing water, and even beer for the more adventurous.

In a typical non-pandemic year, these traits have drawn nearly 40,000 participants to Philly, per city estimates.

Few details were immediately available about the 2022 race. After canceling 2020′s in-person race, the 2021 Broad Street Run was moved to October and made hybrid for the first time.

About 17,000 runners submitted proof of vaccination to participate in last year’s run in-person, while another 1,500 participated virtually.