Runners kick off Philly Marathon training season despite summer’s sizzle

By 7 a.m. Saturday, the temperature was already close to a sweaty 80 degrees and climbing, but that did not deter about 80 runners from amassing at the Rocky steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, laced up and ready to go.

Bart Yasso, chief running officer at Runner’s World magazine, started his pep talk with this advice: Start slow.

“You’ve got to show up at that starting line healthy and ready to run,” Yasso said. “We’re exactly 16 weeks out from marathon weekend, so this is the time when you start making your plan. Don’t overdo it in the early part of that plan and try to peak before the marathon.”

“The marathon” was, of course, none other than the AACR Philadelphia Marathon, and Saturday marked the official start of the training season for what will be the race’s 30th year. Being held Nov. 19 this year, the marathon’s partner is the American Association for Cancer Research. The half-marathon will be Nov. 18.

Runners of all ages and levels took part in Saturday’s training run along Kelly Drive in Fairmount, setting their own pace and choosing one of three distances — three, six or eight miles. Mother Nature even threw in a bit of relief — a brief, but refreshing, downpour about 45 minutes into the run.

Brissa DeLacruz, 18, a recent Central High School graduate, was there with more than 20 of her friends with Students Run Philly Style, a city running organization for middle and high schoolers. Last year was her first Philadelphia Marathon, and this year will be her second.

“It’s a difficult challenge, but very fulfilling when you cross the finish line,” DeLacruz, who will be a premed student at Penn State-Abington, said of tackling 26.2 miles.

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Mark Sullivan, 61, one of only two people to have run every Philadelphia Marathon, also took part in the training run and was on hand to offer advice to novices and more experienced runners alike.

Running culture, including marathons, has gotten more inclusive over the years, according to Sullivan. He encouraged novices to keep it up.

“Don’t be intimidated,” Sullivan said. “Start slow. Mix it up with walk breaks.”

Lisa Cooper, an account manager, who lives in University City and is “over 50,” ran in high school but didn’t pick it up again until she had kids. Besides the Philly Marathon, she’s run in the marathons of New York City, Chicago, London and Berlin, and intends to still do Tokyo and Boston.

But what she really loves are the runners themselves.

“The running community is so supportive — all races, all paces,” she said. “It’s so inclusive.”

Beside the Wynnfield Track Club, whose members she was with Saturday, Cooper said she has run with Run4AllWomen in solidarity after the police killing of Breonna Taylor; with the LGBTQ running group Lez Run; Swagga House, the club of slain po, which holds anti-violence runs; and the Black Girls Run club that got her really started.

“I just caught the bug,” Cooper said.

Members of the Run & Chug club, a happy crew, were also represented at Saturday’s training event. Their members meet at a different city bar every Wednesday at 7 p.m., go for a run together, and return to the pub for some refreshments and friendship.

Larry Powell, 31, of Fairmount, the club’s leader, said he doesn’t even drink, but the club and running have been great additions to his life.

“I love it — the socializing, meeting new people, reaching new goals,” said Powell, an entrepreneur. “When I started, I couldn’t run two blocks. Now I’m running marathons.”

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Marion Powell, 55, of Gladwyne (no relation to Larry) is a runner, but more than that, she’s superstitious. So, the Shipley School receptionist said, every Sunday that the Eagles play, no matter what, she runs to the Rocky statue to touch his left leg and hand. On the day of the last Philly Marathon, she was determined to touch Rocky for the Eagles and found herself in the heart of the running event, including the elite women runners.

“I got to feel the vibe of the whole crowd,” Powell said. “It was electrifying.”

This year, she’s promised herself, she is going to finally run in the marathon.

And when football season starts, is she still going to do those Rocky runs?

“Oh, yeah. Jalen Hurts wants a Super Bowl win,” Powell said. “He’ll get his ring.”