Broad Street Run: Cherry Hill man, Philadelphia woman bring home titles

Broad Street was barricaded, signs were held up by family and friends, and 40,000 runners pinned on their bibs as Philadelphia prepared for the 45th annual Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run on Sunday morning.

The nation’s largest 10-mile road race started at Central High School as the runners made their way through the rain toward the finish line at the Navy Yard.

Leading the charge for the men was Kevin McDonnell, 34, of Cherry Hill, with a finish of 47 minutes, 33 seconds. McDonnell is a 2008 Camden Catholic graduate who ran collegiately at St. Joseph’s. He became the first American to win the Broad Street Run since Eric Lorenz in 1994.

Philadelphia’s Amber Zimmerman captured the women’s race in 52:52 and Winter Part set a course record of 52:39 in the nonbinary division, which was introduced last year.

In the wheelchair division, Miguel Jimenez Vergara finished in 32:14 to take home a prize of $500.

Zimmerman, , 31, had entered Broad Street two previous times. This year, she came in with the goal of winning the women’s competition, trying to run a more controlled race than she had in the past.

“We didn’t have much of an international field, so it was a little easier,” Zimmerman said of Sunday’s race.

A postdoctoral research fellow at Penn, Zimmerman also participated in the Olympic marathon trials in Orlando in February, finishing 30th.

» READ MORE: Thousands brave rain to run Broad Street: ‘Everybody comes out, no matter what’

But on Sunday, all her focus was on her hometown, with Zimmerman saying she preferred the return to the original route to the Navy Yard for the first time in three years after construction at the Navy Yard.

“It was nice to just have a straight shot and not have to do that turn,” Zimmerman said, referring to the bend around the Wells Fargo Center to the finish line on northbound 11th Street next to Lincoln Financial Field. “Somehow that turn really breaks it up for you and makes you feel really bad in the last mile. So that was kind of nice [not to deal with].”

Philadelphia’s Blair Sullivan, 38, has been participating in the run since 2010. She agreed with Zimmerman, saying, “Finishing at the Navy Yard is definitely the best.”

“I think it’s an iconic race for Philly. It brings out all the best of Philly, the energy, the people,” Sullivan said. “It’s something I look forward to.”

First-time participants like Philly native Joseph LaFiora, 24, also focused on the importance of feeding off the people around the runners during the race.

“You pretty much know everybody around here, so when you see people doing it, it gets you motivated because somebody else you know is doing it, too,” LaFiora said.

Temple student Patrick Darcy, 22, chose to kick-start his graduation week by participating in the run, also noting the energy that seeing other runners gives him. With his master’s program now finished, Darcy wanted to set a new goal.

“It’s always great to have a personal challenge. I think that’s the greatest part about it,” Darcy said. “Everyone’s here racing against themselves, and then you have the encouragement of everyone else. It brings out everyone’s best performance.”

From Phoenixville, Darcy said that being local makes the run more special than some others.

“The way New York and Boston have their own big marathons, of course we have the Philly Marathon, but it’s cool to have this own event. Broad Street is kind of world-famous.”

The three winners each earned $3,000, while Zimmerman and McDonnell earned an additional $500 for being the top American finishers. Parts received an additional $1,000 for breaking the record.