⏵ Course guide · The largest 10-mile race in the country
Broad Street runs dead straight and slightly net downhill, straight down Philadelphia's spine from Central High School to the Navy Yard. I will walk you through how the lottery works and the course first, then give you a pacing plan for one of the most reliable 10-mile PR courses around, plus free tools to dial in your own numbers.
These facts come from broadstreetrun.com and public race reporting. The exact 2027 date was not published in a form we could independently verify at the time of writing; confirm the current date and lottery window on broadstreetrun.com.
There is almost nothing to plan for here in terms of terrain, which is exactly what makes this course special.
The course runs the entire length of Broad Street from Central High School to the Navy Yard, with no turns and a slight net downhill grade. That simplicity is the whole appeal: it removes every terrain variable except your own pacing discipline.
With a field this large on a course this straight, expect to run in a dense, steady stream of runners for most of the race, which can help you hold pace by matching the flow around you, as long as you have set a realistic goal pace going in.
This is the largest 10-mile race in the country, and getting a bib takes planning ahead, not just showing up to register.
Registration runs through a lottery, historically opening in early-to-mid February for a race the following May. Set a reminder for that window and apply as soon as it opens, since the field is capped and demand consistently exceeds the available spots.
With no turns and a slight downhill grade, this course rewards discipline more than terrain reading.
Use the race-time calculator to build a mile-by-mile pace plan for your goal time, and expect the slight net downhill grade to make holding that pace, or even running slightly faster in the second half, easier than on a flat course of the same distance.
⏵ Free tools to pace this course
⏵ Train for it with Summit Line
Get a race-day plan built around YOUR fitness and this exact straight, net-downhill profile. Summit Line reads your real training, builds a plan for an honest effort, and helps you dial in race-day pacing so race day is something you execute, not guess at.
Through a lottery, not open registration. Entry is oversubscribed every year for a field capped at up to 40,000, and the registration window has historically opened in early-to-mid February. Mark that window on your calendar well ahead of time, since there is no guaranteed-entry path documented for most applicants, and confirm the exact dates on broadstreetrun.com as the window approaches.
Yes, and it runs slightly net downhill. The entire course is a straight shot down Broad Street from Central High School to the Navy Yard, with no turns to interrupt your rhythm and no meaningful hills to slow you down. It is one of the most reliably fast 10-mile courses in the country for exactly that reason.
The combination of a dead-straight route, a slight net downhill grade, and a massive, well-organized field all favor a fast, honest effort. There is essentially no terrain decision to make here: hold your pace, let the course do the rest, and this is one of the more predictable 10-mile PR opportunities you will find.
Set a target pace and hold it, since the course gives you no excuse not to. Use the race-time calculator to build your mile-by-mile plan, and consider that the slight net downhill grade may let you run marginally faster than your flat 10-mile pace without extra effort, especially in the second half.
Early May in Philadelphia is generally mild, with highs around 65 to 70°F, but it can also warm up depending on the year. Since the course runs fully exposed down a wide city avenue with limited shade, check the forecast in race week and be ready to reset your pace target if the morning trends warm.
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<a href="https://runsummitline.com/guides/broad-street-run">The Broad Street Run course guide</a>This guide is independent and for planning only. The course details, dates, and entry rules come from public sources and can change year to year, so confirm the current specifics with the official race before you register or run. The pacing advice is general and not medical advice.