by Kate Hollenbeck
This year, 2023, The Philly 10K took place on August 27th! It was a warmer morning with lots of sun and pretty blue sky.
My friend and I got there early around 6:45am and did a few warmup laps around the park nearby. More people started to fill in the start area around 7:10 and the energy in the air felt fun and light! I got to talk to a few people while we waited in the corrals about race strategy which helped calm my nerves!
I went in the second corral to which the gun went off about 5 minutes after the first. Everyone was cheering and music was playing! I was anxious, but excited to run. I hadn’t raced a 10K before, so I was just excited to be there. The first couple miles went by fast. I focused on settling into a rhythm and not being too focused on my pace. My friend recommended that I split up the race by 2 miles and develop different goals as I ran which is exactly what I did!
There were spectators cheering all throughout the race so that was fun for me to people watch and read all the signs to distract myself from being tired! At some points the sun was blaring into my eyes so I had to stare at the ground as I ran – a note to bring sunglasses next year!
As I got to mile 4, I began to pick up the pace because I knew I would see some of my friends from Manayunk Running Club soon. Around mile 4.5 I saw them with bright neon signs which was so motivating. At that point, I was getting tired, so to see them cheer made me helped me not only mentally but physically as I was able to pick up the pace. When I got down to the last mile, there were a bunch more spectators, so it was really motivating to finish strong.
Usually when racing I make a choice based on how the race is going on how to exactly finish. I like to describe it as it’s choosing yes or choosing no.
Yes, meaning I finish strong and faster/take it home through the finish mentally and physically.
No, meaning I mentally and physically don’t speed up and just try to get to the finish line.
This morning was a YES. As I started sprinting, I passed a runner who told me to “finish strong kid” as I ran by him. That moment really stood out to me looking back on the race. It was a really special moment to share with a complete stranger. I sprinted to the finish line and ended strongly. Immediately I grabbed water and let the moment and feeling of finishing the race sink in. I was tired but proud of myself for finishing strong!
After I let my heart rate calm down, I went to the Post–Race Party event where I immediately got a beer and a popsicle. I got to see all my PR friends and chat about how everyone’s races went. It was a cool feeling to see the amount of people who raced, just chatting, and enjoying themselves.
In summary, The Philly 10K is a great race that welcomes all runners and walkers. There is a great community vibe with high energy! I look forward to running again next year!
