Broad Street Run: Doylestown native Joshua Izewski wins men’s race; Amber Zimmerman repeats as women’s champ

More than 40,000 runners made their way down Broad Street for the 46th annual Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run on Sunday morning.

Joshua Izewski a Doylestown native who now resides in Blowing Rock, N.C., and ran collegiately at University of Florida, finished first in the men’s division in 46 minutes, 13.73 seconds.

Philadelphia’s Amber Zimmerman captured the women’s division for the second year in a row in 54:01.81. Miguel Jimenez Vergara also took first place for the second year with a finish of 37:19.74 in the wheelchair division.

Bryan Morseman set a new course record in the non-binary division finishing with a time of 52:17, beating Winter Parts’ mark of 52:39 set last year. Parts finished second in the division Sunday in 54:17. The non-binary division was added to the run in 2023. An additional $1,000 prize is awarded to any runner who sets a new course record.

The largest 10-mile race in the country started at Broad and Fisher in North Philadelphia, ending at the Navy Yard. For most runners, like Bucks County’s Ryan Walter, 29, it was more about completing a “Philadelphia rite of passage.”

“I always say it’s a 10-mile stampede, but once you get to Center City, and it’s all the crowds on both sides cheering you on, and that’s what kind of gets you at that halfway point,” Walter said, “and then the last mile’s packed, too, by the stadiums, which is awesome.”

Nathan Brown, 28, and his fiancée, Rachel Coleman, 27, ran Broad Street for the first time Sunday, with Brown noting there were more people than he expected in the biggest race he has run so far.

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But the energy of the spectators, the ringing bells, the confetti being thrown, and the cheering of the crowd gave Coleman and Brown something to feed off, especially toward the end.

“The energy they bring kind of helps, definitely,” Brown said. “Especially when you’re getting towards the end and you’re dying and looking for a little bit more energy, the crowd definitely helps.”

Alec Wheeler, 30, said it also was also his first race. Wheeler, a medical student at Philadelphia College of Medicine, said he’s used to running long distances, but never a race like this.

The native of Gaithersburg, Md., has lived in Philadelphia for a few years for medical school and decided to give it a try.

He described it as a perfect way to relieve stress.

“After being in the hospital for so many hours, being able to run and kind of release those endorphins just feels great for my body [to] kind of reset and recharge for the next day, so it’s great for that,” Wheeler said.

Julia Hopson, 22, said it’s her “favorite day of the year” to see all of the energy in the city. Like Wheeler, Hopson is a student who ran on Sunday to escape some academic stress.

“It’s perfect,” Hopson said. “Finish finals Friday, run Broad Street Sunday, it’s the best way to finish the year.”

Hopson, a senior at Temple, wore a Temple shirt to feed off the “vibes of the city.” In her second Broad Street Run, Hopson said the energy remained consistent while the crowds seemed to grow.

“It really makes all the difference when there’s people out cheering on, so it’s fun.”