E001: The Last Half Mile
Kate,
As you know (because you’ve done it!), many road races in Philadelphia start and end by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It’s an iconic location in the city (mostly for the Rocky films and the iconic training montage that ends at the steps.1 However, in order to end at this location, runners must run up Kelly Drive to the Art Museum steps.2
Philly runners know this - the Schuylkill River Trail and particularly the section behind the Art Museum is well-traveled. Out-of-town participants largely do not know this, and are very frustrated by the sudden realization they have to go up that to get to the finish line. And that realization sucks - it’s a hill, right at the end of the race, and crowded with spectators watching your every move. Even during my solo runs, it can be tough.
But there is also something really beautiful about that moment at the end - pushing yourself to the limit to make whatever time, surrounded by so many people who are there to cheer you and your fellow runners on, and just feeling so proud of yourself in that moment that you’re able to enjoy the view. During the Rocky Run, that last sprint felt so cathartic - if catharsis can come from an emotion that is strong but not painful or tragic? This was a tough week emotionally, and so maybe not fully coming from this 10-mile race, but I found myself tearing up on this hill. I thought about
how this last hill is so overstimulating for runners - with the sounds of the crowd and the narrowing of the runners to get into the finish line sprint and the physical activity and the knowing that the end is right there but you also have to get through it
how happy all the spectators were to be cheering on friends and family, and how races like these bring out so many people to celebrate each other
how running is often (for me) a solo activity, but always in aim of doing so with a community
being grateful for my running community - I’ve run a good number of races in Philly but these last few have felt so beautiful because I have people to cheer for/cheer me on
how strong and secure I felt in my body, having already conquered 3 other hills in this race and having run so much this training block
how glad I am for all those hill sprints in my training, even if I groaned through most of it
how in two weeks, I’m going to do this hill again (with 25+ miles under my feet)
Enjoy every mile,
Emily
None of the races actually involve running those steps. There is a Strava segment for it though. I don’t know that I’ve ever run the steps? Too crowded tbh. ↩
Notably, this Strava segment is only partially covered under “Hill from Sedgley to Fairmount”, which cuts off at what I would argue is halfway up the hill. Race participants still need to continue up to Kelly Drive to the Rocky Statue, which I would argue is the actual end of the hill. Strava would also like to remind me that this segment is a low-grade hill with an elevation of 17 feet. I would argue it does not feel that way at the end of a long run. ↩