Category Archives: Running

Track Access in Heart of South Philly


The city has many great running spots.  For flat trails, there’s Kelly Drive/West River Drive, Columbus Boulevard and through Center City.  For hills, there’s some routes off Kelly Drive and in Manayunk.  The one thing that I did not find readily available, however, has been a track for sprints and speed training.  Franklin Field on the University of Pennsylvania campus has a historic track, but access to it is very limited (you can’t use it when the cross country or track teams are practicing) and almost non-existent when school is not in session.

Perusing Google Maps, I pondered whether there were any visible tracks that could be used by the public.  Down in South Philadelphia, I noted there appeared to be a track in the area of 10th Street and Bigler Street, which is south of Oregon.  It was not clear whether the field was associated with a particular nearby high school.

So, one morning, I decided to investigate and take a trip down to 10th and Bigler.  I was pleasantly surprised to find both the gate to the parking lot as well as the gate to the track open.  The track, which I learned was called the Bok Field Track, is run by the South Philadelphia Communities Civic Association.  It  is open for public use on weekdays from about 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.  On both of my recent visits, I found folks walking or jogging around the track. 

The track is definitely a hidden gem and asset for those looking for speed training in the city.

Running Up the Wall

Every year, druing the bike race, otherwise known as the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship, I venture out to Manayunk to catch the race.  While the bike race consists of 150 miles and 10 laps through the city, there is no better place to catch it (and party) than in Manayunk.  The most distinctive and notable part of each lap, of course, is the Manayunk Wall.  For the uninitiated, the Wall is a HUGE climb up Levering Street and Lyceum Avenue.  It’s a 12 to 17 percent grade over about six tenths of a mile, and cyclists do ten laps on it.  It’s an enormous challenge, and the Wall is well known in cycling circles.

For both the challenge as well as to work on “hill” training, I decided to incorporate a run up the Wall in the middle of a recent 20 mile long run.  So, in the early morning of a hot, humid day, I was running up Levering and Lyceum, with some curious stares from local residents.   And the result?  Well, let’s just say that it’s much more fun to walk up and down the wall during the bike race with a beer in your hand.  The climb starts off brutal and gets worse as you keep going up.  When you turn the corner to the left a little bit up the hill, you still have a ways to go until you hit Ridge Avenue.  Every step results in a burning sensation in your thighs and calves. 

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Philadelphia’s Must-Run Races

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to run the ODDyssey Half Marathon here in Philly.  In its second year, the ODDyssey is the only road half marathon in the spring within city limits.  It’s a nice race, with a little more than 1,500 finishers run almost entirely within Fairmount Park and with about eight miles on West River Drive.  It’s a pretty fast, flat course, with one notable exception (a lengthy climb at mile 12.5).  Additionally, in keeping with its name, the ODDyssey has a few features for those who are looking to have more fun and don’t care as much about their time: encouraged costumes and a costume contest, optional obstacle courses including military-themed bounces and water balloons.

Overall, the ODDyssey is a nice addition to the Philadelphia road race calendar.  Here, in one person’s opinion, is a list of Philly’s annual races that you should do at least once: