Final Preparations For Broad Street Run Participants, City
By Jericka Duncan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia Police and organizers are going over all the final details for Sunday's Broad Street Run.
For the group of women known as Black Girls Run, Saturday was their final workouts.
"We have grown from, of course, nothing to nearly 5,000 members in Philadelphia," Black Girls Run member Jocelyn Wright said.
The group was started to encourage black women to be more active due to higher rates of obesity, diabetes and other health risks.
As runners, they've thought about the bombings in Boston, but they refuse to let those horrific images and stories from that day stop them from the finish line.
"I didn't want this to paralyze me," Black Girls Run member Deneen Young said. "That was my first instinct, that I was not going to allow anyone to paralyze me because I love to run."
"I think Philadelphia has it under control in terms of just being aware, even before Boston, what needs to be done to keep the city secure," Wright adds.
On Friday, work crews removed trash cans from the race route as a safety measure to prevent potential hiding spots for explosives.
"We're doing everything in our power to make sure that the city of Philadelphia has a fun, safe successful enjoyable race on Sunday," Mayor Michael Nutter said.
Extra police will be along the route and there's a ban on back packs and coolers at the Navy Yard finish line.
Many of the Broad Street runners are celebrating their passion for running because they can and they will.
Because of the bombings in Boston, police and officials of the Broad Street Run are asking runners to make sure they bring clear bags as an extra precaution.
