Hit the ground running, literally!…read more
So I first heard of City Running Tours (too late, unfortunately) during my visit to Boston last year. In planning for a recent trip to Philly, I decided to see which CRT routes/distances were available during my visit. Ambitiously (or just call me plain crazy), I signed up for two tours back-to-back - the Liberty Bell Group Run on Saturday (the morning right after my arrival) and the Historic Philadelphia Group Run on Sunday. I was hoping for one of the other ones such as South Philly, but that's all they had that weekend. On a side note, I actually did my own Rocky Steps/Art Museum Run 5K later that week starting from my hotel, so all was not lost.
The Liberty Bell Run cost $35, is 3 miles long (although my GPS tracked it as 4 miles total), approximately 1 hour, no bag check available. T-shirt optional, additional cost during registration. This one starts from the Liberty Bell Center on Chestnut, and I gave myself extra time walking there to find the meeting spot. My tour guide was Rich, and turns out I was the only confirmed runner that morning. For the group price, I was actually surprised that they still came out and held the run with just me! Personalized tours start at $60 for 3 miles! From the Liberty Bell Center, we first ran down to Washington Square Park, through Society Hill, Headhouse, to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Welcome Park, Irish Memorial, Penn's Landing, Christ Church, Elfreth's Alley, Race Street Pier (there were a bunch of people doing free yoga classes that morning, haha), Benjamin Franklin's Grave, and finished at the Liberty Bell Center (no line) and Independence Hall (outside only). Rich was a really great guide, pace wasn't too fast (conversational so he could tell me about all the places we were running through), and indulged my requests to stop for photos at some of the sites - either on my phone directly, or on his which were e-mailed back to me through his boss. This was a very fun way to preview the city on foot with the help of a guide. It's definitely better than just riding a bus, and better for you (get that blood pumping!). I really enjoyed this 5ish kilometer distance/pace to start my trip.
The next day, got up early again for another, longer version of the previous run (pretty similar routes, slightly different though). The Historic Philadelphia Run cost $40, was 5.5 miles long, and lasted about 1.5 hours, no bag check. T-shirt optional, additional cost during registration.This one starts at the Philadelphia Runner store on Sansom (much closer to my hotel), where I met up with my tour guide Faye, as well as another guide, Annie, training a potential guide joining the group run to get a feel for it (4 of us total). The other runner who signed up called in sick, so I was yet again lucky (or crazy enough) to be the sole runner for a group price! Headed down Broad/Avenue of the Arts to Pine Street through the Gayborhood to Society Hill, Head House, all the way to Front Street by the war memorials again, up Dock Street back to Washington Square Park, past Independence Hall, Penn's Landing, past Christ Church and Betsy Ross House, Ben Franklin's Grave, westward through JFK "Love Park" Plaza until returning to the running store. Water bottles were provided, given that it was such a long route (5.77 miles according to my GPS) and a hot, humid morning. Only took one group photo at Head House that day, and ran at a faster pace for sure, to cover more ground - not to mention my tour guide was an Ironwoman! Again, the routes were very similar and some of the sights/facts were redundant, but different tour guides and routes made for a still enjoyable morning run. Tiring yet invigorating at the same time, and you learn a lot along the way, it's what makes it so worth it though.
More reviews on their TripAdvisor page: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60795-d2044585-Reviews-City_Running_Tours-Philadelphia_Pennsylvania.html