Philadelphia held its annual BMW Love Run Half Marathon last Sunday. Starting at the early hour of 7:30 a.m, in 29°F weather, 11,000 runners from 48 different states began their 13.1 mile journey around Philadelphia. Amongst the multitude of runners were several of Swarthmore’s very own students. After a long period of intense cardio, these Swatties crossed the finish line, where they were congratulated with an ecstatic crowd and a lustrous medal. After the race concluded, the students returned to Swarthmore with their new medal, mug, T-shirt, and unforgettable memories.
Given the rigorous academic schedules of Swarthmore students, training for a half marathon is an impressive feat. Most half marathon training programs are five-week commitments with at least three runs each week.
“I followed a training plan I found online [called Runner’s World], and starting during winter break, I ran about five days per week,” said Dare Fitzpatrick ’26.
Fitzpatrick, along with other Swatties, started her training months ago, which carried on into the spring semester.
“It was definitely hard for me to find time to go on long runs during the week between class, homework, and team practices, but I made the most out of the time I did have and focused on running on the weekends,” said women’s soccer player Liesel Blau ’27.
The intensity of training on top of Swarthmore’s curriculum was a hard-earned accomplishment for these runners. Despite this juggling act, when asked whether they would participate in this race again next year, all had the same affirmative response.
The feeling of accomplishment when completing something you have worked towards for months is undeniable. Therefore, it is no shock that these runners would undergo the process all over again next year.
“I loved it, it was my longest race so far,” said men’s soccer player Matthew Loreg ’24, when asked about his overall experience.
A similar response came from women’s soccer player Katie Kerman ’26.
“It was so enjoyable to be around so many like-minded and challenge-driven individuals and teammates!”
The support these runners received from their peers is another explanation for their positive experience. Six Swarthmore women’s soccer players participated in the race; there was an overwhelming amount of support from their teammates on the cold and early Sunday morning.
“Seeing so many of our teammates come out to support us, even though it was freezing and so early, made it an unforgettable experience,” said Charlotte Sims ’27.
Along with Sims’s teammates, more than 1,500 volunteers cheered on and supported the runners throughout the race. The support from friends and strangers was a recurring theme for Swarthmore’s runners’ unforgettable experience.
From first glance, running 13.1 miles on a cold and early Sunday morning does not seem very exciting. However, with these positive takes from Swarthmore students, the BMW Love Run Half Marathon just might have more Swatties at the starting line next year.
