IBX Broad Street Run: Avid racer shares passion while inviting others to 'run strong'

HAVERTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- JoAnn Meyer has loved running since she was a child, from the time her parents signed her up for the winter track team.

"I was never that number one-seated person. I was more back of the pack," she said.

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But she has always been determined. She has tackled mile after mile over the years.

And in 2000, when she moved to Philadelphia, she wanted to take on even more.

"I did my first Broad Street in 2006, and I then I became a regular," said Meyer of Havertown. "I just fell in love with that race. It was just so great taking the train up to the start, running point to point down this major road, through the city, through all these neighborhoods."

Meyer was inspired by the iconic Philadelphia race. And two years later, she was inspired by a conversation with a fellow parent.

"We were talking about how she loves music and cooking, and then she asked me about me and what I like to do. And I said, 'I like to run.' And she said that she would love to learn how to run."

That sparked an idea.

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The next morning, Meyer wrote an email. The subject line: "How to run your first 5k."

She sent it to everyone she knew in Havertown, and six people responded.

"We ran a local 5k race, and I said, 'Great!'" Meyer recalled.

But they wanted to keep running.

"We slowly just started growing, and the beginners became the 'already runners,' the 'stronger runners.' And one year, someone said, 'Let's run Broad Street.'"

And that's exactly what they did, together.

Meyer eventually called her group "Run Strong."

"I say, 'You don't have to run fast, just run strong.' That's my motto," she said.

Over the past 17 years, it's grown from six runners to almost 60. It's mostly women who meet several times a week in Havertown.

Right now, many of them are training for the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run. Regardless of their speed, they are holding each other accountable to run strong.

"But it is really a great sense of community, a sense of support and just to help everybody get through life," said Meyer.

Meyer needed that support in the fall of 2019, when she experienced a life-threatening medical event while out on a run in Havertown. Stay tuned to learn more about how running was part of her recovery, as she worked her way back to race on Broad Street.

6abc is the proud media partner of the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run, the largest 10-mile race in the country.

The race will be held on May 4. To learn more about the favorite Philadelphia tradition, click here.