Hardy souls unite
The inaugural Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon (Love Run Philly), held on March 30, 2014, with its torrential, wind-driven rain, sub-50º temperatures, and sold out crowd, stands as a testament to the hardiness of Philly’s runners (and Philly’s grit in general). It ranks among the top inaugural half marathons in the country, boasting the rare distinction of selling out as a first time race. For running fanatics in Philadelphia, and even beyond, it’s hard to imagine our city without Love Run Philly because, in just eight years, the race has become a veritable institution, as well as a crowd favorite. The race originated around nine years ago, when Michele and Larry Redrow found themselves asking “Why doesn’t Philly have a half marathon in the spring!?” And thus were sown the seeds for the Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon.
Both Michele and Larry have competed in distance runs and triathlons for decades; and their love for the sport led them to start CGI Racing in 1991, over 30 years ago. They’ve been managing half marathons and triathlons—including the NJ State Triathlon and the Rutgers Unite Half Marathon—ever since, adding Love Run Philly to CGI’s race roster in 2014.
“It was one of those situations where the idea just came to us and we were like, that’s it! We went to the City and secured a permit—which was extremely difficult to get—for a specific date in the spring. We sat down and started brainstorming ideas for names and the Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon came to us. We thought that’s the perfect name…perfect for the City…perfect kickoff to the Spring. It’s everything you love about Philly and running.” says Michele, letting her genuine passion for Philly show. Love Run’s numbers bear this out. In its first year, the Love Run Philly sold out at 10,000 participants. It has sold out every year since—with the exception of 2021 when the race was canceled, thanks to COVID.
Sold out races are a great thing, especially when race directors, like the Redrows, are socially conscious and feel a responsibility to give back. And that they have. Over the years CGI has made more than $500,000 in donations to charitable causes. More specifically, Michele understands the importance of funding projects to research and find cures for cancer, because her mother passed away from breast cancer some 30 years ago. She mentions the amazing evolution and effectiveness that has occurred in cancer treatment since her mother passed, stressing that “we need to keep that going and moving forward.”
Love Run's connection with Legacy of Hope goes back to the race’s inaugural year, before Legacy of Hope was even formed. Michele states “One of the biggest things we’ve encouraged with Love Run Philly, and something that has really taken off, is teams. Teams bring energy to the race. Mike Rowe was on one of the very first teams—11th Hour Racing—and I got to know him very well.” Rowe had started 11th Hour Racing as a non-profit when he was working at Jefferson Health in the ER. 11th Hour Racing was fiscally sponsored by Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and was doing work similar to what Legacy of Hope does today,