Broad Street Run Bans Backpacks for 2013 Race

Following the backpack bombings at the Boston Marathon two weeks ago, runners in this year's Broad Street Run in Philadelphia won't be able to tote their gear in a backpack, race organizers announced in a mass email to participants Monday.

Taking a page from the Transportation Safety Administration's playbook, race organizers are mandating runners use clear plastic drawstring bags, which will be handed out at the expo Friday and Saturday, to stow their gear this year.

“You are strongly encouraged to bring as little as possible with you to the start of the race,” race organizers said in the email to runners. “All items brought into the start area are subject to search and/or confiscation.”

Race organizers only indicated backpacks would be banned from the start, not the larger spectator areas in Center City and around Mile 9 near the Wells Fargo Center. Backpacks and coolers have been banned at the finish area inside the Navy Yard.

The race's start area stretches over several blocks, between Olney and Fisher avenues and on to Somerville Avenue around Central High School, near the city's northern border. Around 40,000 runners will pack the course Sunday morning, and city officials have said there will be increased security this year.

“At this time, there are no specific threats or threat incidents in Philadelphia, but of course, we are taking the necessary precautions,” Mayor Michael Nutter said just days after the Boston bombings. “Runners and spectators will, in fact, see a much more visible security presence on race day.”

City and race officials have also announced plans to hand out stickers to runners reading “From Philly to Boston with Love,” as part of a region-wide campaign to express solidarity with the people of Boston, while also raising money for the One Fund Boston, a charity created to help the bombing's victims.

“Boston is a great American city and its people showed tremendous courage on the day of the Boston Marathon,” Nutter said in a statement. “Bostonians have come together to help one another, and Philadelphia admires their strength. We’ve created ‘From Philly to Boston with Love’ to express our support for Boston, a city that has a distinctive culture, a passion for sports, and a profound historical significance in the American story — like Philadelphia.”

An unofficial campaign to get runners to wear red socks for the race to show support for Boston has also garnered some attention, after runners launched a Facebook group dedicated to the idea.