Runners make final preps for Sunday's Broad Street Run

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It's packet pickup for Sunday's Blue Cross Broad Street Run and over 46,000 runners are registered.

"I'm a Philly girl, you have to run broad street if you're a runner, just have to," says Erika Soloman of North Philadelphia.

"It's just really exciting, there's 1000s of people, it's a really fun race, it's downhill pretty much the entire way and the live music is really fun," says Cat Gu of Center City.

There was a steady stream of runners Friday afternoon at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, picking up their registration packets for the Broad Street Run.

Some are Broad Street veterans.

"Thirty plus years, i don't know 34, 35 I stopped counting after 30," notes Harold E. Smith of Glen Mills, PA.

But we did find one 1st-timer.

" I don't run, I shouldn't be here," says Erich Meissner of Center City.

Still he assures me he did train.

Einstein physical therapist Kelsy Espy offers these last minute tips.

"Right now you should be well trained, make sure to start hydrating. You want to make sure you're getting enough sleep those are huge for performance and make sure keeping muscles warm and loose, leading up to it," says Espy.

And there's one more thing to prepare for - rain is in the forecast.

"Plastic bags on shoes while you wait, garbage bag, rip a hole in the bottom put over you to stay dry," says a well-prepared Laine Santoro. Hamilton Square, N.J.

"Isn't that supposed to be better for runners anyway?" says the novice Meissner, adding, "Cools them down."

"You can't control the weather, so go out and have fun, one step at a time," notes Hao Tiuong, of Upper Darby, Pa.