Runner

Nine days after twin bombings killed three people and injured nearly 300 at the Boston Marathon, Philadelphia officials Wednesday said the May 5 Broad Street Run will have a visibly increased security presence and that every runner will wear a symbol supporting the Massachusetts community. As hundreds of residents and employees gathered at Rittenhouse Square for an annual walk event, Mayor Nutter took to the microphone and said the 40,000 runners in this year's Broad Street Run will be given a sticker with the phrase "From Philly to Boston with Love.

On my Monday afternoon run, I visualized the end of the New Jersey Marathon. It's an old runner's trick, one meant to help you prepare for the last hard miles of the race. I pictured myself running strong and tall, with solid legs, even cadence, and perfect form. I saw myself moving through the 15,000 people who line the last mile in Long Branch, a fraction of the 40,000 who will come to town for the weekend to support the runners in both the New Jersey Marathon and Long Branch Half.

Jim Price, 55, of Moorestown, who ran the Boston Marathon on Monday in 2 hours, 54 minutes, loves the big-city races precisely because of the energy he feels from the crowds. He wonders if Monday's terrorist attack at the finish, killing three and injuring more than 170, will discourage spectators from coming to races such as next month's Broad Street Run. "If this has an impact on those fans, it's really going to hurt those events," he said. "I've viewed . . . 26 miles as hard enough, and I don't have a desire to run that far along empty streets.

Jill Beccaris-Pescatore of Glenside had just finished the Boston Marathon and was about a block and a half from the finish line when she heard two explosions. "It sounded bomb-like," said Beccaris-Pescatore, 45, a veteran marathon runner. "It was something that didn't sound right, and everyone was concerned. " Runners and spectators from the Philadelphia area described a gorgeous day - "perfect running weather," said Beccaris-Pescatore - that turned into a nightmare. Emily Russo, 20, a Haddonfield High School graduate, had just cheered as her Tufts University schoolmates passed the 26-mile mark.

SUSAN McGARRY had planned to spend Tuesday morning with her husband, Richard, taking pictures and celebrating the completion of her first Boston Marathon, the gold standard for runners all over the world. Instead, the Philadelphia couple returned home and spent the day like many Americans - thinking about the devastation of the terrorist attacks that killed three people and injured more than 170 - and pondering the "what ifs. " "The whole thing just seemed surreal. I felt more emotional [on Tuesday]

For some runners, qualifying for the Boston Marathon is easy. Run a three hour-something marathon? As long as I eat my Wheaties. For others, earning a "BQ" is the ultimate goal of their running lives, one reached after years of trying. Jill Beccaris-Pescatore of Glenside is one of those runners. She'll run her first Boston Marathon on Monday. To get into this race, runners must meet a specific time goal in a previous marathon, or raise funds for a charity. Those times are different depending on age and gender.

Vaux senior guard Rysheed Jordan is expected to commit to St. John's when he announces his college choice on Thursday, a source close to the situation said Wednesday night. Jordan will choose from among the Red Storm, Temple, and UCLA at a news conference. The site and time were not set as of Wednesday evening. Calls to Jordan and his coaches were not immediately returned. The 6-foot-3 Jordan was the Public League's player of the year. He also was named the state Class A player of the year by the Associated Press.

GREENSBURG, Pa. - State transportation officials say drivers who ran red lights in Philadelphia have paid fines that will support more than $600,000 in safety improvements at western Pennsylvania intersections. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said seven municipalities in the region won grants, led by Pittsburgh-area McKees Rocks, which is getting $117,338 to improve its Chartiers Avenue business district. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a 10-county planning area, will get $172,500 to help pay for LED signals in as many as 40 intersections in the region.

Haddonfield senior Greg Halla liked a lot of things about the University of Maryland track program. Especially the Terrapins' pending move to the Big Ten Conference. "That was the big thing for me," said Halla, who has committed to attend Maryland on a partial athletic scholarship. "It's exciting to think about the opportunity to run in the Big Ten. " Maryland, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, is scheduled to join the Big Ten in 2014. Halla is a standout distance runner at Haddonfield.