The race was first run in 1980 with 1454 men and 122 women finishing. During the first two years, participants ran straight through the courtyard of City Hall; all races since have had runners diverted around the building. Until 1989, the race ended with a lap around the field at
JFK Stadium in South Philadelphia. After the stadium was condemned and demolished, the finish moved to
FDR Park (on the other side of Broad Street), and then to the Navy Yard, about a quarter mile beyond the front gates. Participation rose steadily through the 1990s and exploded by the mid-2000s. Since 2013, registration of single runners has been handled by lottery, with about 40,000 entrants, and roughly 35,000 runners finishing the race, the majority of them women. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 race was postponed until Sunday, October 10, 2021, marking the first time that the race did not occur on the first Sunday of May. In 2023, the race was run on April 30, due to a scheduling conflict with a morning
Philadelphia Phillies game on May 7, 2023. ==Course records==