Former Gwynedd Mercy Star Looks To Thrive At Broad Street Run

By THOMAS DERR

As a young track and cross country star at Gwynedd Mercy and later at William & Mary, Blue Bell native Meghan Bishop trained on many of the region’s most fabled running courses, including the fabled Belmont Plateau in West Fairmount Park.

And though she did spend some time away from competitive running during the past few years, it was for a very good reason. She’s been busy earning her medical degree, at George Washington, and now in the midst of her residency at Thomas Jefferson University. Her focus should not come as much of a surprise –orthopedics and sports medicine, for which she is going to complete a sports medicine fellowship in at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City in 2017.

But on Sunday, May 1st, she’ll be back in the mix, joining the more than 40,000 runners (22,000 of whom are women) who will take part in Philadelphia’s Blue Cross Broad Street Run on Sunday.

“It’s just a great run. It’s a straight 10 miles, going through different neighborhoods and with a great crowd and lots of excitement. It really shows off Philadelphia,” Bishop says.

Bishop says that lately she has been spending more time running and has begun to feel that she’s getting back into competitive form. Last week she ran and finished the Boston Marathon – and while she says she’s feeling a little sore from the grueling distance, she is happy with her performance in that race given the challenging course and warm weather that day. In March, Bishop competed in the DC Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon , finishing sixth overall, with a time of in 1:21:36.

Joining her in the Broad Street Run will be several members of the Philadelphia Runner Track Club, with whom she trains.

“They’re a great group of girls; we really help and push each other,” It should be a very exciting experience. “Right now I’m feeling strong enough so I’m hoping I can place somewhere in the top 20 females.”