Woman Wins Philadelphia Marathon 1 Year After Having Her First Baby: 'My City, My Win'
Katie Florio said she's "thrilled" after winning the 2024 Philadelphia Marathon just over a year after the birth of her first child
One year after giving birth to her first child, Philadelphia native Katie Florio beat out 17,000 runners to win the city's 2024 edition of the marathon on Sunday, Nov. 24.
Florio, a 31-year-old private wealth advisor at Goldman Sachs, finished the 26.2 mile route in just 2:32:41.
She is now only the second local woman to win the Philadelphia marathon in more than 30 years, per NBC Philadelphia and the Inquirer. She also improved on her third-place finish from the 2019 Philadelphia Marathon.
After her victory, which came just over one year after Florio gave birth to her first child, Florio celebrated the feat in a post on LinkedIn, writing, "Exciting weekend in Philly! Thrilled to win the 2024 Philadelphia Marathon."
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When she crossed the finish line on Sunday, the Philadelphia native reportedly declared, “My city, my win," per the Inquirer.
PHILLY RAISED PHILLY CHAMP 🏆
31 Y/O Katie Florio is the first female runner to cross the finish line at the Philadelphia Marathon!
Katie is not only from Philly but also returned to racing after having her first child last October! pic.twitter.com/QLdQt7llO7— Marcus Espinoza (@MarcusFOX29) November 24, 2024
Speaking to NBC after Sunday's race, Florio said, "Coming back postpartum, that was a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, like you don’t know if you’re going to get better."
“And this season, I’ve just gotten faster, so it’s really incredible," she added.
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Florio credited her familiarity with the Philadelphia streets as a factor in her win, telling the local news station that she moved to Center City after spending years living in the suburbs.
"Living in the city, I run these streets every day," she told NBC. "It was cool. I knew the tangents. I knew the course.”
Florio's marathon win comes after she had attempted to make the Olympics in February at the U.S. Marathon Trials, she told NBC. "I competed in the Olympic trials in February and that was four months postpartum. So I just started from scratch."
Her husband, Paul Florio, excitedly celebrated his wife's win, describing the moment as "unreal" when speaking to NBC on Sunday.
"This is what dreams are made of," he said. "Going out and winning on your home track and having all your friends and family there. And so many people cheering your name and knowing your name because you're a local runner."