Philly mom Katie Florio wins Philadelphia Marathon: "My city, my win"
It was a moment of many emotions.
"I almost wanted to cry to be honest, it was so exciting," Katie Florio said about the moment she collapsed to the pavement after crossing the finish line and winning this weekend's Philadelphia Marathon women's race. There to greet her was her husband, Paul.
"Yeeeeeees!" screamed Paul Florio in a cell phone video he provided to CBS News Philadelphia.
Sunday marked Katie Florio's first marathon win in the seven she's run. A Center City resident and Ardmore native, Katie Florio has been running for a long time — since fourth grade, she said. And she's competed at some of the highest levels, including running in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the marathon twice.
"The most recent was this year in February, but I was four months postpartum," she said.
The mom to a now 13-month-old set off Sunday on her home course, where she took home her previous best finish of third place back in 2019. She says she knew her competition would be tough, but she'd also been training hard.
"I was hoping for top 5, top 3. I mean, I did say, it would be really, really cool to win," Katie Florio said.
She also had plenty of support on the sidelines from friends and family, including her husband, who rode his bike to six stops along the course trying to keep up with his wife.
"Let's go Katie! Do it for Nico!" he shouted in another cellphone video, referring to their son.
Katie Florio said for much of the race, she was in a tight pack with two other women. Eventually, that narrowed to her and Aberu Mekuria Zennebe, who ultimately finished second. Her husband said he first got the inkling that victory was in sight at around the 16-mile mark.
"Once I saw her at 16, she kind of smirked at me. And I was like, 'Wow, she's really feeling good. I think she's actually going to win,'" he said.
Katie Florio, though, knew as the race neared its end, she'd have to turn it on to get the gold.
"If I wanted to win, I'd have to make a move. So at 23, I put down my fastest mile and had the crowds cheer me in home," Katie Florio said.
And cheer her home they did. At 2 hours, 36 minutes, and 42 seconds, Florio notched a personal record and crossed the finish line in first place. She says it meant a lot to get this big win on her home course.
"I kept just thinking 'My city, my win.' That was my mantra the whole time," she said in an interview with race organizers after the marathon.
Paul Florio credited her hard work in everything she does.
"Between being a mother, a wife, a hard-working woman, and then being a great athlete. I mean, she fills the entire day up," he said.
And while Katie Florio notes it is at least a little tempting to hang up the running shoes after a big win in her home city, she says we should expect to see her hitting the pavement again soon.
"There's going to be more," she said. "I'm thinking probably Broad Street, the 10-mile run in the spring."