Running two miles is a breeze. Running two miles while eating a slice of pizza after every lap? That’s not so easy. The 5th Annual NYC Pizza Run this past Saturday in Thompkins Square Park proved to be surprisingly challenging. Over 130 participants showed up to run a total of four laps around the park, grabbing a slice of Pizza by Certé post laps. The rules stipulate you can’t continue to run your next lap until the entire slice of pizza is in your mouth… although you can still be chewing it.
My boyfriend Harrison and I ran it together (what a supportive bf!) and we averaged 12:28 per mile. Typically we’d run closer to 8 or 9 minute miles, but you have to stop and eat the slice fully before moving forward which accounts for the delay. Plus, once you start running again, your stomach is also trying to process the carbs and the cheese which slows you down. Close to immediately after downing the first slice my body started cramping up, a lesson that you’re definitely not supposed to eat and exert at the same time! Everyone was in it together though and for some reason seeing other people struggle to down their 2nd and 3rd slices helped make it more bearable.
I first found out about the NYC Pizza Run last year when I saw a write up in Time Out announcing the event. I sadly didn’t sign up in time but I reached out to the founder Jason Feirman (of I Dream of Pizza) to find out more about the run and how he came up with the idea. Jason and I since have gone on multiple pizza ventures to spots like Di Fara and Roberta’s and he can now count me in as an annual participant in his run.
The NYC Pizza Run brings together a subset of people that love pizza enough that they’ll table a little indigestion for a chance to come out in their most proud pizza swag including pizza socks, pizza costumes and panda pizza tees. Now that’s certainly not something you get to see everyday. And when someone asks me “What did you do this weekend?” I’ll jump at the opportunity to share.
See below for outtakes from the event.
fortheloveofpizza.com 