Can You Run Faster Than a Car? Run the Beat the Commute Race and Find Out
Photo by Kyle Cassidy
The other day, I got out of a cab that had been stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for a good 10 minutes, because I figured it would take me less time to walk where I was going than to drive there — and the thought that you can get places faster by foot is the idea of the Beat the Commute run, too.
At 5 p.m. on Friday, May 29th, the West Philly Runners are putting on the Beat the Commute run with the goal of beating both a driver and SEPTA rider from the Philadelphia Runner store in West Philly to the Wissahickon Transportation Center right outside of Manayunk in the height of rush hour traffic.
If this sounds familiar, that’s because the group put on a similar run back in November, but the route was shorter at just 3.8 miles, and there was no driver to beat, just a SEPTA bus. As run organizer Alon Abramson told me, “I think we’re going to get our asses kicked by the driver,” but they’re trying to level the playing field by making sure everyone — runners, driver and SEPTA rider — starts in the same place at the same time.
The run is free to register and everyone is welcome to join in. Runners have two route options, one that’s 5.7 miles and one that’s 6.6 miles. You can find out more and register here. And your training plan? Make Run to Work Day an everyday thing.
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