This Philly Pizza Mile Run Sounds Both Disgusting and Totally Wonderful
The Philly Pizza Mile race has two components: 1) Running. 2) Eating pizza.
Join this Pizza Mile run for a good cause this month. Photograph by Kyle Cassidy.
Sometimes all we want to do is lace up our sneakers and hit the trails. Sometimes all we want to do is sit on the couch and each pizza. Because life is all about balanced, we’re pleased to present to you a one-of-a-kind Philly event: The Pizza Mile. The jaunt — which is a collaboration between the West Philly Runners and Pasqually’s, a West Philadelphia pizzeria — involves running and eating pizza (at the same time).
The Pizza Mile run — which has participants running around the city block three times, with a stop to down a slice of Pasqually’s pizza after each lap — was created in early October of 2016, after the pizzeria was burglarized. According to West Philly Local, “Police responded to a burglary alarm at the restaurant at 4:20 a.m. and found signs of forced entry and a crowbar on the counter. Cash, cigarettes and lottery tickets were taken.”
After the crime, the running group West Philly Runners banded together and created a special race to incorporate Pasqually’s—and the Philadelphia community—into their regular Wednesday night running routine.
“Pasqually’s is a place that we go to all the time,” says Alon Abramson, the founder and organizer of West Philly Runners. “So when we heard about the robbery, we thought about what might be a good way to help out.”
The first Pizza Mile run was such a success that West Philly Runners decided to keep it going. What started as a response to an unfortunate crime has grown into a fun run for the community to appreciate the beloved pizzeria.
Interested? The race, set for Wednesday, November 14, begins at 7 p.m. at Pasqually’s on 43rd and Walnut streets. Don’t forget your wallet; organizers are asking for $5 to cover the cost of pizza. Check out their Facebook event to keep up with the latest updates.
“The best thing we can do is show [Pasqually’s] extra love and give them extra business,” says Abramson. “We have a huge outpouring of support; the community really comes out.”
