Eating pizza, drinking a beer, and then going for a run might not be the healthiest form of exercise, but it sure beats running on a treadmill at a packed gym.
Anti-Social Running Club is hosting The Pizza Mile to encourage people to stay active in a fun way.
“The idea is to crush a pizza and a beer, run to the next pizza location and then finish off with pizza and beer,” says Michael Ng, organizer of Anti-Social Running Club. “Run at your own risk.”
The run starts off at Young & Restless Pizza, where participants will get a slice of either meat or cheese pizza and a beer from SYC Brewing. There will also be non-alcoholic drink options. Participants will then run 2.5 kilometres to High Dough where they’ll finish off with another slice of pizza and a beverage of their choice.
Ng created Anti-Social Running Club after the pandemic shut down gyms and fitness centres. Ng, a swimmer, took to running for his cardio and wanted to create a community of like-minded cardio lovers to make the activity more engaging. He created a community on Strava, a tracking and leaderboard app for runners and cyclists, and built a worldwide following. But he’s focused now on creating unique events like The Pizza Mile for Edmontonians.
“The idea is to just have fun with it,” says Ng. “Running doesn’t have to always be so serious. We want to get at least one solid crew together with at least one thing in common, which is running. And, everyone loves pizza and beer already.”
You don’t have to be an athlete to participate in The Pizza Mile. The goal of the run is to have fun and go at your own pace.
Participants can register for The Pizza Mile on Anti-Social Running Club’s website for $25, which includes the cost of pizza and beverages. The run takes place September 18 starting at 2 p.m. at Young & Restless Pizza (10011 109 St.).
