YO! Fat Ass Rocky 50k Run

"It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." ~Rocky Balboa

It was just after 4:00am on Saturday morning and my heart was racing as we drove 80mph on 95N heading to Philadelphia. The car had just slid on the ramp from route 32. Richard was playing it cool, but I could tell he was white knuckling it as the sleet and snow came down heavier outside. 

We had to make it to South Philly by 6:55am, 7:00am at the latest, for the unofficial "fat ass" Rocky 50k Run, dammit. This weather was not in the forecast the night before. I thought, maybe, I'd be able to get a little more sleep on the way there as I barely slept, worried I'd miss my 3:30am alarm. I'm glad I finally got up at 3:28am because it turns out I had forgotten to actually turn my alarm on. Oops!

Lori was in the back seat and all of our running gear, fuel/food, shoes, post-run clothes, and hydration packs were in the trunk. Richard was already dressed in Rocky gear, red headband and all. Fortunately, we made it to the rest stop just outside of Philadelphia around 5:41am. 

"We have 9 minutes to use the restroom and change to be ready for me to drop you off at the start of the run," said Richard. He had reserved a parking spot near the finish line, the Rocky Steps, and was going to run the 2 miles to the start. Lori and I were to wait, wander, and try not to freeze for an hour. We packed appropriately. Extra sweatshirt, my red Marine Corps Marathon fleece-lined poncho ("It's a robe!" ~Rocky), and hand warmers. 

At 6:02am, we arrived at the corner of Passyunk and Lambert. We didn't realize it at the time, but yes, THAT Lambert Street. It was decorated with lights, and we may have set off a few Ring cameras as we walked by. "Hello!" (Sorry, Neighbors!) We had to stay warm, so we just kind of walked up and down a few streets. We didn't go far because we didn't want to get lost. I'm sure we looked strange and just as I mentioned that it was so quiet and I wasn't sure how safe we were meandering around, a Philip's Cheesesteak delivery truck pulled up, and two guys jumped out with cases of cheesesteaks. We immediately felt safer. 

Along Passyunk, we saw a laundromat and decided to sit inside for a bit as we waited for Richard and other Rocky runners. I hadn't been in a laundromat since my days living in Brooklyn. The prices have gone way up! It still smelled and felt the same though. 

Across the street was the Philly Pretzel Factory and on the other corner was Philip's Cheesesteak. It felt so iconic. Also, it made me hungry. 

At about 6:45am, we walked back over to the start in front of Nu Way Discount Cleaners. Rebecca, the race director, and her mom had just arrived. ESPN filming crew showed up with their fancy steady camera and mic. This year they were coming out to film as part of a documentary of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Rocky Steps. This was the 13th year of the Rocky 50k, inspired by an article written in Philly Mag about the opening scene montage of Rocky II, by Dan McQuade. Rebecca started it in 2013 and kept it going every year, with the exception of 2020 when there was a virtual option. Only a handful of people had run it all 13 years, Richard was one of them and so was his friend that he made running it, Marty. 

More and more Rockys began to show up from all directions. It was funny standing there and just seeing the number of grey sweats and red headbands multiply as we got closer to 7:00am. 

Lori and I looked over and the film crew was filming Richard and an older guy cracking an egg, pouring it into a plastic cup and ... drinking it. It's a Rocky thing, I guess, I thought.

Ok, I guess this is when I should admit that I have never seen a Rocky movie. Yeah, I know, pretty lame. 

Anyways, Rebecca jumped on the hood of her mom, Audrey's, car and gave some announcements: Shout out to Dan McQuade's article for the inspiration of the fun run. The course was not marked, so make sure to have directions. Pay attention when crossing roads and be mindful of pedestrians and cyclists. Thank the owner of Stocks Bakery for giving out donuts at mile 6 and say 'happy birthday' because it was her 60th birthday. Thank the other volunteers at aid stations. Have fun. 

At 7:00am sharp, we were off. 

Richard brought his GoPro camera to capture highlights, which turns out are the majority of the run! We were a big pack at first, running along quiet empty sidewalks. As we got into our rhythm, we passed all of the famous cheesesteaks including Geno's and Pats which sat caddy corner form one another. Too bad it was so early, neither were open. (I learned later that both are open 24 hours. Darn.)

Within the first 6 miles, Richard introduced us to Marty. He knew everything there was to know about all 9 Rocky movies. His enthusiasm for all things Rocky and Philadelphia was apparent from the start. I appreciated all of his knowledge as we ran through the scenes. There were so many beautiful murals along the way. This city was full of things to be discovered. 

We ran through Live! Casino, clearly not there during Rocky's time, Penn Treaty Park, saw the Ben Franklin Bridge and ran a bit with another Rocky runner who had run 500 times in a year (and 100 times in a month). WHOA!

At just past mile 6, and a couple blocks away from one of his homes with Adrian, is Stocks Bakery. We approached and saw a culminating Rocky look-a-likes holding brown bags and... donuts. The owner stood at a table with her granddaughter, who would be the 6th generation of bakery owner, with a table of 6-7 different types of donuts. Lori and I grabbed a jelly donut and devoured it. Powder sugar all over our faces, and we didn't care. There were also Pringles (a perfect combo) on the hood of a car for runners.

We wished the owner "Happy Birthday!" and continued on.

We headed towards Kensington, passing the street of Rocky's first home, but then turned back towards downtown City Hall. Marty told us that his son had just moved to the city and would be joining us around mile 10, before we got to the Italian Market. Marty told us the scene where Rocky ran through the market and one of the produce vendors threw an orange at him, which he caught, was unscripted. 

Marty and I had a chance to chat for a bit about music after pointing out a music venue, The Met, that had a lot of great acts. I asked him if he had heard of The Electric Factory, where my dad and I went to see Chrissy Hyndes of The Pretenders in early 2009. He told me a story of the first time some of his buddies went to see The Pretenders on one of their first tours and that he had a crush on her. We talked about Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, their tour together, Paul McCartney and how that was the only concert my mom had ever been to. Shortly after that, Marty's son was standing on a corner with his dog, Lincoln. 

As we ran down towards City Hall, we took a few photos of the Christmas tree. There was a really nice holiday market, not opened yet of course because it was still early. Then we made our way back north towards the Italian Market. We began to see outdoor vendors, including the produce vendor Marty mentioned earlier. The ESPN camera crew were also there, apparently waiting for us. Well, waiting for Marty. He asked one of the vendors to throw him a piece of fruit, like an apple, and they did. 

We kept our eyes peeled for a flaming barrel. Then we saw an aid station setup at a table on the corner at a Mexican restaurant. There were pickles, cookies, Gatorade, chips, gummy bears, fruit snacks, granola bars, soda, Pringles, and water. So grateful for the food, as my "healthier" PB&J on a mini bagel was just not cutting it.

Then we headed back out towards Kensington, a neighborhood we were in earlier. The next few miles had a lot of Rocky history. We took a slight detour to see the location of Mighty Mick's Gym, although it was tough to spot, the pet/fish store that Adrian worked at although it had been torn down. A lot has changed since the 1975 filming of Rocky. Marty and Richard had seen the cityscape change a lot even in the past 13 years alone during this run. The train tracks that Rocky runs along were covered with new rowhomes. We caught a sneak peek of the single track that was left between buildings. 

We stopped in a coffee shop to use the restroom before heading over the train tracks of the El. Since this was actually an out-of-sequence section, we stopped and took a photo of us from the opposite direction of what we were actually running. There was trash dumped all along the fence line down to the train tracks. It was sad to see the dividing line between the more affluent neighborhood and this section. 

I pointed out that there were no longer trash cans on each corner. It was sad, a self-deprecating neighborhood. Why weren't they given the same, simple opportunities, like trash cans? This is where children begin to follow Rocky. Maybe to escape this area? Who knows.

We headed cross town, through a Spanish-speaking neighborhood, with medal palm tree statues, and loud Hispanic music blasting from cars. We were still being cheered on, "YO! Adrian!" 

I shared the story of my uncle who was planning on proposing to his girlfriend that day on the steps at the museum aka the top of the Rocky Steps. What a coincidence. I told them that they were going to see Shakespeare's Macbeth right after the proposal. Now that's ironic, and twisted? Marty began to quote Macbeth. Richard and Lori were talking about the healthcare system and somehow our conversations intersected and we began talking about books we had read recently. It started with "Being Mortal" and then "When Breath Becomes Air." I told Marty about my mom passing this year and how it changed my perspective on our healthcare system.

Shortly after, we ran past Mount Vernon Cemetery. Then we approached the 21-mile aid station. This lovely couple had everything you could possibly imagine wanting - pickles, Rice Krispie treats, warm veggie lentil soup, Coke, chips, cookies, chaffing cream, and more. Clearly, one or both were ultrarunners! They also had great signs that I had seen on socials from years past - "Eat Lightning! Crap Thunder!" I had not a clue what it meant, so I had to look it up. We thanked the volunteers for standing out in the cold, next to a cemetery, heating up soup all day. They had all the essentials, so this was clearly not their first rodeo. 

Speaking of cemetery, the Mount Vernon Cemetery was huge. The first section we ran past was beautiful, very meticulously maintained. After the aid station, we noticed that it looked like an overgrown graveyard jungle. Headstones poked out from mangled bushes and trees. Suddenly we were startled to see a pack of deer staring at us. A bit of wild in the middle of the city; the only visitors were animals.  

Next stop was the Laurel Hill Cemetery, the sight of Adrian Balboa's grave. Never have I ever run through a graveyard before. And while Adrian Balboa's grave was made for the movie, and not real, the others were. It felt odd to be running alongside family plots.

We exited and got on the path along the Schuylkill River. It was flat, a bit windy, and there were so many statues on both sides. Lots of people were out running. There were beautiful boathouses and rowing symbols painted under the bridges. It actually reminded me a lot of running along the Charles River in Boston. 

We took a few walk breaks along this section. It was a great place to take in the sights, as we were running towards the tall downtown skyscrapers ahead of us. We heard a group of people cheering and they were standing underneath a HOKA tent. Could they be here for us? It seemed too official. We ran past them and a photographer took a few "action shots" of us running. 

The day had really gone by quickly. Less than a mile to the first time we'd pass by the Philadelphia
Museum of Art. Lori and I hung back a bit, taking in the water view, sculptures and skyline. 

I hadn't realized that the route went by the Rocky Steps around mile 27 and that it actually may be possible to see my uncle's proposal. 

Once we began to approach the museum, Marty and Richard sped up as we got closer to see if the ESPN film crew were at the Steps. Lori and I ran and just as we approached the first Rocky statue at the bottom of the stairs, walking towards us was my uncle Rod and his girlfriend/fiancée Kelly, and their 2 friends. My mind went blank and I had no idea what to say. It was almost like I was too nervous to say something wrong in case it hadn't happened yet or if it had and she said no. He looked like he was in a daze, she looked at me with suspicious eyes for a moment. I couldn't believe it. We passed each other nearly moments before or after. Timing couldn't have been better and I was so flabbergasted that I was silent. Lol.

Lori and I took some photos with the Rocky statue since there wasn't a line. Marty, Richard, Zach and Lincoln came running back to Lori and I. ESPN wasn't there and they didn't see any other Rocky runners. So, we headed back out towards Independence Hall. It was just before 1pm and tourists were out and about. They all cheered and gave us a much-needed boost for the final 4-mile out and back. 

We ran past the Franklin Institute and cross town on Chestnut Street. We passed Independence Hall early in the day, when our legs were fresh. I was so confused as to why Rocky would want to jump over the benches towards the end of his run. Then I remembered - this is Rocky we are talking about! And the kids who ran with him, they ran around the bench but had run pretty fast and very far! His energy was infectious!

We turned into the park and saw another woman in a Rocky headband holding a bag of Nerd Gummy Clusters. An angel, really! She had water for Lincoln, Gatorade for us, and little bites of sugary goodness to help boost us over the benches. Our jumps didn't quite pack the same punch as Rocky, but we managed to get over one. Not at all gracefully. Haha.

My legs got the memo quickly that we were now in the home stretch. As I said earlier, we channeled Rocky's perseverance, Rocky never gave up even when his face looked like he was going to fall over. We weren't beat up; we were still smiling! 

(Sidenote: Marty told us that they actually filmed Rocky's fight scenes backwards because of all the makeup, and then slowly took makeup off.)

We took a turn up Front Street and passed the country's oldest street - Elfreth Alley. Thanks, Marty! Then we made a left on to Race Street, just beside the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. This time I noticed the pedestrian walkway towering over the car lanes at 380 feet above the Delaware River. It's also pretty neat that it connects Philadelphia, PA to Camden, NJ. Not sure I'd want to do that once, let alone 500 times. 

The last couple of miles we realized all of our watches had different distances. I decided to ignore the "50k" part because we had to make it back no matter what. That final stretch seemed to go on for a while. "It's straight ahead," Marty said. The sidewalks were busier, and we couldn't quite see it. The flags lined the street and we passed the Rodin Museum with The Thinker outside. 

"The Rodin Museum, I have always thought about going there," said Richard. I laughed. At least one of us still had our wits.

I queued up the Rocky soundtrack on my phone. We had to play "Gonna Fly Now." It's a short song, only 2:19 and, surely, we were close enough. Richard said we should try to finish under 7 hours, which is faster than Lori and I had planned. Richard also said it was faster than some of his and Marty's previous times. Keep in mind, both of them had run the Philadelphia Marathon a couple weeks prior. Richard ran it in 3:05:51. When we asked the Ben Franklin Bridge Rocky Runner if he knew why the race was the first Saturday of December, he said it was likely timed to line up with the Philadelphia Marathon as a "training run" since most of the runners were local.

The Rocky Steps were in view now and we could see the ESPN film crew. The only thing between us and them, were 2 traffic lights and we had to wait for the crosswalk one at a time. I hit play on my phone, and those around us turned around. If they didn't know why, it didn't show on their faces. Some began to clap and smile.

As soon as we could run, we did. I thought for sure my legs would not be ready to run up 72 steps. Something came over me, though, and I began sprinting up them, dodging others as they lined up to take photos with Rocky at the top of the steps. The ESPN reporter was at the top, as well as our Nerds Gummy Cluster Angel. 

It felt so surreal, it also felt like I didn't want to stop. We cheered, high fived, fist bumped and didn't give a hoot that others were around! Nobody seemed annoyed, everyone seemed genuinely happy to see us, sweaty, smiling, and accomplished!

We took pictures and the reporter asked us what it felt like to run throughout the city. All I could muster up to say, in somewhat of disbelief that we were done was, "It was amazing to see this beautiful city on foot!" I wish I would have thought to say more, like how this didn't need to be an official race because the cheers were so authentic. Rocky's story transcends time, place, age, race, language, culture. 

What an incredible day! Thank you to Richard, Lori, Marty, Zach and pup Lincoln for such an unforgettable day!! And a huge THANK YOU to RD Rebecca, her mom, and all the other volunteers for pouring your hearts into this event!

I'll never forget seeing so many stand next to his statue with arms up. Rocky’s strength is our collective strength - we need each other!

Next up: Rocky movie marathon!