Provided by Dorian Geiger
It’s a classic slice of New York life.
More than 100 runners in cheesy pizza costumes took three laps around Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park on Sunday — but to cross the finish line, they had to gobble down two slabs of margherita pie first.
“This is very New York,” said Tori Park, 28, who was participating in the 14th annual NYC Pizza Run for the second straight year.
Park said she was inspired Sunday by last year’s winner, who she compared to Coney Island’s famed hot-dog-eating champ Joey Chestnut.
“I just watched him crush the pizza with water and just shovel it down his throat,” Park said of the 2023 ‘za-run victor.
“The second slice is the worst slice,” she added between bites of her own pizza.
The participants battled heat, sweat, and exhaustion as they took on the 5-kilometer race, which sold out just hours after entries opened in August according to founder and pizza blogger Jason Feirman.
“It combines two quintessential New York activities: eating pizza and running,” Feirman told the Post.
He said runners ate 240 slices, or 30 pies, of freshly made margherita pies from Brooklyn’s Table 87 Coal Oven Pizza, which the pizza aficionado described as one of his “favorite” pizza spots in the city that always eats.
“The atmosphere down here is incredible. Everyone that got to participate had a great time — maybe feeling a little crampy, but that’s alright,” Feirman said.
At the race’s first pizza checkpoint, dozens of runners reached for a hot triangle from pizza cartons offered by race volunteers.
But the fun run was not without some cheesy controversy.
While most of the pizza runners could agree on one thing — New York has the best pizza — one saucy participant at the start line insisted that a New Haven slice is superior.
“The best pizza isn’t from New York City, it’s from Connecticut,” he taunted, much to the disapproval of those within earshot who told him to fugghedaboutit.
As the costumed runners took to the course, onlookers gawked and took photos.
“I’m just elated to be here,” said self-described “pizza fanatic” and runner Kandis Brooks.
“I want to get with the crowd, all these other pizza fanatics, and I think the best place to do it is in New York,” Brooks said. “Where else can you get a better slice of pizza?”
A portion of the proceeds from the race went to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Pizza runner Farah Visslailli won first place overall and first in the female category with a time of 23:15, while Ryan Sharkey was the first-place male runner and second overall with a time of 24:28.