The Philly Mayor’s Cup Is Back! Here’s Everything You Need to Know 


Philly Mayor's Cup 2015 | Photo via Facebook

Philly Mayor’s Cup 2015 | Photo via Facebook

If you belong to a running club (or if you’re a runner who’s been looking for a reason to join a running club), you’re going to want to go ahead and clear your schedule for Saturday, August 13th of this year: That, my friends, is when the second annual Philly Mayor’s Cup, essentially a giant cross-country meet for adults (Think: racing for a team plus kiddie pools filled with beer!) will be making its way back to Belmont Plateau. And go ahead and cancel your plans for the evening of Wednesday, April 27th, too — that’s when the race’s Pep Rally is going to down. Yippee!

The event, which brings running clubs from across the city together to compete to be named the almighty Mayor’s Cup Champion, will be made up of the same five races as last year: 5K cross country race, five-mile road race, 10K trail race, 10-mile road race, and half-marathon trail race. As you can see, the races are a mix of road and trail, and all start and finish at Belmont Plateau. The courses for this year’s races will be similar to the courses from last year with a few tweaks for better traffic flow and less directional confusion, race organizers tell us. All of the races should finish back at Belmont Plateau within a two-hour window, giving the clubs some fun hang time at the finish line. (This is where, if you’re smart, the kiddie pools filled with beer come in.)

One thing that is different from last year’s event is that, this year, they’re allowing a small number of runners who aren’t affiliated with a running club to compete. Those runners will have the option to transfer to a running club prior to race day, though. Because everything is more fun with friends, you know?

Now, the question you’re probably asking yourself: What’s the competition look like? Well, you’ve got plenty of it: Last year, over 550 runners from over 31 running clubs raced, and we’re guessing there will be more runners this year. You can see the list of running clubs involved here.

The Philly Mayor’s Cup will be accepting new running clubs to the event until April 20th, so if your club wasn’t in on the fun last year and you want to join in, make sure to email them here, stat. Registration will run you anywhere from $25 to $60 depending on which race you sign up for. And, like I said, clear your schedule for the evening of April 27th: That’s when the race will be holding their Pep Rally at La Peg. Running clubs participating in the big day are encouraged to run to the rally together for happy hour specials and to kick off registration (complete with registration discounts!), plus to see which charities all the clubs will be raising money for in the race’s Charity Fundraising competition. And, you know, to size up the competition. Just kidding. Sort of.

You can find everything else you need to know about the Philly Mayor’s Cup here. May the odds be ever in your favor, friends!

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