New Extreme Race Series Will Challenge Participants to Run Entire 5K Without Phones
/
Main Image via Depositphotos.com
A new extreme race series is putting runners to the test with a “diabolical” twist, organizers say—forcing participants to run 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) without a smartphone.
The PHONE FREE EXTREME 5K™ series kicked off Sunday with an event in Tallahassee, Florida; similar races are scheduled for at least a dozen other U.S. cities throughout the year. Ned Ludd, a spokesman for PHONE FREE Events, LLC, said he expects each race to sell out.
“Runners are tired of the same old ‘extreme’ races,” Ludd told Dumb Runner in a video call. “Rope swings? Mud pits? Wooden walls? Give me a break.”
“We decided it was time for a truly diabolical challenge, one that transcends the merely physical,” he added. “So we asked ourselves, What’s the single hardest thing we could ask runners today to do? And it hit us: Make them run without their phones.”
The rule, Ludd said, is strictly enforced; before they enter the starting corral, participants are required to surrender “all electronic devices, including phones, GPS watches, and music players.” They then pass through airport-style metal detectors and may be subject to additional measures, “up to and including a body cavity search.”
Old-fashioned digital watches are allowed, Ludd added.
If the results of Sunday’s kickoff event are any indication, the challenge is real—while 1,264 runners started the race, just 42 made it to the finish line. All of them were over the age of 40.
One of those finishers, Antonio Meucci, 43, said the race was tough, but worth it.
“Running 5K without my phone was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “But I did it. Now I know I’m capable of anything.”
