When my daughter suggested I join her for a 5K race, I laughed. Amanda runs almost daily, she is not as extreme as her husband (he does Ironman triathlons), but she is competitive. I try to stay fit, but I prefer yoga and dance, never running. She knew she needed a hook to get me to join her and her mother-in-law and my youngest in this adventure and she had one: bacon. I love bacon!
What does bacon have to do with running? This year Chicago will be one of eighteen cities to inaugurate a Bacon Chase: a running event with both 5K & 0.05K route options to premiere in Chicago on June 7. “All participants will receive unlimited bacon, along with a baconthemed t-shirt, and a race ‘bib,’ and a free Bloody Mary for those runners of legal age.”
It seems counterproductive to offer one of America’s favorite fat foods as an incentive for physical activity. A thin strip of bacon has 27 calories, 71 percent of which is fat. Once reserved for breakfast, bacon has now become trendy. It is fried, baked, broiled and candied and popular at any meal, there is also bacon ice cream!
With “hook” in place I am in training for my fi rst competitive race. I expect that I will have fun, even if I’ll be the last one in our group to finish, but unlimited bacon, although not good for my cholesterol, is worth it. I will just have to ignore the human pigs as they gorge themselves in their success.
Maybe I could be a vegetarian, but if I had to give up bacon well…. maybe not.
For more information and registration go to BaconChase.com.
