Rock ‘n’ Road Trip head east for Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Philadelphia, offering participants a virtual tour of the city of brotherly love with half marathon, 7.6K, 5K and Remix Challenge options

September 17, 2020

- Featured Rock ‘n’ Roller Adrienne Pesce of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will take runners on a tour of Philly via Rock ‘n’ Roll Instagram on Saturday, Sept. 19 - More than 10,000 participants from 93 nations join the Rock ‘n’ Road Trip during second tour stop in Los Angeles, California

TAMPA, Fla. / PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – After another fun fueled virtual weekend that saw 10,000 participants hit the virtual star-studded boulevards of Los Angeles, California, the Rock ‘n’ Road Trip Tour Bus will head back east to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in place of the recently retired classic on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series circuit. The third stop in the 15-race virtual running tour across the United States, Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Philadelphia will offer Rock ‘n’ Rollers the opportunity to virtually run along the historic streets while passing some of the iconic museums and landmarks that one of the nation’s oldest cities is known for. Despite not being able to host the historic Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon on this traditional weekend, the Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Philadelphia will be free and available to the entire global community from September 18-20, consisting of a Half Marathon, 7.6K, 5K, and Remix challenge. All virtual races during the Rock ‘n’ Road Trip will begin weekly on Fridays at 5 a.m. ET and close Sundays at 11:59 p.m. ET with participants being able to compete in the virtual tour stop anywhere, indoors or outdoors, as long as the distance of their choosing is completed in one session.

This weekend’s stop in Philadelphia brings back the long-distance mileage of the Rock ‘n’ Roll^® Virtual Running™ (VR™) Series returning the half marathon distance that Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon is famous for, along with friendly 5K and a new 7.6K option to celebrate Philadelphia’s historical significance in U.S. History. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest city, is notable for its rich history and is also known as the City of Brotherly Love. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia traditionally starts and finishes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art beneath the iconic “Rocky Steps”, passing down Benjamin Franklin Parkway, by City Hall, the Love Statue, Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Boat House Row and through Fairmount Park making for a perfect tour of one of the nation’s oldest cities. In addition, the flat and fast elevation profile of this race has leant itself to some seriously fast times over the years seeing the likes of Olympians Des Linden and Galen Rupp among many others take titles while tuning up for Boston and New York.

Featured Rock ‘n’ Rollers 

Adrienne Pesce – Philadelphia, Penn.

“Yo, Adrienne” – Over the weekend, Point Breeze Run Club captain and Rock ‘n’ Roll Ambassador Adrienne Pesce, will be taking over the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series Instagram Story and invites participants to join her as she runs through Philly. Adrienne discovered her passion for running after she finished her first half marathon at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia in 2015. Since then she has completed five more Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathons and numerous more races around the country. She is now a captain on one of South Philly’s most popular running groups, Point Breeze Run Club, and shares her passion for distance running every week with her fellow Philadelphians. Adrianne will be hitting up some her favorite spots around Philly including a trip around “the Loop” which features a portion of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia course, up the iconic “Rocky Steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and even over the Ben Franklin Bridge crossing the Delaware River. Rock ‘n’ Rollers can experience Philly and follow Adrienne’s footsteps on Saturday at www.instagram.com/runrocknroll/

Vince Cloud – Palm Beach, Florida

Vince Cloud is a native Philadelphian who now lives in Florida, but that hasn’t stopped him from taking the opportunity to take part in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon each year. Dating back to 1977 when the event was called the Philadelphia Distance Run, Cloud has been at the start line and this year will be no different when he takes the virtual start line this weekend for the Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Philadelphia. More featured Rock ‘n’ Roller stories can be found each week on The Beat.

Philly Inspired Running/Walking Plans

Participants are encouraged to be Philly inspired in their virtual activities and share photos and videos on social media by tagging #RnRVRPhiladelphia. Don’t live in-or-around Philly, no problem. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Road Trip has some tips on how runners and walkers can experience the Birthplace of America in their own communities:

• PR-worthy: The elevation profile of this race has leant itself to some seriously fast times over the years, both in the age-group and elite fields. Participants that are running with us this weekend should pick the flattest route they can find to simulate what running the Philly course is like.
• Landmark-lined: Rock ‘n’ Rollers should devise a route in their city that takes in museums, galleries, and other landmarks. The physical race in Philadelphia starts and finishes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and goes past City Hall, the Love Statue, and Boat House Row. Find the neighborhood’s best monuments and hot spots and route the run to go past them. Looking for more natural inspiration for the run? Pick a river route to replicate Philly’s Kelly Drive, which runs along the Schuylkill River.
• Brotherly beats: Put some Philly in your ‘phones with a playlist of bands from the City of Brotherly love, such as Hall and Oates, Amos Lee, Hop Along, Boyz II Men, Will Smith, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Diplo, and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
• Twist and shout: Soft and chewy Philly-style pretzels are served at the finish line of this race, so if you can get your hands on one—even if it’s not quite the real deal—celebrate your finish with one of these Philly-style carb bombs. Cheesesteaks are also practically synonymous with Philadelphia, so if you’re craving something a little more substantial than a pretzel, try your hand at making them with our recipe on The Beat.
• Your Own Personal Concert – West Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground is where he spent most of his days… Let one of Philly’s biggest stars Will Smith help you get into the grove during your run with this week’s featured Apple Music Playlist – Will Smith Essentials – or build out your favorite tunes for a playlist that takes you there and makes your body move.
• Flying through Philly – Heading to Philadelphia this weekend or planning a future visit? Here are 10 things to do and see when you make your way to the City of Brotherly Love.

1. Run Boathouse Row
2. Enjoy an authentic Philly Cheesesteak
3. Tour Independence Hall
4. Snap a photo of the Liberty Bell
5. Run the Rocky Steps
6. Visit Love Park
7. Grab a bite at Redding Terminal Market
8. Visit the Museums along Benjamin Franklin Parkway
9. See the city from the observation deck at City Hall
10. Jog the waterfront at Cherry Street Pier & Race Street Pier

Getting Started

To register for Rock ‘n’ Road Trip event, runners or walkers only need to sign up through the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club platform and connect to their tracker app. Runners can then complete their registration by going to the “Events” tab and clicking “Register Now” for free on the virtual race page.

Through the Rock ‘n’ Road Trip, participants will be able to earn exclusive digital event badges for every race and distance they complete; download race bib to personalize the experience; reward themselves for their efforts with cool destination themed finisher medals and T-Shirts; and earn points redeemable for sweet swag and more at www.runrocknrollstore.com/rock-n-roll-vr. Finishers who complete the Remix Challenge also earn access to additional medals.

Looking Back to Rock ‘N’ Roll VR Los Angeles – By the Numbers

• More than 10,000 people from 93 nations and 48 states stepped up their virtual start line for the second stop on the Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Series’ Rock ‘n’ Road Trip in Los Angeles, California. taking place over the weekend.
• Participants who undertook the Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Los Angeles had the opportunity to challenge themselves with a 10K, 5K or Remix Challenge offering participants the opportunity to virtually run the star-studded boulevards of the City of Angels for the first time since the event was retired in 2018.
• Participants for Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Los Angeles came from around the world and ranged in age from 19 to 82.
• The United States led the way with over 7,000 walkers and runners followed by United Kingdom (just under 400), Canada (over 350), Mexico (over 300), and Spain (over 100).
• Other nations represented included Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, France, Finland, South Korea, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates, among others.
• Of the 48 U.S. states represented this past weekend, the greatest number came from California, followed by Texas, Virginia, Arizona and Florida.

Giving Back While Rock’n This Town

Rock This Town^®, the charitable arm of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, is supporting the Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Club State 48 Challenge. To date, more than 6,800 athletes are taking on the Rock ‘n’ Roll VR Club State 48 Challenge. Those athletes include Arizona Senior Senator, Kyrsten Sinema. For every State 48 runner, Rock This Town will donate $1 to the Tommy Rivers Puzey recovery fund as he battles a rare form of cancer. Tommy is a beloved endurance athlete based in Arizona, the 2017 Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon men’s champion, two-time defending Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon men’s champion and an accomplished IRONMAN athlete. In addition, through Rock This Town’s IRONAID COVID-19 Support Fund grants, Operation IRONAID Nutrition, and Operation IRONAID Face Masks in partnership with Framebridge and supported by Good360 over 190 organizations globally have been supported since March. Applications for the fourth round of IRONAID COVID-19 Support Fund grants are now open. For more information about IRONAID visit www.ironmanfoundation.org/ironaid.

Full details and specifics regarding the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Series, Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running Club and Challenges are available on www.runrocknrollvr.com. For more information on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, please visit the website at www.runrocknroll.com. Media related inquiries may be directed to press@runrocknroll.com.

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About Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series^® is the world’s largest running series taking part in over 30 destination events around the world every year. Established in 1998, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series simple idea of making running fun has transformed both the U.S. and global running landscape by infusing the course with live bands, cheer teams and entertaining water stations, creating a block-party atmosphere for participants and spectators alike. Focused on running, music and community, race weekend kicks off with a free Health & Fitness Expo showcasing the latest in running gear, sports apparel, health and nutritional information and much more. Events culminate with an entertaining finish-line festival featuring some of the biggest names in music, with past performances including Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, O.A.R. Aloe Blacc, Pitbull, Flo Rida, The Band Perry, Fitz and the Tantrums, the Goo Goo Dolls and Bret Michaels. Further information about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series can be found online at www.RunRocknRoll.com and follow @RunRocknRoll on all social platforms.

About The IRONMAN Group

The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® 70.3^® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^® Virtual Racing™ (VR™) Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series^®, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Virtual Running™ Series, IRONKIDS^®, ITU World Triathlon Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf^® presented by Westpac, Ultra-Trail^® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN^® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. The IRONMAN Group is owned by Advance (www.advance.com), a private, family-owned business. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.