Most 5Ks require a bit of physical prep beforehand and some huffing and puffing along the way. But this downhill 1K lets gravity do all the work.
Yes, that’s 1K, as in just over half a mile. The 2nd Annual Bananas Splitty in the City invites Angelenos to come dressed as a banana (or something similarly themed) and run, jog or walk from Frogtown Brewery to the Elysian.
The noncompetitive “un-race” is the latest bit of bonkers creativity from comedians Kurt Braunohler and Scotty Landes, who cohost the news podcast Bananas (they’ll be staging a live edition at the Elysian following the race). The duo debuted the event last year with a route in Silver Lake from the Black Cat to the Virgil.
It’s not nearly the first time that Braunohler has brought whimsical strangeness to the L.A. streetscape; he notably commissioned “How do I land?” skywriting over DTLA, hosted an inner tube race down the L.A. River and staged a comedy show inside a car wash. “I kind of wrote myself out a reason for existence as a comedian, and that reason is to insert absurdity into strangers’ lives to make the world a better place,” Braunohler told us a few years ago—and Splitty in the City certainly fits that same mold.
Tickets cost $25 and include a race bib and access to the post-walk show at the Elysian. Proceeds will be donated to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.