Philadelphians have a thing about climbing greased poles. Whether it’s after a Super Bowl win, at the Italian Market festival, or just because, it’s ingrained in our city’s culture. This helps explain why Red Bull chose Philly to debut its Championship Run event, a variation of Red Bull’s Yagli Direk, which began in Turkey.
One hundred brave contestants took on the challenge this past Saturday at Spruce Street Harbor Park. The rules were simple: grab the flag at the end of the greased-up pole that jutted over the Delaware River, fastest time wins.
Former Eagle and Super Bowl champion Beau Allen and Everett Jackson, the in-arena host for the Flyers, served as hosts. Contestants were sent in groups of 20 to the platform and fitted with life vests and helmets.
The crowd, which sat across the water from the contestants, was there to see if anyone could snag the flag, but also to revel in some hilarious fails. They didn’t have to wait long,as the first batch of contestants slipped into the Delaware. After each contestant’s attempt, they were examined in a medical tent to be sure they were OK before getting sent off with a branded Red Bull towel. Every 20 contestants, there was a short break for the pole to get re-greased.
The contestants got creative. One group of friends chose to dress as historical figures, including Ben Franklin and Paul Revere. One father chose to dress up as a penguin so his 2-year old son could recognize him from across the water.
“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my entire life,” said the contestant dressed as Franklin. He did not make it very far up the pole, but it was a good effort for anyone wearing his very immobile colonial costume.
Your very own Billy Penn reporter took in the challenge, but my attempt was even more futile than Franklin’s. The biggest surprise was not the steepness or slipperiness of the pole, but how warm the water was. I wish I could have swam around for longer after falling into the river.
Four contestants managed to capture the flag, each one receiving a roar of excitement from the crowd. After seeing so many fails, it was logic-defying to witness someone succeed.
“You get so scared when you’re up there, you just run,” says Henry Fountain, one of the four who managed to grab the flag.
The final contestant to run the pole was Beau Allen, who was not going to let hosting the event stop him from getting in on the fun.
“I can’t talk the talk and not walk the walk,” he said. He made it about halfway up the pole.
At the end of it all, a winner was crowned. The prize: a trophy and bragging rights. The winner, Jon Claudio, was never expecting to grab the flag, let alone win the entire event.
“I just wanted to come out here and have a good time,” he said. “I looked at the pole and I was like, ‘I’m just going to send it.’ “
