3rd Annual Lettuce Run sees largest turnout yet

“If 174 people leave here thinking a little more about food insecurity, that’s the real win,””

Mandi Susman

Rain and 40-degree weather didn’t stop more than 170 people from showing up to Van Cortlandt Park for the third annual Lettuce Run on Thanksgiving weekend. Held by the Van Cortlandt Track Club, the event wasn’t just another holiday fun run but a fundraiser for Friendly Fridge BX, the nonprofit community fridge and food hub that feeds thousands of Bronxites every week.

Behind the sneakers and raincoats was a larger mission. The fridge, tucked beside Manhattan College Parkway, rescues and redistributes more than 70,000 pounds of food every month, redirecting prepared meals and produce that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
“This is our biggest and only fundraiser because we can’t really do a gala,” said co-founder Selma Raven.

“It just seems so hypocritical to have pretty food and then fight food insecurity.” An accessible, come-as-you-are race, she said, felt far truer to the spirit of the work.

By 10 a.m. runners, walkers, toddlers and reluctant first-timers were bundled in layers and ready to go, unfettered by the drizzle. Kids darted along the track in bright sneakers and volunteers cheered on the crowd as they took off.

“This is not a timed race,” Raven noted. “So many competitive runners don’t want to do an untimed race, so what’s great about this is they’re really doing it for the community.”

That community spirit was easy to spot along the route. At the fork where the Parade Ground loop splits from the wooded cross-country trail, volunteer Jared Bretas stood directing traffic with neon gloves. He waved walkers forward while pointing runners into the trees. “Nice job, keep going,” he shouted as participants rounded the turn. Looking around, he smiled.

“Everyone looks exuberant this morning. They’re running for a good cause. You can see they’re all happy.”

Race director Mandi Susman said the turnout, despite the weather, showed why the timing of the event matters.

“On Thanksgiving weekend, you spend so much time cooking for your family,” she said. “To turn that outward and share with the community, it fills my heart. This is also their main way to have revenue for all their operating expenses, so this is critical.”

Some treated the race as a personal benchmark. Dillon, a 12-year-old Riverdale Country School student, ran his first 5K and was among the first to emerge from the woods, his face flushed and sweat beading.

“The downhill felt good,” he said. “Uphill, I didn’t really like it, but I knew I just had to do it.”

His mother, Yi Zhang, who rarely runs, trailed far behind him, steadily making her way through the course at her own pace.

“It was very hard,” she said, laughing at her exhaustion.

She didn’t reach the finish line in time to watch him cross but she radiated pride nonetheless.

Standing by the finish line handing out bottles of water, Johanna Edmondson, owner of Female Fight Club and a race sponsor, said the turnout, the largest yet, reflects what makes the Bronx strong. “We have to support each other in any way possible,” she said.

“The energy gets stronger every year because more people know about the race and the cause. It’s amazing. It’s just so fun to see everyone running and coming together for something like this.”

As the final walkers headed off the course, volunteers handed out T-shirts, tote bags and cinnamon buns, sending people back into the damp afternoon in high spirits. For organizers, it was the biggest Lettuce Run yet at 174 participants.

“If 174 people leave here thinking a little more about food insecurity, that’s the real win,” Susman said.