Saturday afternoon featured belly flops, cannonballs, and face-plants into the Delaware River as 120 contestants tried — and mostly failed — to retrieve a flag at the end of a 30-foot greased-up telephone pole angled up over the water.
Competitors in the third annual Philadelphia Red Bull Championship Run soon found the challenge was harder than it looked. But with family, friends, and onlookers gathered Saturday at Penn’s Landing, each athlete had cheers and groans egging them on as they stretched, slid, and dove for the flag.
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The event was peppered with wacky surprises, including an appearance by Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean, Red Bull’s newest ambassador, who found his doppelgänger at a look-alike contest held amid the pole runners. DeJean even aided in the ceremonial greasing of the pole with a long paint roller dipped in Crisco.
“I think I’d have a good chance at grabbing the flag,” DeJean said. “I don’t know if I’d be able to do it on the first go, but maybe give me a couple tries. I’d just go full speed, probably.”
The competitors, who entered the competition in early August after Red Bull posted it on social media, had different strategies while waiting their turn. Some tried to go slow and steady, while others pranced on their toes, but in the end, those who got the farthest cited luck as the biggest help.
Three of the 120 contestants emerged with a flag in hand. The trio got a second shot to be the ultimate winner, and Keilan Barber from Havertown secured the flag on both of his runs to take home the glory and the Red Bull Run trophy.
“I actually blew my quads out on the first run,” Barber said. “So they hurt, but I have a long car ride home with my dad, so I didn’t want to do it in silence. Shout-out to my family.”
“He must have the Red Bull angle on his side,” said Everett Jackson (aka Mr. Hollywood DJ), one of the emcees, after Barber flipped off the pole, second flag in hand.
Other competitors weren’t so lucky, even if they were repeat entrants.
“I got farther than I did last year,” said Luke Cheslock. “I had a graceful fall, but, yeah, I’m getting the flag next year, for sure.”
Amid DeJean’s presence and with football season dawning, many had opinions on which Eagles could make it to the end of the pole and grab the flag.
“I think DeVonta Smith would do the best,” DeJean said. “He’s got good balance, tall, quick, fast, so he’d definitely get up there.”
Many competitors agreed with DeJean’s answer as they strapped into their life jackets and Red Bull helmets. Other popular names thrown out were Saquon Barkley, DeJean himself, and, of course, Jalen Hurts.
As for who on the Eagles would do the worst?
“The worst? I think that would have to be Quinyon Mitchell,” DeJean said of his fellow star in the secondary. “He’d get a little scared. He might just bail out.”
The Eagles’ first-stringers get little to no action in exhibition games, annual joint practices with other teams become one of the few opportunities for starters to get preseason reps of consequence. This year, the Eagles traveled to New England for two days of live workouts with the Patriots. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Boston Sports Journal’s Greg A. Bedard recap what they saw, and explain why, even after the joint practices, the Eagles still haven’t shown much of an identity. Listen here.
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