A Philadelphia runner named Dana participated in the inaugural Rocky 50k Fat Ass Run in December of 2013.
Soon after the race, she discovered she was pregnant.
[M]y running buddies started calling him the Rocky baby and it stuck! Rocky Asa Noon was born August 9, 2014.
So how did Philadelphia’s 50k come to be called “Rocky”?
It was named after fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, who, in the movie Rocky II — if the training montage “were treated as one actual run” — ran over 30 miles through the streets of Philadelphia while gearing up for his rematch against Apollo Creed.
Sources:
- Leaman, Emily. “Woman Pregnant at Last Year’s Rocky 50k Names Baby Boy Rocky.” Philadelphia Magazine 2 Sept. 2014.
- McQuade, Dan. “How Far Did Rocky Go in His Training Run in Rocky II?” Philadelphia Magazine 18 Sept. 2013.
Image: Screenshot of Rocky II