At Malört 5K, Runners Compete For Last Place As Much As They Try To Win

NORTH CENTER — While many runners mark the end of a race with a cup of water, a sports drink or even a beer, there’s only one race in Chicago that begins and ends with shots of the city’s most infamous beverage.

The Malört 5K began in 2014 and takes place every July. On Saturday, 310 participants ran the race, which started at Endeavor Health Fire Pitch, the Chicago Fire’s community soccer facility at 3626 N. Talman Ave., and took runners through North Center.

While the event has all the markings of a traditional Chicago race, including supporters cheering with signs and runners stretching out before the start, the starting line looks very different than at other runs.

A table at the start of the race is covered with plastic shot glasses of Malört. Runners shared a celebratory shot at the starting line before take off at 9 a.m.

After completing the 3.1-mile run, runners also took a shot of Malört before they crossed the finish line. The unwritten rule for the event is, “You have not finished the race until you have taken a shot of Malört.” 

The event raised just over $7,000 for the Greater Chicago Food Depositary, making this their most successful race to date.

“The silliness aspect of it is certainly there to pick up on and you notice that immediately,” event co-organizer Martin Tomszak said. “We just wanted to help facilitate that wackiness while also making people aware of the food depository.”

The winners of the race, Hank Pierce and Anna Servoja, got to take home some special souvenirs to celebrate their victory. Prizes for the winners included a bottle of Malört, a tote bag, a bottle opener, a flag and a small bag of Malört-themed trinkets.

Another quirk of the Malört 5K is that the last-place finisher is also rewarded with not one but two bottles of Malört along with the other merch, and competition for finishing last may be more hard-fought than finishing first.

Runners were seen playfully fighting for last place as they ran in slow motion towards the finish line. By the time they reached the finish line, the last remaining runners pushed and shoved one another so they could claim their last place victory. The final runners shared a shot of Malört and embraced each other as supporters chanted “Biggest loser.”

The race is tight knit and intimate as it is capped at around 300 people, with many attendees being repeat runners from previous years, organizers said. This year’s event sold out in May.

The race started in 2014 when original organizer Frank Cardenas began hosting informal gatherings with friends at a public park to raise donations for the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

When husband and wife event duo Martin and Betsy Tomszak took over the Malört 5K with the blessing of Cardenas in 2017, the race became an officially permitted event that they say has been growing ever since. The race has also turned into a partnership with the Chicago Fire and Jeppson’s Malört.

Betsy Tomszak said her favorite memories of the event are the people and community building. In fact, there was a proposal at the finish line during last year’s event.

“I think I was more excited than the two people getting engaged,” Tomszak said. “It just brings people together in a really fun way.”

Ties To The Chicago Fire

Proceeds from the race are donated through the Fire For Food Drive, an initiative started by Fire fan group Section 8 Chicago to partner with the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

The group’s mission is to build community throughout the city, which they do through events such as the Malört 5K and others throughout the year, said Martin Tomszak, a diehard Fire supporter.

“All of the friendship ties are through the Fire. All of us grew up going to games together,” he said. “That was always going to be involved in some way or another.”

Those who want to participate in next year’s race can sign up at Malort5k.com and follow @books_with_betsy on Instagram for updates.