133rd Pie Race

By Kimberly Chen ‘26

Runners departing from the starting line in Pie Race 2023, photo by Eliza Krotinger ‘26

Running bananas dominated the annual Bemis Forslund Pie race at Northfield Mount Hermon School, celebrating the 133rd year of this race on Monday the 13th of November 2023. This event honored tradition and brought together alumni, faculty, students, and friends who participated in a 5 kilometer course around the campus and through the beautiful woods. Participants run around the faculty loop, through the cross-country course, and finish at the gym. Dining Hall and Bakery staff and work job students baked 165 fresh and delicious pies that went to the first 25 winners in every category and a pie to every runner over the age of 65. The categories are U40 men, women, nonbinary, and adults over 65. The dining hall also baked 50 small apple tarts for younger children who ran the Tart race, a shorter run following the pie race. 

This year's pie race was different from any other pie race that happened in history. The entire boy’s cross-country team ran the race in a banana costume. The winner of this year's race, Nielsen kasser-2025 says that he ran faster with a banana costume than he had expected! Grace Huang-2026, who came in 12th place in girls U40 mentioned that the race was relaxing, and the pie was extremely delicious. Our students and faculties freshly baked the pies. During an interview with our bakery workjob student Avery mcgowan-2026, she mentioned, "Even though baking pies was a tiring process, she loved the smell of big buckets of apple filling!” 

The pie race has always been an exciting event and will continue to be a cherished long-standing tradition in NMH.