Helllloo. Writing to you from an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean as a I return from a week in Chamonix, France to spectate one of the world’s most iconic trail races, UTMB. Lots of Aperol spritzes, lots of mountains, and lots of brand activations. I have a little recap below.
Also of note this past week, we launched the first of a new Q&A series about the wellness routines of New Yorkers you should know. If you checked it out, we’d love to hear what you liked or any feedback for future editions.
This week: US Open events, a new endeavor from Life Time, and a recap of what we saw from the trail scene at UTMB.
on the radar: this week’s fitness and wellness events
Tuesday September 1: Antevasin Move x Good 5K and Conversation (Dumbo), 6PM, donation-based
Antevasin is cool: In a sea of people using “community” as a buzzword, their Move x Good initiative exists to actually inspire conversations about what building community actually means. Tuesday, join for a 5K, followed by conversation with founder/nike coach Maga Villarreal, runner/marketing expert Olga De Andres, and psychotherapist/podcaster Pamela Garcia. Events are donation based, with this one supporting Venezuela and Colombia’s recent earthquake recovery.
Tuesday September 1: Adidas x Jennie Launch Party (LES), 7PM, free
Adidas is hosting a launch party of its new collection with kpop phenom, Jennie, this week at Extra Butter, a sneaker shop in LES. RSVP doesn’t guarantee entry, FYI, but you’ll stay up to date on the info you need to know for your best chance of getting in.
Wednesday September 2: Grind House x Kove Studio Cycle and Recovery Night (Williamsburg), 630PM, $20
We love seeing partnerships between gyms + recovery spaces because that means better deals for you than spending $40 on a single class. Instead, take a 45-minute cycling class at Grind House and follow it up with sauna/cold plunging/compression therapy at Kove for half the price.
Thursday September 3: 2026 OSR Proto Series: OSR1 1-Mile Unsanctioned Race (Midtown) 1AM, $60 race registration
Most of OSR’s unsanctioned race series involve the chaos of navigating an unmarked route through the city to hit certain checkpoints. This one is more straightforward: Run one mile through Midtown as fast as you can. At 1AM. Everyone is running the same route, and most runners will probably be pretty damn speedy. If you want to get involved in the unsanctioned race community, you can also sign up to volunteer.
Thursday September 3: Ice Cold Club Just Chill With Us (Gowanus), 630PM, $30
Last week we talked about how Ice Cold Club regularly gives away a few spots in their cold plunging series for free to the first few sign ups on Forte. This event has one free spot left at the time of publishing this newsletter. Otherwise it’s ticketed, but worth it for the welcoming crew and rooftop sunset vibes.
Friday September 4: Rooftop Yoga at the Brooklyn Grange (Brooklyn Navy Yard), 830AM, $10+
Good news: The rooftop yoga classes hosted Brooklyn Grange, an urban farm in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, don’t sell out nearly as quickly. Bad news: They’re no longer free. You can book the name-your-price class at a minimum of $10 and spend a Friday morning surrounded by greenery with city skyline views.
Saturday September 5: Goldfinger Track Club Long Run (Brooklyn), 7AM, free
Need some extra motivation to get your long run in this week? (I know I sure do.) Join this all paces long run with GFTC that hits multiple bridges so you can get your hill training in if you’re running New York this fall.
A lil Chamonix recap:
NYC’s fitness scene doesn’t exist in a bubble. That much was clear when I touched down in Chamonix for UTMB this past week. Beyond the mountain backdrop and the ten thousand times I heard “that is not possible” in a French accent, the brands and people who attended the race looked very much like a demographic you could catch walking around Williamsburg on any given day.
For one week, this tiny mountain town (population: 8700, race day pop: 100k) becomes the center of the trail running universe: I watched the crowd go wild under the iconic arch when Ben Dhiman broke the course record for the 107-mile route by over an hour, and when Lauren Gregory pulled ahead in the last mile to win the 37-mile OCC route with Naomi Lang tailing her by only three seconds.
But brands also descend of the town to get in on the action. There were shakeout runs, parties, limited-edition merch, product launches and more “activations” than I could count.
I saw runners decked out in Nike ACG camo fits, Hoka Tecton x 4s with airbrushed flames on the toebox, and oversized, graphic cotton Satisfy tees reading Off-Road Supply. I don’t necessarily think that means those things are trending so much as it shows which brands were most successful at getting their stuff onto people.
I was a trail runner long before I lived in New York, so it’s a little strange to watch the hype-y collision of running and fashion make its way onto the trails. But at the same time, a lot of the running and sportswear trends that we see in the city start in trail culture and trickle down. Pit Viper brought back Y2K wraparound, bug-eyed shades years before people started snatching up vintage Oakleys on DePop, and Salomon’s rugged trail running sneaker inspired an entire aesthetic of streetwear that continues today.
At this point, it’s hard to tell which way the influence is actually flowing now (or if we’re all just in one big Instagram feedback loop.) I just hope the trail love gives city runners permission to stop hating on running vests now.
happenings around town
If you want to continue the summer of sport and watch the US Open on a big screen, head on down to Hudson Yards where there’s a weeklong public fan zone. They will have evening DJ sets and the iconic (ie. notorious) Honey Deuce cocktail available for $22.
Life Time is launching a new invite-only social club, Life Time Social (waitlist open for members on the app.) It’s another example of the increasingly blurry line between working out and going out: Lifestyle brands are moving into wellness, while fitness brands are trying to own more of your social life.
SharkNinja and Who What Wear are hosting a pop-up—The Serve—to capitalize on the US Open energy. It’s open Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 6PM, with hairstyle stations, a skincare lounge, and a slushi bar.
Former Solidcore coach and The Class instructor James Crawford Barnett is opening his own reformer pilates studio, TerraCut Studio, in the East Village. Preview classes start on September 8th.
You can still sign up for unsanctioned hybrid fitness competition, Urban Iron, on September 13th. Hit three gyms (in the right order), perform a short circuit at each, and accumulate about 8 miles of running in between them. Like all good NYC fitness events, there’s a recovery party at the finish line.
meanwhile…
I wish I never had to write the word activation again.
See you next Monday.