your weekly nyc fitness and wellness guide: may 25 - 31
A dive into unsanctioned race culture, Hyrox activations, so many community runs, and new studio openings.
Hello everybody. Hyrox is coming to NYC on Thursday, so it’s about to be madness for the next two weeks. It also means a lot of vaguely-related events, for both participants and non-participants.
This week: A dive into unsanctioned race culture, Hyrox activations, so many community runs, and new studio openings.
on the radar: this week’s fitness and wellness events
Tuesday: GVA Club Athletics Community Class (Soho), 4PM, free with refundable deposit
Need an excuse to move tonight? There are a few spots left in this community class from Club Athletics (formerly the Athletic Club…like last week). A refresher from the last time we included it: It’s a community version of their squad-style class (where you workout with the same people everyday) and it’s 55 minutes of hybrid style training + 15 minutes of socializing at the end. (Also their Lower East Side gym has one at 6PM, too.)
Tuesday May 26: Rooftop Yoga at Brooklyn Grange (Brooklyn Navy Yard), 6PM, free with registration
A free yoga session at a rooftop urban farm (Brooklyn Grange). While we can’t speak to the quality of the instructors because there’s no info online, the setting sounds dreamy. Be sure to bring your own mat.
Wednesday May 27: Meadows Mile Powered By Hoka (Flushing), 7PM, register on Forte
Registration is still available for this unsanctioned one-mile race (a topic we dive more deeply into below this week!) hosted by World’s Fair Run Crew. Shoe demos and giveaways from Hoka for race participants.
Wednesday May 27: PUMA x HYROX Shakeout Run and Activation (Midtown), 6PM - 9PM, free with RSVP
There are so many shakeout runs happening this week before Hyrox that if we included them all, this newsletter would be a mile long. But this one will be fun! A 3-mile “social paced” run hosted by Hyrox elite Meg Jacoby, plus food + drinks, music, Puma shoe demos, and activations from fitness company Centr. The run itself starts at 7PM.
Wednesday May 27: Hyrox Shakeout Run (Hudson River Park), 4PM, free
Another shakeout run that seems worth your time…they seem to be giving out Reebox FloatZig 2 to attendees (while supplies last.) Not my favorite shoe ever made, but a good option for easy miles or general training.
Wednesday May 27: BRC x On Workwear 400 (Williamsburg), 7PM, free
Wednesday night seems to be the night for run events, apparently, and this one is a bit later so later shift workers can join in on the fun. Brought to you by On (you can demo the Cloudmonster 3) and Brooklyn Running Company, this is a fun 400m contest on the McCarren track. You’ll get a drink ticket for a beer at Talea afterward.
Friday May 29: Remedy Place Hyrox Recovery Night (SoHo), 5PM-8PM, free with registration
Open to Hyrox athletes only: A recovery night at Remedy Place (a social wellness club), with certain complimentary services. They don’t specify what the free services are but Hannah’s been there multiple times and assumes its cold plunge/sauna, red light therapy, maybe cryotherapy. You can also get happy hour pricing on more premium services.
Saturday May 30: +1 Run 1441 Collective x HYROX (West Side Highway), 830AM, free
Get out there early this Saturday for a community run with 1441 Collective’s athletes, creators, and brands. No need to be participating in Hyrox although it is hosted by athletes Jack Driscoll, Brittany Weiss, and Erika Tvedten.
Saturday May 30: Surf’s Single Shakeout Run with Sweetfeet (Hudson River), 9AM, free
Dating app Surf is an official brand partner of Hyrox (they’re also hosting an afterparty next week). Join for a short morning run where you can meet people interested in dating. Download the app for free coffee post-run.
Saturday May 30: Bandit Grand Prix (Brooklyn Navy Yard), all day, free for spectators
Even if you’re not running, Bandit’s Grand Prix—a series of 5k open races, leading up to a 3k finals—is a super fun event to spectate. Great energy, good lighting, and a dancey afterparty. Also, it may be one of your last experiences as Brooklyn Storehouse, as their lease is up soon and their farewell event is on Halloween.
Saturday May 30: Central Park Run Club’s Perimeter Run (Manhattan), 7AM, free with registration
Feel like tackling something major this weekend? CPRC’s is hosting their annual 32-mile run around the entire perimeter of Manhattan. We only recommend it if you’re already ultra-trained. They’re holding a 10-minute-mile pace.
Sunday May 31: Corriendo Entre Amigos Community Run (LES), 9AM, free
This 5k run or 2-mile walk out of one of a fav coffeeshop Cafe Colmado brings together Miami x NYC communities. Bringing a flag to rep your city is encouraged. Hosted by running group The Herd and Puerto-Rican brand Details Matter.
Sunday May 31: The Pull Up NYC: Soccer at the Ground (Chinatown), 6PM, free with RSVP
With the World Cup coming up, it seems like everyone has the soccer itch and The Ground, an official Nike pitch on a Chinatown rooftop under the Manhattan Bridge, is a pretty cool place to play. Join for sunset 3v3 pickup games with a live DJ.
we think you should know…
Some of the most interesting happenings in running are unsanctioned races—relatively incognito events with no governing body or permitting. They're organized by run clubs or individuals and often spread by word of mouth, although some (like the Speed Project) have grown much bigger. The energy is rawer, less corporate, and more community-driven than anything you'd find at an official NYRR road race. Often, they take place in the middle of the night or over multiple days.
Last week, Southbound 400, a stage race from the border of Canada to NYC, was a perfect example of what unsanctioned racing looks like at its best. Teams of relayers joined from around the world—Paramount Running from Tokyo, Running Club Catalans from Marseille, Hot Boys Athletics from London, and PaceShift from Copenhagen—passing on the “baton” (a GPS device) as they tore through county backroads and, eventually, city streets.
NYC-based Orchard Street Runner’s own DiNoto’s Bakery shattered the previous course record by over an hour and a half, completing the 400 miles in 36:04:37 (that’s an insane 5:42 pace.)
The best way to get plugged into this world is to actually show up to run clubs and meet the people organizing them. Take the Bridge is one of the more well-known unsanctioned events in the city (especially after coverage in Runner's World and Outside). Local group Orchard Street Runners organizes a lot of underground events, like the upcoming Bread Race Route, although they reserve the right to deny entry to any runner. It may seem exclusive, but it’s a bit necessary to maintain the soul (and discretion) of these races.
happenings around town
We talked about ATEAM’s new fitness dating app last week, but it’s not the only one. We saw this Reel about Leg Day: a dating app that shows people in your gym that you’re open to connecting (Of course, hitting on someone at the gym without a go-ahead can be questionable at best, but we’re not against it after some serious eye contact.) Right now, it is only available at Equinox’s Bond Street and Hudson Square locations in NYC.
On the opposite end of the gym spectrum: A women’s only strength gym, Tension Strength, opened in Williamsburg this spring. Ladies, go work out in peace! A little disappointed to see its only class-based instead of having open gym hours, but love the idea either way.
Hyrox athletes: If you’ll be rocking Puma for your race this week or next, you can stop by Joe’s Pizza in Times Square on Saturdays May 30th or June 6th from 12PM - 6PM for complimentary slices and a lil brand activation moment.
Adidas is running a month-long “Home of Soccer” activation at Brooklyn Bridge Park for the World Cup (June 13 - July 19). You can expect live performances from PinkPantheress and Larry June to be an absolute shit show (a free show in NYC?! 1330 people have already RSVPd on Partiful.) but it’ll also be open to the public every day from 12PM - 10PM for pickup games, watch parties, live DJs, and a 3v3 tourney.
Enso Sauna Studio opened its doors for new Manhattan location grand opening in mid-May. Compared to more social recovery centers offering red light, contrast therapy, cold plunges, etc, this one is all private suite-based. The price of their lymphatic drainage sessions is insane—$215 for 60 minutes. For comparison, you could get 6 credits at Remedy Place for $255 which you could use for two 60 minute lymphatic drainage sessions. But honestly, you should just go to a real massage therapist (Hannah’s rec) trained in this technique for either of these prices.
That’s all for this week. If you make it to any of these events, we want to hear about it. Let us know in the comments. And if you come across something worth featuring, send it our way or drop it in the community chat!
PR and brands, our inboxes are always open for news and events we need to know. New studios: We’d love to come join a class and write about it.
Know someone who'd be into this? Forward it to them.
See you next Monday.