your weekly nyc fitness and wellness guide: july 13 - 19
Free rock climbing, a vintage athleticwear reseller/run club collab (the most Brooklyn words we’ve ever typed), and six hikes you can reach by train.
Happy Monday. I’m writing this while sitting on a bench outside one of my fav neighborhood coffeeshops (shoutout Anti Co), and I opened my email to see the first newsletter from the Nike Project Moonshot 16-week running training program. I’ve been really struggling to get back into the running groove, so this is the much-need motivation I need as I train for the NYC Marathon. The program is open to all, and there are weekly IRL events (registration opens for the week every Sunday at 10AM), but I don’t think I’ll jump in just yet because their first long run starts out at 8 miles and my poor shins aren’t ready for all that.
Also unrelated to anything fitness/wellness but nostalgia flooded over me when I was browsing events this week and saw that one of my fav childhood video games—Backyard Baseball—is back, and hosting an immersive pop-up this weekend at Shopify. Wow, I haven’t thought about this game since the early 2000s, but Kenny Kawaguchi and Kiesha Phillips were elite.
This week: Free rock climbing, a vintage athleticwear reseller/run club collab (the most Brooklyn words we’ve ever typed), and six hikes you can reach by train.
on the radar: this week’s fitness and wellness events
Monday July 13: Vital Run Club x Rocki Equipment Club Vintage Run (Williamsburg), 7PM, free
Vital Run Club just keeps hitting it out of the park with their partnerships, and we’re stoked to see this one with vintage sportswear resellers, Rocki Equipment Club. Following the 5K run, you can browse and buy their curated selection. Ignore the date on the flyer: We included this last week, but it appears to have gotten pushed back because of rain.
Wednesday July 15: adidas Trackyard Legends Series (Randall’s Island), 6PM, free
It’s no secret that NYC run clubs are full of beautiful people. It’s also no secret that fitness events like Hyrox have turned into full-on spectator sports just to watch super fit people sweating. If that’s your vibe, why not grab a spectator pass to adidas’ track meet, which brings together run clubs for a series of relay races. Unlike Hyrox, at least you know all the athletes are based close by.
Friday July 17: Self Defense Sesh at Superfly Dispensary (UWS), 9AM, free
Superfly Dispensary is hosting a three-day free fitness series this week, and this self-defense class hosted by coaches from Gotham Gym (a West Village boxing gym) is one of them. We’re firm believers that every woman (and prob men too) should take a self-defense class, but if that’s not your vibe, there’s also a Wednesday morning yoga class and Thursday morning pilates.
The programming is presented in partnership with High Ambitions, a New York-grown cannabis brand that speaks to people who use cannabis not to escape, but to support a structured, ambitious, high-functioning lifestyle.
Friday July 17: Rivian Performance House Training the Performance Mindset with Rich Roll & Manoj Dias (Meatpacking) 5PM, free
Out of all the wellness bros, endurance athlete (and vocal vegan) Rich Roll is one I can get behind. I used to love listening to his weekly episodes with journalist Adam Skolnick. On Friday at Rivian’s Performance House (more on that in happenings), he joins meditation teacher Manoj Dias for a conversation about training mindset. I'd be at this in a heartbeat if my calendar weren't already full. RSVPs required!
Saturday July 18: Sweetfeet 3 Year Anniversary Futbol Popup (LES), 2PM, free
Sock brand Sweetfeet is celebrating three years by tapping into World Cup energy with a Futbol pop-up. There’s not much information yet about what the actual event will entail, but brand parties usually come with free drinks and snacks… (I’ll go if I can convince them to give me one of their sold out camo hats.)
Saturday July 18: Movement Climbing Gyms x The North Face Global Climbing Day (LIC, Gowanus, Harlem), all day, free
If you’ve ever wanted to try climbing but can’t convince yourself to shell out the $30+ for a day pass, you’re in luck. For Global Climbing Day, you can visit any of the Movement Climbing Gym locations for free climbing and gear rentals. We expect the gyms to be paaaacked, but that just means more people at the bouldering wall to help you figure out your beta (the sequence of moves to complete the route.)
Sunday July 19: Daybreaker Let’s Be Friends Morning Rave (Midtown), 6AM - 9AM, $64
Back with news of yet another morning rave because: Dancing is wellness. Sober partying is wellness. (Hell, regular partying is wellness.) Maybe one day we’ll be convinced to wake up this early on a Sunday. Iconic views of Manhattan at sunrise is pretty great incentive.
we think you should know…
Now that we’re all getting heat acclimated, it’s glorious hiking or trail running weather (especially if you go early and go somewhere with water so you can swim after.) Around NYC, you’ll find plenty of trails that you can access via public transit. As a former backpacking guide, I have pretty high standards for trails, so here are a few recommendations:
Take the Metro North Hudson Line to Cold Spring, a quaint town with places to eat, drink, and shop. From there, walk or Uber about a mile to Hudson Highlands State Park. I recently hiked Bull Hill (one of the closest trailhead to town) with outdoor brand Helly Hansen, which is a steady but manageable climb with views of the teeny city skyline in the distance. Breakneck Ridge—one of the most popular hikes in the area—and the nearby station is closed until mid-2027. The town itself gets crowded but once you get back into the hills, there are plenty of trails for people to spread out.
adidas if you see this, my fav sunglasses broke please bring back this model to the US The Croton-Harmon stop off Metro North Hudson Line is slightly closer than Cold Spring, and drops you right across the street from Croton Point Park. This is the least “real trail” on this list—there’s only about 3+ miles of easy paths—but we’re including it because it’s a great beginner spot that also has the easiest hike/swim access, with a big beach open on weekends and holidays.
Hop on the LIRR and take it to Cold Spring Harbor, where you can take a 4-minute Uber or sketchy walk to the Nassau-Suffolk Greenbelt Trail. The entire trail runs almost 20 miles from the North Shore to the South Shore, and I’ve run the section along Harbor Road, which was surprisingly hilly and challenging. If you really wanted an adventure, you could hike or run all the way down to Massapequa and take the train home from there.
A bit longer getaway: Take the Metro North Harlem Line to Poughkeepsie and then walk north and take the Walkway Over The Hudson—the world’s longest pedestrian bridge—to Franny Reese State Park, which has a few short, easy-to-follow trails through the woods and to ruins of an old mansion.
Harriman State Park is my go-to when I need to test outdoor gear because it is one of the most extensive trail systems nearby and you can design a loop for any experience level. The problem is you’ll have to take NJ Transit (but it’s only a little over an hour from downtown). Get to Jersey then grab the Main Line from Secaucus Junction to Tuxedo, which puts you directly across the street from the park.
For quick access to a relatively easy trail, take the Metro North Hudson Line to Garrison, where you’ll find the trailhead for Arden Point and Glenclyffe Loop. If you want a longer option or more elevation gain, you could hike/run Sugarloaf Hill Trail in the southern section of Hudson Highlands State Park.
happenings around town
Rivian (the electric car company) is transforming their Meatpacking store into “Performance House”—a week-long experiential hub co-crafted with Mikaela Shiffrin, badass/the most decorated alpine ski racer in history. We included one of the events above, but that’s just scratching the surface. They’re hosting morning fitness classes, live podcast recordings, run clubs. Every event is free, but RSVP is required.
Anyone wandering around SoHo today should pop by Elizabeth Street, between Prince & Spring. Grooming product brand Athena Club (we love their razors) is giving away ice cream inspired by their new scents—Banana Sunmilk and Pink Marshmallow.
Marathon training gets monotonous, and it’s easy to bail on your long runs if you’re doing it solo. Luckily, every summer, MotivNY hosts a weekly summer long run series and it kicks off on July 25. Choose between a 9-, 16, or 19-mile route and be sure to register in advance.
Last week, earthquakes devastated parts of Venezuela. Laura ter Meer Guardia, founder of women-owned weights brand Lifting the Mood (and our launch event partner) is from the country, so the tragedy hits close to home for her. We love that LTM is donating 10% of product sales to Healing Venezuela, a nonprofit providing emergency medical aid and humanitarian support across the country.
Community sauna pop-up, Cul de Sac, is back in the East Village through the 26th. Tickets are $25 for weeknight sweat sessions, and they often pair it with a short run or sound experience. People linger in the garden, listening to music, reading books, or chatting with friends.
Meditation app Headspace is hosting a pop-up based around the fact that summer moves really damn fast and we probably all need to take a moment to slow down. On Sunday, they’re taking over the Sunday Club newsstand on the corner of 14th St and 3rd ave (across from Joe’s Pizza & Trader Joe’s) for a moment of play and presence. Swing by if you’re in the area to see what they’re up to.
There are still some tickets left for Lululemon’s next summer series event: A morning yoga class on July 26.
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.
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See you next Monday.