Happy Monday and happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Everybody say happy bday to Maddie tomorrow!! Our lil Libra baby!
I spent the last week in one of my favorite places—the Southern Utah desert—with Red Bull for Rampage, an annual mountain biking competition where some of the best freeriders in the world launch themselves off across canyon gaps and down near-vertical rock faces. It’s absolutely terrifying to watch in person. Unfortunately, the men’s competition was cut short due to weather after just a few runs, but that meant the spotlight was on the women, who competed on Thursday. This was only the third year women have been included in Rampage, so it was especially cool to see them take center stage.
I talked to the athletes about what goes into doing something so insane (they’re a lot more calculated than you may think), and whether or not they’re toning it down as they get older. (The oldest rider is 40.) Because I’m so surrounded by the longevity obsession of NYC wellness culture, I expected answers along the lines of prioritizing recovery and cross-training, but they really just ride bikes and push through the pain.
In other news, a few weeks ago, I noticed that fitness dating app ATEAM lets users display their resting heart rate on their dating profiles. I went down a rabbit hole about how a low resting heart rate became the latest fitness flex, and the resulting story for GQ published this week.
This week: A ghost tour run around haunted Manhattan, hybrid fitness comps get youth divisions, and TVs in saunas.
on the radar: this week’s fitness and wellness events
Tuesday October 13: ATHX 101 at Tone House (Koreatown), 730PM, $25
Interested in Hyrox but frustrated at how quickly it sells out? Well, there are plenty of other hybrid fitness competitions you could sign up for, including the ATHX Games. The competition is a bit more athletic than Hyrox and includes more traditional lifts like a deadlift and strict press, as well as all the favs like row, skierg, and burpee broad jumps. This 45-minute workout at Tone House runs you through what to expect on game day.
Wednesday October 14: HIIT Pilates at Football Cafe (Bushwick) 7PM, $10 donation
An affordable pilates class in Bushwick! At the iconic Football Cafe! Tickets are available for a minimum donation of $10. Thank you Lizlates for helping to make pilates more accessible in a wildly overpriced city.
Thursday October 15: Running Ghost Tour with Salomon (Flatiron), 630PM, free
Oh my gosh, to tell you how stoked I am for this. Running events all tend to mesh together, but the idea to blend a fun run with a ghost tour visiting haunted sites in Lower Manhattan during Halloween month? Genius. Good job Salomon and Rerouted Running. See you there.
Saturday October 17: In Nature Bull Hill Hike (Hudson Highlands), 730AM, free but must pay for train ticket
I love how many official hiking groups NYC has, but a lot of them charge a decent amount of money for something you can do for free and don’t actually have a pro hiking guide joining. This one from Side Quest With Me is free, and pretty much just a casual group hike. BYO everything (shoes, snacks, water) and pay for your train ticket, but it’s worth it to take advantage of some of the best hiking weather of the year.
Saturday October 17: World’s Largest Game of Knockout (East Village) 11AM, free
Comet Sports Club back again with an absolute banger of an event. With over 400 RSVPs, I wouldn’t expect to actually take many shots, but I will probably show up to see the turnout.
Sunday October 18: F45 & SGRC Run and Lift (Dumbo), 12PM, $15
Strength classes usually cost a pretty penny, so this $15 class from F45 is much needed for people looking to get into lifting. Plus, bagels at the end means its pretty much free.
Sunday October 18: Leap Jump Rope Club (Greenwich Village), 10AM, free
Jump roping is surprisingly harder than I remember it to be in childhood (I learned the hard way looking like a fool in my boxing class until I got decent enough to stop it from hitting my feet every skip), but it’s a super fun way to get some cardio. Leap is hosting a free jump rope session for all levels in Washington Square Park and providing the ropes.
things we’ve liked lately
I had this bag of Create electrolyte + creatine mix sitting in a box in my room for months, and I don’t know why I waited so long to start using them. 10/10 for flavors.
My new roommate keeps sending me videos of my cat absolutely mesmerized by her laptop after she searches “videos cats like to watch” on YouTube. I don’t know why I’ve never thought of this but it’s mostly nature videos of squirrels or birds hopping around. Try it and send us the results please.
I finally tried the internet-fav ANUA Azelaic Acid 10 and it has not disappointed at keeping my blemishes under control.
happenings around town
TRACE, a new presale fashion marketplace, is launching in New York and planning a full weekend line-up of free activities for the occasion. There are free pilates classes on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but also game nights, happy hours, and trunk shows.
This fall foliage tracker shows you where the good leaf colors are in Central Park (and may give you new walking route inspo.)
The Class, a somatic movement/bodyweight exercise/breathwork studio which Maddie loves, is celebrating their 15th anniversary and offering free classes at their NYC studio on October 16th (waitlisted), and complimentary classes for new students this weekend.
Hybrid racing has officially come for the children. LIC gym The Trinity is adding a kids' competition to its Trinity Games, because apparently the next generation needs to learn sled pushes before they enter high school.
I’m typing this from Vegas, where our other sister and her wife just got back from a sauna studio and mentioned that they caught up on a TV show inside their private infrared sauna suite?? Apparently, this is a thing at Perspire, which also has NYC locations. I understand wanting to make your sauna time pass faster, but do we really need another place to stare at a screen?
Dua Lipa’s skincare line—Dua by AB—has a pop-up in the Meatpacking district through October 25th. Complimentary facials!
If you love free samples (and especially the full-size kind), EWG Verified, a certification program for products that meet the Environmental Working Group’s standards for ingredient safety and transparency, is hosting a two-day pop-up this weekend featuring more than 50 personal care, beauty, and household brands. A $20 donation gets you access to product samples (including full-size goodies), so you can try out the whole “clean” beauty thing without committing to a $40 face wash.
See you next Monday.