I'm a fan mostly because this was my first half marathon and the course is very flat. I can't…read morerecall a single hill. Other reasons I'm a fan: - Parking was no problem. The organizers cap the race at 1500 runners, but only about 225 people ran it. Most of us parked in the park's parking lot. Wow. That's a lot of parks in one sentence. - There's plenty of hydration stations. The race advertised that there would be 5, but there were more than that. - There was plenty of food after the race and they didn't run out. Some negatives: - The $70 entry fee is kind of steep, but you get a long sleeve technical tee and the rest I'm sure goes to a good cause. - It's an open course so you have to stay to the right and run with traffic, which is the exact opposite of what most runners are trained to do. Either way, there were plenty of staff and police controlling traffic at the intersections so I felt safe most of the time. Will I run it again? Probably. Just because it's so flat.

Last year I ran and finished the NYC Marathon. It was a highlight of my athletic life, but even…read moremore so was being chosen to represent my running club and the United States of America at the opening ceremony. What an honor and thrill it was! As described on the NYRR website - The TCS New York City Marathon Opening Ceremony Presented by United Airlines, a spectacular event that celebrates the diversity of the race, kicks off TCS New York City Marathon weekend! Following a pre-show at 4:45 p.m., the Parade of Nations begins at 5:30 p.m. and showcases runners from around the world as they parade across the finish line. Representatives from NYC Running Clubs and several U.S. organizations, as well as professional runners and wheelchair athletes, are part of the procession. The TCS New York City Marathon Fireworks Presented by Poland Spring lights up the night sky after the parade. The whole event was amazing, the energy was electric, elevating music, cheering crowds in the stands, and a terrific fireworks show on a beautiful NYC evening. If you're a runner I highly recommend attending especially if you're going to run the marathon. It was a very prideful moment for me carrying our flag and representing. If you ever have a chance to march in the parade don't pass it up, as it's a once in a lifetime experience for most.

NYRR races are always well organized, making this one no different from the others. Bib pick up at…read morethe NYRR annex is amazingly fast, you're in and out of there in like a few minutes no joke! This is a women's only race #womenruntheworld being the hashtag of the event and the girl power and support really gets you through the race! There are plenty of portapotties by the start/ corrals. Mile markers are clear, plenty of fluids on the route and awesome volunteers making the race a success. Now this is the first half marathon that I've run that involved two loops of the same route and man did it suck. Your first loop of Central Park is ok but the second time around man do the hills really make your legs burn and that mental game comes into play. All in all if you're looking for a hilly half marathon to really challenge yourself this is yours!

Wow what can I say. My legs hurt, my feet hurt, and I would do it all over again. This was truly…read morea great experience. Everyone was in good spirits and everything ran pretty smoothly. The tough mudder is no joke. The obstacles are just as challenging as they looked. I thought some of them looked worse in the pictures than in real life, nope I was wrong. The shock therapy obstacle knocked me the f*** out. Seriously, I low crawled at the end and when I stood up I got shocked so bad I blacked out for about three seconds. Cant say I was happy about that, but I definitely got what I paid for. The staff there was really cool and energetic. They had the layout set up pretty nice so there wasn't a big cluster checking in. The only thing I wish they had was a couple more water points and a shuttle back and forth from the parking lot. I felt for $200.00 there should have been a little more goodies and a shuttle available. But I think I am bias because it took us and about 20 other people to find their car. It seriously was ridiculous how many people couldn't remember where they parked. All in all the was a great and tiring day. FYI- if your in moderate shape it should take you about 4 hours to complete the course..

Just only the toughest event in the planet-TOUGH MUDDER!! team name "TEAM MUDDER EFFERS" This past…read moreweekend, I ventured out with 11 bad asses to Temecula, Vail lake. The last three months, me and my team have been training our butt's off. I recommend to everyone who loves to work out to participate (at least) once in your lifetime. In a nutshell-25 Military Obstacle courses -12 miles long *Tips-Being in shape requires one thing: hard work. And working hard requires no talent. *Follow the TM circuit guide listed on their site *Start practicing running (HILLS) that is-every location they pick, is an area with Mountain terrain and dirt hills (10 miles of up & down) *If you don't know how to swim, do not do the swimming obstacles. LOL *Buy GU-It will give you an extra boost, and Carb up two days before. *Do not buy new running/trail shoes-your going to end up donating them to TM, most people did. *TM is a mental Challenge, come with your game face on & be a beast while your at it!!! *Majority of the obstacles were all core, and upper body *All about Comradery! everyone was so helpful-Make sure you have tall people and men on your team! without them, we wouldn't have survived LOL At the end, Bragging rights!! totally priceless!!

I ran this half marathon in 2018 as part of the 9+1 program to earn a guaranteed spot in next…read moreyear's NYC Marathon. Most likely you'll be coming from somewhere in Manhattan, so you'll need to take the Staten Island Ferry. A ferry comes every 30 minutes and the ride is free. The race starts near the St George Terminal. If it's cold or raining outside, you could wait inside the terminal until it gets closer to starting time. However don't wait too long as you'll still need to go through the security check and metal detectors. They have a long line of portapotties on the Ferry Terminal Viaduct. You'll need to use them before going through security and into the corrals, so budget your time accordingly. The course was essentially an out-and-back route along the eastern coast of Staten Island taking you down to Midland Beach. The course was full of rollers, so don't overdo it on the earlier downhills as there are uphills waiting for you as you return for the finish line! This was one of my favorites among the NYRR races that I've run this year.

Ugly Sweaters for the win!…read more 5K run for charity! Santa and boozy Kahlua hot chocolate too! The Kahlua Ugly Sweater Run was something I decided to do for charity and I raised a good amount for the One Warm Coat foundation back in December. Thanks to all my friends and fellow Yelpers who donated. You all rock. Sure, it was a chilly Saturday morning, but the lure of goofy sweaters, hot boozy drinks, Christmas music, giant holiday inflatables, and that jolly old fat man himself made it a no-brainer. Plenty of Christmas cheer, carolers along the course, monster size inflatables of candy canes/Santa/reindeer, "Best Of" contests, bouncy castle for the kids (yeah, I wanted in but would look like an idiot), fire pits, photo booth Kahlua van, giveaways, and doggies all dressed up in holiday swag. Plus, I was able to take a cool selfie with Santa-man himself. The course was well laid out as we ran along the old aircraft runways and tarmacs at the Aviator Sports Complex at Floyd Bennett Field. Plenty of helpful staff on hand. We had a beautiful sunny day to run and get our drink on. Plus, having a finisher medal handed to me for having this much fun? Totally solid. My only gripe is that they moved to this location at last minute, and it was a pain to get to. Next time they need to keep it closer to the city area such as Prospect Park, or Central Park, rather then out in no-man's land. Otherwise, the day was just perfect for a good three mile run. Compared to many of the other cities also holding this event where it was rainy and messy. NYC was blessed with an awesome day - because we rock! Ho-Ho-Ho!!!

You know I don't run. My knees and back would hate me more than they already do. But what I do…read morereally well is support those who do run. Let's face it... I just like yelling "PHILLLLLLLL" at the top of my lungs. If you don't run or if you have kiddies and/or doggies, this is the race for you! There was a bouncy castle that I threatened to jump into an launch some kids into orbit, there were puppers in cute costumes to pet, and for the adults there was spiked hot chocolate or coffee. The "Best" competition was fun. There were some truly interesting hand made sweaters. "Tinsel Tits" was robbed! Robbed I say! The location was changed this year so it was a bit out of the way. And don't trust Google Maps. You don't have to take two buses and a train. Just one bus and a train. The Aviator Sports Complex at Floyd Bennett Field, where the race was held, is pretty awesome. If you have kids and live in the area, it's great place to play in the hockey pee-wee teams. They were so tiny and cute! Unlike some of the other cities holding Ugly Sweater Runs, the weather was gorgeous. Great day, great people, great race.

Front Runners is an LGBT running club in New York City. I usually join them on Wed for the run…read morethrough central park, starting at 72nd and Central Park West at 7pm. They rent space in the basement of the Rutgers Presbyterian Church that you can use for changing before and after the run. Everyone is friendly, although this club is pretty serious. The run loops the entire park - going about 5 or 6 miles - and starts promptly at 7pm. Runners usually go to Chipotle afterwards for dinner.

As soon as I saw that the Queens of Pain had a mascot dressed up like the gimp from Pulp Fiction, I…read moreknew I was going to have a good time at roller derby. Well, that's not completely correct. I actually knew it when my friend first mentioned it. How could Roller Derby not be an amazing night? Our tickets said the doors opened at 6:30 but no show until 8. We showed up about 7:20, mistake #1. Note to all potential roller derby attendees, GET THERE EARLY. It was already packed by the time we showed up, and we kind of had to squeeze in to get seats. If we had been more than two people, we probably would have had to split up. Now to the action, Gotham Girls Roller Derby is no f*cking joke. These girls are out to bust some asses. And, of course, my former borough of Queens showed the Bronx who is boss. Great win, great time, count me in again. And, yeah, I totally have a crush on Suzy Hotrod.

What can i say about the roller derby? I really didn't know what to expect since it was my first…read moretime. I know that i will be able to tell you that it will not be my last. My experience was a blast. it was a very fun atmosphere, exciting competition (once i figured out the rules) and very casual. The crowd was casual, inclusive and actively involved. Like any other event they had souvenirs, concessions with beer and snacks. Oh yeah did i mention free beads! But they didn't ask me to show any body parts :-( , not sure who got the better of that one... lol definitely something that everyone should do.