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!

The pros: - For $50, this is one of the cheapest races I've…read morerun. Plus, you get a nice medal to boot. - The two loops around the promenade isn't as boring as you'd think it would be. You're running along the Bay the whole time, and it's beautiful to gaze out. - Bananas, cookies, energy bars, cottage cheese, and water at the finish. - Efficient bag check at the start. - Day-of packet pick up for those who live in Manhattan. But Thursday packet pick-up for those who live closer. The cons: - This race is far from Manhattan. For those of you who are not familiar with Brooklyn or is new to the NY-area, the start of this race is about an hour to an hour and half from Manhattan, on the N or R train. While the morning commute wasn't too bad, the 2 hours trek home was pretty terrible, especially with the post-run chill. - A December race is NO JOKE. Bundle up! I seriously considered going home because the cold was biting - 35 degrees at 9:30, but the wind chill made it 24 degrees. I would have gone home, except I was running with two other friends and we took turns boosting each other's energy. For reference as to how cold it was, I wore a beanie, gloves, long-sleeve shirt, a windbreaker, a fleece jacket, long running tights, and ankle warmers. TIP: there is a cafe a block away. it has no sign outside to indicate that it is a cafe, but go wait there! Cash-only, however. - The sound system was broken, so the race started about 10 minutes late and we didn't get any music. I personally love the feeling of starting out each race with the star spangled banner at the start, but there was none of that here. This is a very small race, but there were mile markers and 3 water/gatorade stations along the course as well as a smattering of spectators (thank you! I can't believe you guys were out there to cheer us on in the freezing cold). Aside from the cold, which is something that the race coordinators could not control, I thought it was a good race for its size and price.

This was my first run ever but most likely not the last as yes it's true, I've caught marathon…read morefever!!!! Whoosh!!!! Rooooar!!! Had it not been for Sierra B. and Yelp's offer of a comp'd participation, I probly would've been, well at 6am on a Sat....definitely asleep, but otherwise just vegging out and not living life to the fullest. I'm so grateful to have been a part of the urbanarhalon as it was a test of my endurance and a fun social event. Beforehand I rejoined back into my gym a week prior and trained like Caityln Jenner pre op. Mentally, I read as many correct running form articles I could get my hands on. I was so phsyched!!! After the fact, I threw up 3x's on the subway, having to get off and on at a few of the stops since motion made me nauseous. I finally got sicka bein sick and took a cab home. Felt like Caitlyn J. post op. It was ROUGH and I looked like shit. I couldn't feel my face at all. Worth it! I'd do it again!!! Getting to run around the bases right on the field was worth it alone!!!! Thanks Yelp for making my dreams come true one event at a time!!!

Ok let's start of I Lift Weights I didn't Train at all, I thought it would be a walk in the park. I…read morewas definitely wrong! The Men's Health URBANATHLON was definitely a dope experience, I chose The Classic Race - 10.5 miles - 19 Obstacles lol Go Hard Or Go Home. The race was well put together extremely organized, with Hydration Stations & Motivation Fist Bumps throughout the entire Race. The 10.5 miles was harder then I thought, but it was very scenic, taking in all of Flushing Meadow Park & the opportunity to Soak in Citi Field while running up & down the stairs was breathtaking! *Queenz Finest* The Obstacles were ok, nothing special. Honestly they were weak! Almost Lame in a sense... I was looking forward to something more intense. I would of liked my upper body to be pushed just as hard, as my lower body! Yes Yes I Finished! Received a Bagel, Banana & a Metal at the finish line, How Cool is that? I want to thank yelp Sierra 4 putting me on & Men's Health 4 hosting a Dope URBANATHLON. I will definitely be back next year GOLD RACER!

Showed up at the tail end of the 'parade' to catch the announcement of the US competitors to kick…read moreoff Marathon Weekend on Friday night in Central Park. "Designed to celebrate and recognize our global running community, the evening will showcase our runners from around the world in a cultural parade. Following the parade will be the Marathon Fireworks Presented by Poland Spring." Parade of Nations with delegates from more than 75 countries and Team For Kids "Pro athlete appearances" - bit of an overstatement unless you're a SERIOUS running enthusiast. Fireworks lasted a good half hour, and went too long most displays, but were actually best (better) viewed from the street on CPW rather than in the grandstand.

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.

From the first Ahoy to the end of our day Steve was amazing! We went on a 3 hour tour that felt…read moresafe fun and personalized. We learned a-lot not only about sailing but we got some history of the city! Definitely make tine to "sea" the city with True North they are great!

I took the basic keelboat course in fall 2024. I had always wanted to sail and I saw the…read moreopportunity on groupon for a good rate. The page had a bunch of dates for classes and I had booked this expecting to take the class about six weeks later. Unfortunately this is a small business and most of the dates were booked. I was able to get into a class for the following week with my partner. The school location is in a old boat in Liberty harbor. It was easy to park and get to from NYC. The course consisted of a classroom session where the basics are covered and you receive all of the reading materials followed by two practical days on the water. Class was incredibly instructive and I left realizing how little I actually knew. I was really stressed out knowing that we were scheduled for the next session a day later and I didn't feel like I could possibly know everything I needed to given the time crunch. Rick, our instructor, did have a skill for repeating the needed information during the practical sessions and letting students explore safely in a way that helps expedite the learning experience. We also enjoyed the other students we were paired with and appreciated the level of safety and professionalism that was onboard. There was also really great information onboard- we learned alot about the waters surrounding our neighborhood. My partner and I received our certifications and had an amazing time out in the harbor. We're hoping to sail more next year and will hopefully have the means to get our own boat in the future.

We booked this space for a large meet-up of 30 girls. We are all theatre people, and wanted to be…read moresomewhere that was outside of our usual rehearsal spaces (Pearl, Ripley, Nola). The booking process was a breeze (you can call or email). The spaces are newly renovated and very inexpensive for the location and high quality. We used Studio 1, which was lovely! The men at the desk were so sweet, they even let us into the space early because it was not booked prior to our booking. We were able to set up early and have a few extra minutes to clean up. Of course, if someone is booked before or after you this isn't an option, but the space is free they are wonderfully accommodating! I highly recommend!