(Lew Harrington Photography for Men’s Health)

Adventure racing is all the rage: from Tough Mudder to Spartan Race, athletes are adding a little spice to their racing. But what about us city slickers who aren’t keen on live electrical wires, mud pits or jumping thru fire? Ah… enter Men’s Health Urbanathlon. An adventure race that lives up to its name, providing some obstacles that (let’s face it) we, in some ways, tackle on daily basis. For the typical endurance athlete or straight-up runner, you may want to work on that anaerobic training or prepare to be humbled.

After a 2-year hiatus, the Men’s Health Urbanathlon returned to the ultimate urban jungle: New York City. Held in Flushing Meadows, Queens, the race started and ended in the parking lot of Citifield.

(Before I continue, I need to give a shout out the event organizers for taking care of business despite terrible weather conditions. One would think late October would be perfectly cool, fall weather. Unfortunately, in the year of bizarre weather, we experienced cold, crazy torrential rain and winds that turned into a pretty big snow storm shortly after the race ended).

The Start/Finish location was ideal: an easy get-to from the subway and plenty of free parking for those that drove. It was spread out enough so you weren’t jammed in a tiny road, but not so much that you had to haul yourself all over the place.

Because of the cold and rain, the atmosphere was probably tempered a bit, but it was still enjoyable. There was music blaring to get you race ready and a stage where staff from Equinox hosted a pre-race group stretch (pretty funny to see a large group of athletes stretching in unison). The race MC was very clear on directing those members of relay teams as to where they needed to be for transition (while T2 could walk to their spot, those in T1 needed to take a bus – sounds like a hassle, but it worked out well). It was a laid-back crowd and one that definitely represented the Men’s Health image (think: super-fit guy who lifts weights and wears baggy shorts OVER the running tights).

Urbanathletes (read:superfit guys!) pour across the starting line of the 9.5-mile, obstacle-filled Men's Health Urbanathlon, Saturday, October 29, 2011 in New York. (Jason DeCrow/AP Images for Men's Health)

The crowd is wrangled into corrals with different waves, based on age groups, heading out within 2-3 minutes of each other to alleviate congestion at the obstacles. The 9.5 mile run is pretty much flat (the one little “bump” is the bridge crossing over the LIE as you head for a loop around Meadow Lake), and while there were some twists and turns, the course was clearly marked and volunteers along the way made sure you were heading in the right direction. There were 4 Hydration Stations that were well stocked with water, Gatorade and volunteers. The only confusion was around the transitions. It wasn’t clearly marked that competitors needed to be in a certain “corral” for the timing chip hand-off and the area where we were supposed to be was crowded with competitors and non-competitors alike. A little marshaling there would have helped.

The set-up and obstacles change from year-to-year, and by location (Chicago, San Francisco) but this year highlighted: police barriers (hurdling the orange ones, crawling under the blue ones – not unlike trying to get across 5th Avenue during a parade); an incredibly challenging parallel bars/monkey bars combo (especially difficult considering the wet weather conditions); and famously, ending with jumping over taxis, a rope climb over a bus, and a wall climb to the Finish.

Who needs ski slopes when you have cabs and cargo nets? (Lew Harrington Photography for Men’s Health)

Now, all this together kinda makes you feel like an outlaw. And though some of the obstacles changed from what was noted in the course map and what actually happened on race day (this can cause a little confusion for those in relay teams – and surprise!), I am guessing that the weather played a part in this, so I won’t grade down on that one.

Kind of reminds us of Times Square at Christmas. (Lew Harrington Photography for Men’s Health)

The most-notable event was the stair climb: we ran some stairs and a loop around the main level of Arthur Ashe Stadium (where the US Open is held) and then we head over to Citifield (where the Mets “play” baseball), where we ran to the very top of the Upper Deck. And then back down to the first row of the Upper Deck. And then back up. And back down. And…. You get the point. We did this a lot. The coolest part, if you could catch your breath enough to appreciate it, was running thru parts of the stadium normally inaccessible – hallways near the locker rooms, press rooms, thru the visitor’s dugout and an entire loop around the warning tracks. Very much worth all the stairs – but if you’re part of a relay, give this leg to the person that lives in the 5th floor walkup (thanks, Team).

The Finish Line provided stadium seating for spectators, more fun music, plenty of recovery drinks from Gatorade, medals and photos. And a beer tent. Really, what more do you need? (Ok, that and a MetroCard to get home…).

Course: A-   Flushing Meadows isn’t the most exciting location (flat), but I always enjoy the Unisphere. And it’s really the obstacles that make this event. It was very spectator friendly, so your peeps could easily see you multiple times and bleacher seating at the last obstacles, which are right before the Finish Line. This was a nice touch – added a lot of excitement (and a little pressure – more people to watch you tackle those!).

Organization: B+   It was a pretty well-organized event. We had no problems with packet-pickup at City Sports – a centrally located spot (though it was a total bummer that the technical, long-sleeved shirts were not included with the entry – you had to ante up $35 for those). Kudos to race organizers for sending out a last-minute update on suspended 7 train service. It was otherwise an easy flow and not much thought had to go into it on our part. Fix the confusion at Transitions and you’re golden.

Atmosphere: A-   We can’t blame them for the rain, but we can blame it ON the rain – it was cold and wet and not exactly “fun” to be outside. Aside from that, the crowd was not a cut-throat, knock you over group. They’d help each other thru obstacles when necessary (need a push over the wall?), no one was screaming or complaining when the stair climb got jammed up, and I even saw some guys pretending to catch fly balls while running thru Citifield. Everyone out there was having FUN.

Logistics: A-   Who doesn’t love a race that starts and ends in the same spot? Easy to get to from the subway or by car and very spectator friendly, they had the location nailed down. While we’re local, I did note that the website clearly lists convenient places to stay, in addition to “what to do” while visiting. That’s a nice touch for out-of-towners.

Overall: A-   I would sign-up for this race again in a heartbeat. This was one of the weirdest and coolest races I’ve done. The lively event day festivities (it is the Men’s Health Urbanathlon AND Festival, after all) and crazy obstacles make this a ‘super-fun- just for kicks- off-season’ race. Leave the Garmin at home. Try something new. This is the perfect way to tip toe into adventure racing. And to finally get a chance to Dukes of Hazard across a taxi.

-Susan

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