50 Best Philadelphia Fitness Events

Yoga on the Pier | Photograph by Matt Stanley

Calling all fitness fiends! Consider this list of the 50 best fitness and healthy-foodie events your ready-made to-do list for the next year.

50 Best Philadelphia Fitness Events

50 Best Philadelphia Fitness Events

5,000 Yards Dash

October 9, 2016

Let us count the ways this new race is awesome: It’s short and sweet, ringing in at just 2.84 miles; the route runs right along the Delaware River; and the finish line is Yards Brewing Company, where live music, food trucks and free beer (of course) will be waiting.

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Back on My Feet 5-Miler

March 25, 2017

Back on My Feet 5-Miler | Photograph by Gregory Cazillo

This feel-good five-miler, set six weeks before Broad Street, is designed to get you in tip-top shape for the 10-miler while raising funds for local nonprofit Back on My Feet. Your spur to get to the Schuylkill River-side finish line as quickly as possible? The food trucks waiting there.

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Be Well Philly Boot Camp

June 2017

This is the absolute best day of the year in our book. Lest you think we’re biased, we’ll let the lineup for our annual ladies-only day of wellness speak for itself: Expect upwards of 20 fitness classes, cooking demos with healthy-eating gurus, inspirational speakers, a packed marketplace, and, to cap things off, a well-earned happy hour.

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Be Well Philly Underground

Various dates

We’re big fans of workouts that make you squeal with excitement as you lace up your sneaks, so that’s what we try to give our Be Well Philly Underground members. (Think: boot camps followed by ice cream; rooftop yoga complete with cucumber-infused cocktails.) The best part: All of the events are free. Are you squealing? Mission complete.

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Bike MS: City to Shore Ride

September 24 and 25, 2016

Never will you feel more deserving of a giant bucket of boardwalk fries than after pedaling from Cherry Hill through the back roads of South Jersey all the way to the sandy shores of Ocean City.

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Bikeout

Spring and Fall 2017

Bikeout | Photograph by Brian James Kirk

The first of these biking/camping adventures—a 32.5-mile ride from Philly to a Phoenixville-area farming community for a night of farm-to-table food, music and camping—sold out in a matter of hours. The good news, though: The brains behind the overnight affair will be bringing Bikeout back next spring and fall.

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Bike to Work Day

May 2017

For those secretly pining to eschew that overcrowded SEPTA bus and ride a bike to work instead, here’s your chance: Join thousands of cyclists for a two-wheeled commute and perks like free coffee and breakfast. Do it once, and you’ll never squeeze sardine-like onto a bus again.

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Blue Cross Broad Street Run

May 7, 2017

Whether you’re cheering from the sidelines or pounding the pavement with the parade of runners—all 40,000 of them!—making their way down Broad Street, this nearly four-decades-old 10-miler is basically a Philadelphian rite of passage.

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BYOC Candlelight Yoga

Various dates

These BYOC—that’s “bring your own candle”—yoga classes held in front of the Art Museum are an excuse to get your savasana on and buy yourself a fancy, delicious-smelling candle. Say it with us: Score.

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Camp Bonfire

June 2017

This weekend-long summer camp for adults, held in the Poconos, brings you the best of your childhood sleep-away camp days—plenty of kayaking, capture the flag and s’mores—along with activities you hadn’t yet learned to appreciate back then, like sunrise yoga, trail running and drinking beer by bonfires.

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Chilly Cheeks 11K Trail Run

Winter 2017

Chilly Cheeks 11K Trail Run | Photograph via Ron Horn/Facebook

You’ll quite literally freeze your ass off during this sometimes snowy, almost always arctic race on wooded trails near Reading—but that’s why it’s so fun. In the past, organizers of the Facebook group Run215 have chartered a race/party bus to get city dwellers to the starting line. If you need more incentive, hot breakfast is included with registration.

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Cooper Norcross Run the Bridge 10K

November 6, 2016

Remember how much fun it was running over the closed-to-traffic Ben Franklin Bridge when Pope Francis was in town? Here’s your chance to relive it: This always-popular race starts in Camden and takes you over the car-free bridge and back again, for a 10K with some of the best views of Philadelphia you’ll ever encounter.

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Covered Bridges Ride

October 23, 2016

This beautiful Bucks County bike ride—a choose-your-own-distancer with options between 20 and 63 miles—attracts more than 2,000 cyclists each year, promising a long, Instagram-worthy look at the changing leaves of fall.

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Guided Trail Runs in Fairmount Park

Various dates

Fairmount Park Trail Runs | Photograph courtesy Fairmount Park Conservancy

Many of us would rather run on hot coals than run through the woods alone. (We blame The Blair Witch Project.) If you’re in that camp, Fairmount Park Conservancy’s sweet trail-running series allows you to soak up oh-so-green running spots you’d never dare explore alone with good company and, most importantly, a guide who knows the way.

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Holiday Lights Run

December 2016

Inflatable Santas! Twinkling snowflakes! The Miracle on South 13th Street! It’s the best of South Philly’s impressive all-out holiday displays viewed with approximately 400 of your closest runner friends. (Selfies and festive costumes encouraged.)

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KTA Trail Challenge

September 10, 2016

This 25K or 50K super hike isn’t for the faint of heart. The goal is to complete the trek along the hills of the lower Susquehanna Gorge in less than 12 hours—with time to stop and take in the jaw-dropper views.

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Love Run

March 26, 2017

When this race debuted three years ago, it was an instant sellout. Why? Because of Philly’s puzzling dearth of longer-distance races during the springtime. The event has continued its sellout streak every year since, enticing thousands of runners with lures like relay options, team perks (i.e., teams of 20 or more get their own Port-a-Potties), and a bumping finish-line festival.

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Media 5-Mile Race

June 16, 2017

Impressively, this race, which takes runners twice through a 2.5-mile loop on Media’s streets, has been a mainstay on Philly’s race calendar for more than 30 years. What’s even more impressive is that runners walk away year after year raving about what an awesome time they had powering through the course.

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Mushroom Festival

September 10 and 11, 2016

This Kennett Square fest is a double whammy of greatness: You can call hauling the bounty of fresh local mushrooms you’re bound to carry home with you your arm workout for the day, plus you’ll leave with tons of newfound healthy-eating inspiration.

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#NIGHTSHIFTPHL

Various dates

The chances you’ll show up to work on time the morning after one of these secret pop-up nighttime runs are very low. But a little side-eye from your boss is totally worth it for the fun of tackling city streets with a horde of glow-in-the-dark-accessory-clad runners after your usual bedtime.

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ODDyssey Half Marathon

June 11, 2017

ODDyssey Half Marathon | Photograph by Penn Images

“Fun” isn’t usually the word used to describe a half marathon, but the organizers of this race manage to make tackling 13.1 miles on foot as smile-inducing as humanly possible, with optional mid-race challenges (think: ring toss and scavenger hunts), a costumes-encouraged race course, and a post-race beer garden at the Fairmount Park finish.

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Penn Relays

April 27 to 29, 2017

You’ll be itching to tackle some 100-meter repeats after being dazzled by top track and field athletes at this massive three-day meet at the University of Pennsylvania’s famed Franklin Field. Pro tip: Plan to watch some of the popular USA vs. World races to see Olympic-level elites in action.

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Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon

November 19 and 20, 2016

It may seem like a bummer that this year, for the first time, Philly’s always-popular half marathon and marathon races will be held on different days. But splitting them up might not be such a bad idea: Separating the two allows more runners to participate, and the new format means runners can also take turns as spectators, for double the festival-like fun.

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Philadelphia Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon

September 18, 2016

Bands along the course. Cheer teams and dance squads to keep you entertained. A massive party at the finish line. The actual running in this fast and flat half marathon is sort of beside the point.

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Philly Dance Day

July 29, 2017

Philly Dance Day | Photo via Facebook

Because there’s no better excuse to gather your courage and try tap, hip-hop, bhangra, jazz and about 20 other dance varieties than this citywide celebration of coordinated body movement. (Uncoordinated types welcome, too!)

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Philly Farm and Food Fest

Spring 2017

Think of this giant annual food festival, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, as the biggest, best farmers’ market you’ve ever stepped foot in—and the catalyst to finally revamping your boring post-workout dinner menu.

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Philly Free Streets

September 24, 2016

This September, nearly a year after Philly residents got a sweet, sweet taste of car-free streets during Pope Francis’s visit, Philly will get its very first open-streets event. Meaning: For a few hours, we’ll have eight-plus miles of car-free city streets to run, bike and skip through. Go ahead: Jump with joy.

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Phoenixville VegFest

September 17, 2016

Yes, it was a serious downer to learn that Philly VegFest wouldn’t be coming back to Old City’s Headhouse Square this year. But some much-needed solace for city veggie lovers: You can bike the Schuylkill River Trail to Phoenixville’s first-ever take on the vegan fest.

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Pop-Up Yoga on the Waterfronts

Various dates

Yoga on the Banks | Photograph by Erin Gautsche

Come warm weather, outdoor yoga springs up on just about every empty patch of city grass. But Yoga on the Banks and Yoga on the Pier, two series held just feet from Philly’s rivers, take the cake when it comes to downward-dog scenery.

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Reach & Raise

May 21, 2017

Reach & Raise | Photograph by Joe Longo

If there was such a thing as a yogi’s high, it would look like the collective rush of inspiration felt by thousands of people participating in a massive group yoga class at the Art Museum steps to raise money for those affected by breast cancer. There’s a reason this empowering 14-year tradition—you might know it by its previous name, Yoga on the Steps—has gotten bigger and better every year.

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Roots Rock Run 5K

Spring 2017

It’s a safe bet you’ll spot the Roots’ Black Thought pounding the pavement alongside you in this Germantown 5K, which benefits his community foundation, GrassROOTS. How’s that for workout incentive?

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#RunStreakPHL

February 2017

It’s official: February is no longer a month solely devoted to soup-fueled Netflix marathons. Last winter, Run215 challenged runners to squeeze in a mile a day during what’s arguably the most miserable month of the year. Next February, the challenge is on again, and we suggest you abandon your couch and join in.

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Runner’s World Half Marathon & Festival

October 14 to 16, 2016

The weekend-long event in Bethlehem doubles as a festival, with running seminars, live music, and extra events galore, like a 3.8-mile trail run and a one-mile dog run. Word to the wise: The official races are hilly, especially the half marathon, which has three challenging inclines that include a grueling half-mile climb at mile five.

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Run the Vineyard 3.2.1 Challenge

July 15 and 16, 2017

First you warm up with a short, instructor-led yoga stretch. Then you tackle a two-mile obstacle-course race through the fields at Kutztown’s Blair Vineyards. Your reward? A well-earned post-run wine tasting.

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#RunToWorkPHL

September 2016

On this September morning, you’ll learn that your commute doesn’t have to be the worst 30 minutes of your day. In fact, it can be epic. You’ll pound the pavement into the office (there are tons of neighborhood group runs to join)—but not before making a pit stop at Philadelphia Runner’s breakfast party.

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Schuylkill River Sojourn

June 2017

Schuylkill River Sojourn | Photograph by Laura Catalano

Think of this seven-day trip along the Schuylkill as an adult summer camp on kayaks. You’ll put in 14 or so miles of river-paddling a day, stopping at campsites along the way (campfire songs strongly encouraged) before landing at Boathouse Row a week later with plenty of stories to share with your friends who missed out.

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Spring Training at Dilworth Park

Spring 2017

For a few magical weeks in spring, Dilworth Park transforms into a de facto outdoor gym, with a weekly lineup of free fitness classes ranging from yoga to Zumba to kickboxing. Like we said, it’s magical.

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Springtime on the Schuylkill Fun Run and Potluck

April 2017

This annual event brings together tons of the city’s running groups to celebrate warmer, no-long-johns-necessary running weather with a group run and a giant picnic-style feast. Trust us: It’s worth coming out of hibernation for.

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Stand-Up Paddleboard Fitness at Spruce Street Harbor Park

Various dates

Sweating in one of these seasonal fitness classes (you have your choice of boot camp, yoga, or the much-less-intimidating meditation) serves as more than just an awesome workout: You can mark it down as the day you finally overcame your fear of the Delaware River.

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The Mayor’s Cup

August 2017

This two-year-old multi-race event, already a favorite of Philly runners, brings running groups from all over the city to Belmont Plateau to compete for the title of Mayor’s Cup Champion (and bragging rights, of course). Then the day ends with a huge potluck. Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition followed by food?

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The Philadelphia International Cycling Classic

June 2017

The main thing you need to know about this internationally recognized race, which brings cycling teams from around the world to the streets of Philly, is that it ends at the Manayunk Wall, a steep uphill climb so grueling that it’s known (feared?) by competitors everywhere. We recommend planting yourself along the infamous Wall and being awed.

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The Philly 10K

August 2017

The Philly 10K | Photograph by Matt Stanley

When this race debuted in 2014, it sold out in just 70 minutes. We repeat: 70 minutes. And for good reason: The course is a far cry from what Philly runners are used to, weaving through Philly neighborhoods and never once veering into Fairmount Park. The icing on the cake is the post-race festival complete with beer and frozen custard for all.

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The Rocky 50K Fat Ass Run

December 3, 2016

You’ve probably made it to the top of the Rocky steps at some point, but true commitment is running the route Rocky lapped in Rocky II—that’s 30 miles, if you don’t know—while decked out in a gray sweat suit and red headband. This run is your chance to do just that.

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The Yogi’s Table

Various dates

These intimate eight-person yoga-and-dinner shindigs held in Fairmount are the stuff of yogis’ dreams: The evening kicks off with an hour-long yoga class that ends with a glass of fresh-pressed green juice, followed by a cooking demonstration. Then it’s time to chow down on a health-conscious four-course meal.

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Tyler Arboretum 10K Trail Run

April 8, 2017

The weather at this early-spring race is sometimes sketchy—it rained and snowed last year—but no one seems to mind. The race, capped at just 400 runners, always sells out ridiculously fast. The course takes you through the woods in Delco’s lovely Tyler Arboretum and includes four creek crossings.

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Valentine’s Day Singles Fun Run

February 14, 2017

Fact: Braving the February cold for Philadelphia Runner’s annual Valentine’s Day fun run—part run, part singles mixer (oh-so-necessary drinks included)—so beats braving the February cold for a blind Tinder date.

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Valley Forge Revolutionary 5-Mile Run

April 2017

Valley Forge Revolutionary Run | Photo courtesy Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board

This hilly course through pretty Valley Forge National Historical Park is a darn good test for your lungs and legs, especially if you have the Broad Street Run, which always falls a few weeks later, on your bucket list.

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Wanderlust 108

October 8, 2016

Screams of joy could be heard round the city when it was announced that Wanderlust 108 would be coming to the Navy Yard this fall. Why? Well, the “mindful triathlon,” a fest combining running, yoga and meditation, is essentially a fitness lover’s heaven on earth—kombucha garden included.

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Weavers Way Urban Farm Ride

September 10, 2016

You’ll walk away from this annual ride, a multi-stop trek that takes cyclists to plant-filled urban farms all across the city, with wobbly legs and BIG dreams for the tiny concrete slab you call your backyard.

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Yoga Flash Mobs

September 2016 and May 2017

Maha Yoga Studio’s surprise yoga flash mobs are simply wonderful. Why? You get to join in on the flash-mob craze without being forced to dance in public (thank goodness); you get a relaxation session come savasana; and your workout is free.

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Published in the 2016-2017 issue of Be Well Philly.

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