New York City is an incredible runner’s paradise. Running through Central Park offers an unparalleled experience that cannot be replicated on a treadmill. Additionally, there are various locations to run within the city, like The Armory, for runners to take advantage of.
The Armory is an international indoor track facility and home of the Millrose Games, offering runners an affordable training opportunity at this fast track with season passes starting from just $275 for season training sessions.
The Armory
Built-in 1909 to house local units of volunteer militia and the National Guard, The Armory quickly became home for track and field athletes. Every indoor season, thousands compete at this facility, which hosts events like the NYRR Millrose Games and the National Track & Field Hall of Fame. As one of the few facilities nationwide exclusively dedicated to track running with Mondo Super X racetrack, it attracts runners looking to surpass their personal best times.
The Armory also provides numerous community programs for young athletes. CityTrack/Little Feet and Tiny Feet programs help children build healthy exercise habits, while Armory College Prep assists high schoolers in reaching their academic potential. Furthermore, its HBCU Showcase allows them to experience 20 Historically Black colleges and universities.
The Armory hosts many high-profile competitions throughout its indoor season, hosting more than 100 meets at its Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory alone. Events include Hispanic Games, Dr. Sander Invitational, CUIMC Team Relay Marathon presented by NYRR, and Nike Indoor Nationals.
The Armory stands apart from many indoor tracks by being a permanent structure that can be utilized year-round. Owned and managed by the Armory Foundation since 1992, its co-presidents include Jonathan Schindel and Rita Finkel, with its founder, Norbert Sander, passing away in March of 2017 (RIP).
Revenue sources of PSAL Center include fees paid by schools and PSAL to use its facility; local and private donors provide additional funding; major sponsors include New Balance and New York Road Runners.
The Armory’s indoor track provides an ideal running venue when the weather turns bad. NYC may not offer many open spaces for runners to train outdoors; thus, an indoor track like The Armory provides an attractive solution. Even if you don’t consider yourself an athlete yourself, The Armory still deserves a visit because its national Track and Field Museum houses floor maps of past NYC Marathons as well as memorabilia from famous track athletes like Steve Prefontaine – guaranteed to impress sports fans regardless of your sport- interest!
Columbia University
The Armory Track is a world-class indoor athletic facility home to elite athletes, high school and college track and field competitions, and recreational and competitive runners training programs. Additionally, the Armory is home to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame and Police Athletic League of New York City, all within easy subway travel distance from Columbia University, making this facility ideal for pre-class workouts or post-class fitness regimens.
Noah Landguth is no stranger to long and challenging workdays as a wildland firefighter, sleeping rough in the wilderness before rising at dawn to fight fires of the west for six months each year. But lately, he has found himself fighting something else: an epidemic known as COVID-19.
Columbia students returning to Morningside Heights campus following the pandemic have found limited workout space and options, even after being required to get vaccinations against COVID-19. Luckily, many gyms in Morningside Heights offer reasonable monthly membership fees while adhering to COVID-19 protocols.
New York is widely recognized for being a hub for both business and entertainment; however, it also boasts many Division 1 colleges that sponsor men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic teams competing at the highest levels within the NCAA. These schools offer various sports that compete at this highest level of play.
New York currently has 23 Division 1 colleges with successful athletic programs, and many boast high rankings for academics and athletics. Their sports competition includes football, baseball, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, wrestling, cross country track and field. Many schools boast strong alumni networks, often ranking within the top 50 for academic performance.
Columbia University Men’s Indoor Track team has had much success yet has encountered significant adversity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even without their home and training facility available, their hunger to succeed has only intensified, and they look forward to returning to competition on track in 2022.
New York City Athletic Club
The New York City Athletic Club (NYAC), established in 1868, is a private social and athletic club renowned for fostering amateur sportsmanship while hosting world-class events and maintaining the highest standards of excellence. NYAC today stands as a symbol of prestige and athletic achievement, with world-class athletes calling its City House home and tranquil retreat on Travers Island their playground, not to mention its iconic Thunderbolt logo known globally for marking excellence.
City House in midtown Manhattan features premier athletic facilities including a gymnasium and fitness center equipped with state-of-the-art equipment; courts for tennis, squash, racquetball and handball; boxing fencing and wrestling rooms; seven floors of member/guest rooms; swimming pool; as well as boxing fencing wrestling rooms on seven levels and an Olympic-size swimming pool with seven feet of member and guest rooms – as well as dining and entertaining spaces like its top-floor solarium, meeting rooms, business center, and roof deck!
City House provides exceptional facilities and hosts an exciting calendar of social and cultural events throughout the year, allowing members to meet other members with similar interests while supporting local charities. The staff at City House is committed to giving its members an unforgettable experience at its events and social gatherings.
The City Athletic Club Records contain membership applications with supporting material but also include complete sets of meeting minutes of both the Board of Governors and committee meetings, photographs, lantern slides, newsletters, printed ephemera, plaques, and much more. This collection offers insight into its founding and administration during economic expansion/contraction, war, and social upheaval periods.
Established by Joseph Yancey in 1936, the New York Pioneer Club was an early integrated track club to field championship athletes across all disciplines. It was pivotal in integrating college athletic programs, fielding the first African American scholarship athletes at Manhattan College and St John’s University, and helping integrate track and field in those institutions.
New York Road Runners
At 216 Fort Washington Avenue in Upper Manhattan lies The Armory – a world-class indoor track and field facility used by NYRR events like their Rising NYRR Fall Jamboree presented by TCS for free participants aged 2-18 with age-appropriate activities for an introduction to running and physical fitness. This event provides children with a safe introduction to running as an introduction to physical fitness.
Front Runners New York (FRNY), established in 1979, provides an LGBTQ+ and allies-friendly running community centered on health and wellbeing.
FRNY is affiliated with New York Road Runners and International Front Runners organizations, giving members access to group runs, subsidized races, and club-bonding activities such as pasta parties and yoga.
