I just moved into the East Village in Manhattan and am looking to join a track club. Preferably, I would like for workouts to be held at the East River Park track.
I'm a former collegiate runner (25 min 8K, 3:55 1500 M) and am looking for a moderate to serious competitive environment.
Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!
If you check out NYRRC site, and spend 3-4 hours figuring out how to navigate it (I'm being sarcastic), then look at race results for Men's Club Points races...you will see the clubs that dominate the local scene and figure out where you fit in; you have the potential to score for most teams.
However, most teams do workouts in the park and uptown.
join CPTC, there will be several guys who can challenge you. best club in nyc after nyac.
oatmeal + water wrote:
join CPTC, there will be several guys who can challenge you. best club in nyc after nyac.
The best club in NYC (mens side) is hands down WSX. They win every year. NYAC is a distant no.2.
WSX is mostly second tier African ringers. NYAC is sort of like a fraternity/sorority, you have to be 'accepted.' CPTC is pretty good and a little more chill, but the coaches obsess over USATF club track nationals.
CPTC has organized workouts at the 6th Street track in your neighborhood. Check them out.
you would be one of the fastest cptc guys - the club is thin at teh pointy end. Even worse, while they do have workouts at the 6th st track, that is the road group, not the track group. In other words, none of the guys your speed would be there.
The faster track type guys use the columbia u track.
It still fits the bill for the neighborhood club he's seeking. It's easy to lurk without committing to joining. The place is jam packed.
Feel it in your bones wrote:
The place is jam packed.
dodging fatties jogging 9min/mi pace, soccers balls and frisbees will keep the mind sharp
NYAC is your best bet. CPTC is mainly for hobby joggers and WSX is entirely ethiopian ringers. A group of talented runners who train hard and know how to have fun. A number of them do track as well and work out at the E 6th track.
Yeah, same for Astoria Park track. Plus cell phone yappers walking four abreast and the occasional loser dog walkers.
i think this is a better way of saying it:
aside from wsx and a few nyac runners, all clubs in the city are hobby jogger clubs (31+ min 10k). the most competitive of the hobby jogger clubs is cptc.
I agree with oatmeal + water. Regardless CPTC has 4 2012 Olympians and a handful of athletes competing at the national and international level. Check out the website for yourself: http://www.centralparktc.org/. Also from my understanding, NYAC is invite only and they don't provide you with a coach.
718runner wrote:
I agree with oatmeal + water. Regardless CPTC has 4 2012 Olympians and a handful of athletes competing at the national and international level. Check out the website for yourself:
http://www.centralparktc.org/. Also from my understanding, NYAC is invite only and they don't provide you with a coach.
the cptc olympians are not distance runners - they are sprinters.
At a recent race, with most of the fastest guys out there, the top 5 ran 33-34 minutes for 10k around central park.
http://web2.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/3425.1.487210614334670321CPTC is what it is - it's not for guys running 25 minute 8ks.
2011 Mayor's Cup (They didn't have one in 2012) 4 CPTC guys ran 25 minute 8Ks all of which are still on the team: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/11/ma/Oct23_Mayors_set1.shtml
And one CTPC guy ran 24:30.
lol, did you not get accepted by cptc or something?
why are you so bitter...
oatmeal + water wrote:
lol, did you not get accepted by cptc or something?
why are you so bitter...
I'm not bitter they take pretty much anyone who can run 7 minute pace - my only point is that they don't have many people running 5 minute mile pace in long distance races.
I checked those 5 - they don't race in NYRR races, which are teh heart of long distance racing in nnyc:
#1: last did an nyrr race in 2010
#2: one nyrr race ever
#3: one nyrr race in the last 6m
#4: 3 nyrr races in 6 mn
#5: 2 nyrr races in 6m
not sure what this means - maybe they do xc and then some track races.
That's a poor reference as they were plastered by NYAC.
bowbridge wrote:
Yeah, same for Astoria Park track. Plus cell phone yappers walking four abreast and the occasional loser dog walkers.
The East River Park track is much quieter than Astoria Park (and McCarren, for that matter). I've run plenty of workouts there and never really had any issues with people walking in lane one, throwing frisbees, etc.