Photograph the 2006 New York City Marathon finish line by CraigsPage on flickr Marathon fans, your time is here because this weekend, there are two 26.2 mile races in the city. In addition to the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Saturday is the USA Olympic Trials for the 2008 Olympic Men's Marathon. Saturday's Olympic Trials will feature the country's best long distance runners as they contend for the first spots on the 2008... more ›

Yesterday, a group of longboard skaters raced down Broadway from West 116th Street all the way to the bull in the Financial District for the "Broadway Bomb." Sacha Lecca took photographs of the skate, which seemed to have at least 100 skaters. Sacha tells us there were around 70 last year and 30 in 2005; according to the website, the race started in 2002. more ›

Quick! What's scarier than a ghost, ghoul, or goblin? It's Dick Cheney...hunting! Everyone around the Valley Rod & Gun Club in Dutchess County better stock up on all the orange clothing they can find because the Vice President is going to be in your back yard. The Poughkeepsie Journal first reported Thursday that Cheney is coming to upstate New York for a hunting trip. He's expected to arrive Sunday night at Stewart airport and to go hunting on Monday. more ›

The ING New York City Marathon is just a mere 25 days away on November 4. The day before the marathon, the New York Road Runners Club is hosting the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the Men's Marathon. The NYRR has created a blog with videos and commentary called Chasing Glory. Today, there's a video of Abdi Abdirahman, the three-time U.S. 10,000 champ. more ›

There's a group of guys, younger than Tony Hawk but older than your average skater punk, who refuse to give up their skateboards -- though admittedly they say they have nothing to rebel against anymore. Skateboarding doesn't have to be about rebelling though, sometimes it can just be about...commuting? more ›

The first bowling alley to open in Brooklyn in (we can't even believe this) nearly 50 years is about to open up! The Gutter is new...but the feeling old. Brought to you by two of the same people who brought you Barcade, expect a similar vibe. There's a Schlitz globe spinning over the shoe counter, vintage bowling items adorning the bar, old lamps throughout, and even some TVs with rabbit ear antennas. more ›

The NY Times takes a look inside the ping-pong world of New York. Sure, it may not be as big as the US Open, but the Naked Ping-Pong tournament is growing bigger and better every week out of a loft in Tribeca. more ›

Did you excel at yo-yo and rock, scissor, paper as a kid? Well, this past weekend was the 1st ever New York State Yo-Yo Contest at the South Street Seaport. From what we hear, excelling in yo-yo is the way to get all the ladies (they dig the finger dexterity and creativity with the yo-yo). It's not just the kids that are throwing the yo-yo around either. Downtown Express tells us that Riad Nasr, the executive chef at Balthazar is also a yo-yo fanatic. "I have a yo-yo in my pocket on the line. In between pick-ups, I’ll throw a trick or two." Watch out for that DOH inspection, Riad. more ›

Competitive eating powerhouses convened in front of City Hall today to be weighed in for tomorrow's Nathan's Famous July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest. Six-time winner and current mustard belt holder Takeru Kobayashi weighed in at 154 pounds while Joey Chestnut, who broke Kobayashi's hot-dog eating record by keeping down 59.5 hot dogs at an Arizona event last month, weighed in at 215 pounds. more ›

With Memorial Day weekend coming to a close, there's a long, hot summer ahead of us. For those who enjoy spending the season fishing, The NY Times has some tips for catching a big one at Prospect Park Lake: more ›

The NYC Parks Department is in in the process of replacing natural grass on many of its playing fields with artificial turf. The fake grass is plastic and laid over a rubber layer that softens the field. According to the NY Post, the Parks Department installed 74 artificial turf fields since 2002. 55 replaced natural grass and 19 were put over existing hard-top lots. Another 100 fields are planned for conversion to artificial turf over the next five years, at a cost of $150 million and an annual maintenance savings of $15,000 per field. We hope those fields are durable, because that envisions a 100-year investment timeline before the artificial-turf fields pay for themselves, even if the city is getting its money for free. more ›

If getting in shape is one of your New Year’s resolutions, there is a fitness program which instead of asking you to pick one gym location, hands you free passes for what seems like just about every fitness club in NYC, for a $75 fee. more ›

“The guy never even came over to see what had happened,” Ms. Kelly said in a near-whisper. “He got out of his truck and walked away.” As she pleaded for someone to call 911, the driver and some of his colleagues “just stood off and watched,” she said. “Nobody offered anything, nothing like, ‘Can I help?’ That all came from other bikers who came upon the scene.” more ›

The ING New York City Marathon is just five days away, and many people are probably thinking about their viewing strategies. The marathon website has different suggestions for watching the professional marathoners and friends and family. If you're cheering someone on, the ING NYC marathon suggests:

Mile 8 in Brooklyn , where the three starts converge, is a great place to catch runners looking fresh for photographs. A variety of subways can get you there: the C to Lafayette Avenue; the G to Fulton Street; the 2, 3, 4, or 5 to Nevins Street; or the B, D, N, Q, or R to Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street. more ›

You know how we know it's almost winter, besides feeling the chill in the air? The fact that Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park is opening today. This year happens to be the 20th anniversary of the rink's re-opening, thanks to Donald Trump's chutzpah and swooping in to take over renovations from the city (the city had been "working" on the rink for 6 years). Admission to the rink is $9.50 weekdays/ $12 holidays/weekend for adults; children 12 and under - $4.75/$5. more ›

In a little more than two weeks, the ING NYC Marathon will take place. It's a little too late to sign up to run (unless you run for a charity - more here), but there are ways to get involved. One is to volunteer at the start of the race. Since the race starts early, volunteers are needed to help out at the start of the race in Staten Island - they will "help set up the refreshment areas and help corral the runners to the staring blocks." While it's an early, early start (4AM-ish), the volunteers will get bused back to Manhattan and get passes to watch the race at the finish line. For more information on volunteering, check here. more ›

The Parks Department is announcing kayak rentals for Central Park's lake today. The Lake will have three kayaks available for $12/hour, so the Lake will be full of kayaks, rowboats, and gondolas - plus some birds hanging out. Here's the Parks Department's recreational boating map - there are kayaks for rent in three other parks, but if you have your own (you know, kayaks are convenient in your NYC-size apartment), there are kayak launches in all five boroughs. Wonder if the Mayor will demonstrate his Eskimo roll one of these days. more ›

Basketball City, that puffy structure off the West Side Highway on West 23rd Street will need to leave tomorrow, since the city wants to get working on continuing to improve Hudson River Park. The fight to stay at Pier 63 (which the Villager called "political football" back in 2004 when its lease expired) even escalated to the point where Basketball City claimed bankruptcy in an attempt to stay, while parks advocates have been eager for the facility to leave. Crain's reports Basketball City's owners are looking for a new space, but they do not think they'll find anything until next year. One partner, Bruce Radler, said, "We'll easily lose 50% of our revenue." Until then, Basketball City "will continue to run some of its corporate and youth leagues renting space in an ad hoc consortium of school gyms." more ›

Yesterday was the first NYC Half Marathon, which saw over 10,000 runners take over the streets of Manhattan. The course route was the loop in Central Park, and then down Seventh Avenue (through Times Square), making a left 42nd Street to head to the West Side Highway, and taking that all the way down to Battery Park. Kenyans won the men's and women's races - Thomas Nyariki finished in 1:01:22 and Catherine Ndereba's time was 1:09:43. Australian Benita Johnson finished second in the women's race - by three tenths of a second - while American Meb Keflizighi finished in 1:01:28. The top NYC residents' times? As far as we can tell, Demesse Tefera finished in 1:03:17, and Abbi Gleeson had a 1:22:00. more ›

With the weather so nice, it's the perfect opportunity to head to Flushing today to check out the final day of the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York. Today's races have already started, but the event lasts until 6 p.m., with the last race scheduled for 5:09 (it will undoubtedly be running late). If watching various teams compete in dragon boats from the shores of Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, there will also be a dumpling eating contest at noon today. more ›

It's nothing like what the weather will be like in November, but it's never too early to train for the NYC Marathon. Deena Kastor, who won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics for the marathon and who happens to hold the American record for the women's marathon - 2:19.36 - after running this year's London Marathon, is in New York to train. And even in this gross weather, she's out running and talking to the NY Times about strategies, like breaking up the marathon into eight parts because there are eight water stations and just knowing as much about the course as possible. Kastor finished sixth in 2001 and dropped out at mile 16 in 2004, but she's training hard for this year's race. And in case you were wondering, people running on November 5's race should have started training already (Runner's World has a 16 week plan), although P. Diddy only trained for 8 weeks before the 2003 race and finished in under 4 hours. more ›

Two of the biggest brands in the world came together today in New York to announce a partnership for a new product. Nike and Apple - who wasn't content just with opening a store on 5th Avenue - announced the Nike+iPod - a wireless system that can track your running progress and allow you to choose a "PowerSong" to pump you up when you hit a wall. The sensor fits into a special compartment under the insole and a receiver attaches to the iPod (which only works for the Nano). With the sensor, a voice can tell you what your progress is through the headphones with the touch of a button. Nike is rolling out several new Nike+ shoes in the fall, with the Air Zoom Moire as the first in the Nike+ line. There's also a pretty spiffy Nike+ website where you can track your run history and set up competitions with your friends. The Nike+iPod sports kit has a retail price of $29 and will be in stores in 60 days. more ›

Last month when Gothamist was in Coney Island for opening day, we spotted a perplexing activity taking place on the beach. A few people were throwing balls at what seemed like a wooden triangle in the middle of some tubes laid out in a circle. After closer inspection (like reading the sign), we found that this bizarre game was called Trangleball. Essentially, the game involves throwing a ball off the center triangle and your opponent has to try and catch it. If they don't, you get a point. more ›

Just two weeks ago we were telling our friend to have his birthday party at Dave & Buster's. "There is no Dave & Buster's in the city," he said. Since we had never thought to go to the place, we didn't know...we just assumed this city would have one. more ›

As you may or may not know, we love the show How I Met Your Mother (one character even has a blog - not an entirely new idea, but we like it). Last week two of the characters on the show went to a lazer tag park and declared that the game was totally making a comeback within 2 months. So we wanted to get prepared, because we actually think lazer tag could be fun! more ›

Futsal, a 5 on 5 indoor soccer game, has a long history in the United States (the US Futsal Federation is celebrating its 25th year), but Nike is promoting a 3 on 3 version, Joga 3 Futsal. Futsal is played indoors or outdoors on small courts (think basketball sized) and has an emphasis on skill over power. The game's popularity grew the most in Brazil and is responsible for developing some of the best soccer talent in the world. In Joga 3, teams compete in 3 minute games. more ›

Yesterday while riding the subway, Gothamist spotted a guy carrying a saucer sled and thought to ourselves, "foolish man, there won't be that much snow." But low and behold, there's more than enough snow for sledding. So the natural desire is to find a nice sledding spot. Over at Palatial.com, Tracy has a map of sledding locations in NYC, which is obviously what we need in today's blizzard. GoCityKids also has kids rated different kinds of sleds. Wow - check out that sled luge! more ›

Winters are usually fun time for Gothamist for one big reason, there's snow to ski on. With this winter being a bust in our area for most of the ski season, we haven't had our mind on skiing quite too much yet. But with the weather finally cold, snow forcasted for this weekend, and the Winter Olympics starting today, we can't help but have skiing on the mind. The lack of snow has already taken its toll as Powder Ridge in Connecticut has already closed its doors for the season because of "the recent warm and wet weather." Perhaps they will re-open if the season turns itself around. more ›

Way out in Vernon, NJ today, the U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix Series is taking place at Mountain Creek (fondly remembered by Gothamist as Vernon Valley/Great Gorge). The Grand Prix halfpipe competition takes place from 4-6:10 p.m. and will feature some of the country's best including Shaun White and Ross Powers. If that's not enough fun, Jersey's own Fountains of Wayne will be performing at 7:20. Following their performance, the 2006 U.S. Olympic team will be announced (full schedule here). It almost sounds like a perfect day. Head out to Mountain Creek, ski or ride some, watch a competition, listen to music, and find out who will represent the USA in Italy. more ›

There have been a few articles about Alberto Arroyo, who is the unofficial Mayor of Central Park, but today's NY Times feature about him has an awesome slideshow with his narration. At 89, he's been been a staple around the Central Park Reservoir for years (he claims to be the first to run around the reservoir), either running or, more recently, using a walker. Arroyo used to run during his lunch hour while working at Bethlehem Steel in Battery Park, which was unheard of back then, and ran in the first NYC marathon. We've seen Arroyo in the park and must say that seeing his friendly wave is great encouragement as we huff and puff our way around. more ›