Eight miles, three gyms — one race through New York’s streets.
A rainy Sunday morning couldn’t stop over 200 athletes from running through the Meatpacking District up to Midtown Manhattan, then across the bridge to Williamsburg.
But this wasn’t your typical 5K.
Instead, Urban Iron competitors ran between some of the city’s most iconic gyms and fitness studios, stopping for a workout at each one.
On September 12, competitors started at Rivian (one of Urban Iron’s sponsors) in Meatpacking, then headed to their first stop, The Training Lab on West 39th. There, they used a SkiErg, did overhead presses and carried a water jug up nine flights of stairs.
Next, it was across the bridge to The Yard Gym in Williamsburg for another sweat session.
They finished with a jaunt over to True North Training’s Domino Park location to get in some time on the rower accompanied by wall-balls and sit-ups.
After crossing the finish line, racers head to Rivian Williamsburg for a post-race party with live DJs, ice baths and podium ceremonies.
For some, the toughest part wasn’t completing box jumps or weighted walking lunges after sprinting down Broadway. It was that there was no set route between gym stops.
“Unless you’re local to the city, the challenge is trying to navigate to get to the stops you need to, which makes it super dynamic and exciting,” Dylan Crutchfield, who drove 6 hours from Pittsburgh for his fifth Urban Iron, told The Post.
While participants are sent a suggested route beforehand, the streets they take are ultimately up to them.
“Race participants are required to really think about and understand and plan how they are going to complete the race ahead of time,” Urban Iron co-founder Jake Schonberger told The Post. “Some people show up and wing it. Others plan with their friends how they’re going to run from gym to gym.”
Meet the racers
The exercise-meets-urban adventure brings together the city’s various fitness tribes, from runners to lifters and functional athletes — especially those looking for something different.
“The various aspects of the race make it really attractive to people that are looking for something new, a way to meet new people and an opportunity to challenge themselves to do something really difficult while competing but also having a great time,” said Urban Iron co-founder Louisa Li.
Before her first Urban Iron last fall, Jill Czarnik, a 38-year-old runner, was most apprehensive about the functional fitness part. She knew the importance of strength training to support her running and hoped the race would give her the push to lift more weights.
The split format also gave her a new perspective on health and racing.
“I think it’s promoted more of a balanced approach to fitness,” Czarnik explained. “I don’t have this singular focus on running and have this benchmark of [a time in mind].”
“I don’t even know my finish time… but it’s nice to not have the pressure on the numbers,” she added.
Even Crutchfield, a self-proclaimed “gym bro” who was mostly into powerlifting before Urban Iron, says the events have exposed him to “a new world within the fitness community.”
But he added that training for Urban Iron feels like its own beast, different from preparing for a marathon or Hyrox.
Three-time competitor Edward Gomez, 40, agrees, saying the mind and body have to be prepared for a race of this kind.
“This is definitely not something you could just wake up tomorrow and say, I’m going to run eight miles and do three circuit workouts,” he said.
In the lead up to race day, he aimed to run 25 to 30 miles a week while incorporating three to four gym visits to “keep the gears in motion.”
Built with local love
The brainchild of Schonberger, a triathlete, and Li, a runner and yoga instructor, Urban Iron was initially created as a personal challenge to combine strength and running while training for their respective races.
The first race was held in June 2025, with four more completed in New York, and every event selling out and quickly growing waitlists.
But it’s not just the format that makes this race different from others and attracts so many people: Li and Schonberger want to raise awareness for local gyms and fitness communities in the cities they race in.
“Before we drop into a city, we meet with the local fitness leaders, join in on run clubs, meet gym owners and talk to the locals,” Li said. “We also host a dinner to bring the local communities together as a way to really get to know them.”
“We really want to establish trust and genuine relationships with all our partners and participants,” Schonberger added.
The partner gyms get their name, logos and professional photography of their space presented to people all across social media, while race participants get to experience first-hand what the partner gyms have to offer.
While Crutchfield initially signed up for the fitness challenge, the 24-year-old kept coming back for the community he found. Since the race in Chicago this past June, he hangs out with some of the gym owners and several other athletes.
“One of the coolest things about Urban Iron is that [they’re] working to bring people together who are aligned in their health, wellness and fitness lifestyles,” he said. “And it’s super inviting for people looking to get into that space.”
The event has since expanded to Austin and Chicago, with plans for a race in Los Angeles on Oct. 4 and future ones in Miami.
In the meantime, the co-founders are hoping to address the growing demand for the race to come to cities across the globe.
They’re also constantly testing to see how big they can make each race, upping the number of participants — something competitors are doing, too.
“I’ve been trying to get more people and this time I got 13 folks to enter the race,” Gomez, who lives in Astoria, said. “I want this race to be in the 1000s. I want it to be something like Hyrox… because for me, it’s just that much fun and a great experience.”
Crutchfield echoed the sentiment, saying he “will tell everyone I know” about Urban Iron.
And for Czarnik, the smaller race is something she looks forward to, despite running all the World Major Marathons.
“The event itself creates this sense of community because when you finish,” she said. “You’ve probably seen everyone you started with… and you make great friends along the way much easier.
