5 Fit Things to Do in Philly This Weekend: Rocky 50K, Ice Skating, Arm Balances Workshop and More


The crowd at last year's inaugural Rocky 50K.

The crowd at last year’s inaugural Rocky 50K.

Scrambling for weekend plans? We have you covered. Here are five ways to get your fit on this weekend in Philly.

1. Rocky 50K Fat Ass Run
When: Saturday, December 6th at 7 a.m.
Where: Meet at Wolf and South Lambert Street in South Philly.

The second annual Rocky 50K will hit the streets this weekend. It’s a for-fun, untimed, no-registration-necessary run through the city roughly following Rocky Balboa’s fictional training route in the montage in Rocky II. You don’t have to run all 31 miles, either; organizer Rebecca Schaefer says runners can feel free to jump in and out of the route at their leisure. It ends, of course, at the top of the Rocky Steps; gray sweats are encouraged. Check out the course here.

2. The Loop Race
When: Sunday, December 7th at 10 a.m.
Where: Starts at 1 Boathouse Row on Kelly Drive.

Most Philly runners are familiar with The Loop—the 8.4-mile, er, loop along Kelly Drive, across Falls Bridge, back toward the city on MLK Drive, and around the Art Museum to Boathouse Row. This race follows that course exactly, and is run on sidewalks. There’s an after party at Bishop’s Collar to keep the fun going. Race-day registration begins at 8:30 and costs $30.

3. Belmont Plateau Cleanup
When: Sunday, December 7th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: 2000 Belmont Mansion Drive, West Fairmount Park.

If you spend your weekends running in the Belmont Plateau, this is your chance to give back. The Belmont Plateau Trails Alliance will be bringing together volunteers to pick up trash along the trails. They’ll provide the tools, work gloves, trash bags and refreshments; you bring the manpower.

4. Tree Lighting at the Blue Cross RiverRink
When: Friday, December 5th from 6:45 to 8 p.m.
Where: 101 S. Columbus Boulevard, Penn’s Landing.

Burn some calories on the ice as the Riverrink illuminates for the holidays. The tree lighting festivities include live entertainment (expect to see some synchronized skaters), skating with Santa, crafts and food. The 43-foot tree will be lit at 8 p.m. It’s free to watch the tree lighting and entertainment, but if you want to skate, it will be $3 for admission and $10 for skate rental.

5. All-Levels Arm Balances Yoga Workshop
When: Sunday, December 7th from 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Where: Focus Fitness Main Line, 111 East Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr.

Learn tricks from the pros for how to (finally!) tackle arm-balances poses in your yoga practice. Emphasis will be on proper alignment to help you get into and out of poses safely. It’s $35 to participate; sign up here.

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