I actually lived in the Bronx for 8 years and I love the Bronx Zoo. Back in college when I was studying to become an ecologist and not an endocrinologist, … MORE
I actually lived in the Bronx for 8 years and I love the Bronx Zoo. Back in college when I was studying to become an ecologist and not an endocrinologist, I actually volunteered at the Bronx Zoo. So I was very excited when the Bronx Zoo announced plans for a live Run for the Wild this year. My parents were excited too and are recently fully vaccinated so they decided to join me and we walked it together. I will warn you this is an expensive 5K. It is $50 and you have to raise $35 on top of that but it does include free entry to the zoo and the zoo does some great behind the scenes conservation work which I can tell you about from first hand experience. It is also an untimed fun run so it is not an event for competitive runners hoping for an award but it is still a super fun and well done event. There were a lot of covid protocols in place and they really found that perfect balance between safety and normalcy. You had to sign up for half hour blocks that went most of the morning. We picked 9am. There is also a family 3K that is later in the morning. This year packets were mailed. Packets included bib. The bib was more of a ticket than a functioning bib since it was untimed. Bibs were color coded by time slot so it was easy for race staff to see what time the participants were signed up for. The packet also included race day instructions and the absolute cutest race shirt. This year the theme was lemurs and the shirt has this adorable ring-tailed lemur. It is a very comfy, nice quality polyblend shirt. It is a very nice purple color. I am not a huge purple person but I even liked the color. Almost every participant was wearing the shirt during the race because it was so cute. The start of the race went off without a hitch. Parking was super easy and luckily the race started at the parking lot near my old neighborhood so we could visit after. I stayed in a hotel outside the city and getting there in the morning was easy-peasy. After parking you went to bag check, then temp check, then the starting area. The starting area was set up so you lined up 5 runners (or walkers) at a time and went off every 20 seconds. There was loud music and an announcer making it a little more exciting. The race was perfectly spaced. There were generally other participants around but hardly ever was there anyone within 6 feet of you. It couldn’t have been spread out better. The race itself is really nice all through the zoo property. I didn’t see quite as many animals as I would have liked to on course. I did see nice views of the hyenas and the flamingos. Even without the animals the zoo is quite nice looking with lots of vegetation. The course was extremely well marked and easy to follow. You could not get lost. The finish area was set up great for social distancing but still being fun. After going through the finish arch you are handed a water and there are multiple tables spread out. There were two tables with snacks, two with medals, and two with additional prizes such as a cute lemur stuffed animal you could get if you fundraised enough. The medal is super cute with the lemur design. It is one-sided and the ribbon is boring but it’s a very good medal for a 5K fun run. There was solid snack selection with pumpkin seed bars (which are vegan and gluten free and quite tasty), fruits and fruit snack. Obviously this was not a fast time for me since we walked but my mom has some health conditions so completing a 5K was a big deal for her and I helped pace her well below her goal of 1 hour. She was very happy and proud. I marked our performance 5 sneakers for her. Afterwards you could enjoy the zoo. This year the zoo was only open to participants on race day and we could see all the exhibits. We then had lunch at the diner in my old neighborhood and then I left for Gettysburg. While, this is not the event for a competitive runner, it is a super fun event and organization was top-notch this year. I actually think it being untimed allowed everyone to have more fun and enjoy themselves. It is a great event to enjoy with your family or use as an easy warmup run before a longer race on Sunday. I will definitely do this again every time it works well with my schedule though I wouldn’t necessarily plan around the event and I would highly recommend it as long as it being untimed wouldn’t bother you.
I love the Bronx Zoo!
I actually lived in the Bronx for 8 years and I love the Bronx Zoo. Back in college when I was studying to become an ecologist and not an endocrinologist, … MORE
I actually lived in the Bronx for 8 years and I love the Bronx Zoo. Back in college when I was studying to become an ecologist and not an endocrinologist, I actually volunteered at the Bronx Zoo. So I was very excited when the Bronx Zoo announced plans for a live Run for the Wild this year. My parents were excited too and are recently fully vaccinated so they decided to join me and we walked it together. I will warn you this is an expensive 5K. It is $50 and you have to raise $35 on top of that but it does include free entry to the zoo and the zoo does some great behind the scenes conservation work which I can tell you about from first hand experience. It is also an untimed fun run so it is not an event for competitive runners hoping for an award but it is still a super fun and well done event. There were a lot of covid protocols in place and they really found that perfect balance between safety and normalcy. You had to sign up for half hour blocks that went most of the morning. We picked 9am. There is also a family 3K that is later in the morning. This year packets were mailed. Packets included bib. The bib was more of a ticket than a functioning bib since it was untimed. Bibs were color coded by time slot so it was easy for race staff to see what time the participants were signed up for. The packet also included race day instructions and the absolute cutest race shirt. This year the theme was lemurs and the shirt has this adorable ring-tailed lemur. It is a very comfy, nice quality polyblend shirt. It is a very nice purple color. I am not a huge purple person but I even liked the color. Almost every participant was wearing the shirt during the race because it was so cute. The start of the race went off without a hitch. Parking was super easy and luckily the race started at the parking lot near my old neighborhood so we could visit after. I stayed in a hotel outside the city and getting there in the morning was easy-peasy. After parking you went to bag check, then temp check, then the starting area. The starting area was set up so you lined up 5 runners (or walkers) at a time and went off every 20 seconds. There was loud music and an announcer making it a little more exciting. The race was perfectly spaced. There were generally other participants around but hardly ever was there anyone within 6 feet of you. It couldn’t have been spread out better. The race itself is really nice all through the zoo property. I didn’t see quite as many animals as I would have liked to on course. I did see nice views of the hyenas and the flamingos. Even without the animals the zoo is quite nice looking with lots of vegetation. The course was extremely well marked and easy to follow. You could not get lost. The finish area was set up great for social distancing but still being fun. After going through the finish arch you are handed a water and there are multiple tables spread out. There were two tables with snacks, two with medals, and two with additional prizes such as a cute lemur stuffed animal you could get if you fundraised enough. The medal is super cute with the lemur design. It is one-sided and the ribbon is boring but it’s a very good medal for a 5K fun run. There was solid snack selection with pumpkin seed bars (which are vegan and gluten free and quite tasty), fruits and fruit snack. Obviously this was not a fast time for me since we walked but my mom has some health conditions so completing a 5K was a big deal for her and I helped pace her well below her goal of 1 hour. She was very happy and proud. I marked our performance 5 sneakers for her. Afterwards you could enjoy the zoo. This year the zoo was only open to participants on race day and we could see all the exhibits. We then had lunch at the diner in my old neighborhood and then I left for Gettysburg. While, this is not the event for a competitive runner, it is a super fun event and organization was top-notch this year. I actually think it being untimed allowed everyone to have more fun and enjoy themselves. It is a great event to enjoy with your family or use as an easy warmup run before a longer race on Sunday. I will definitely do this again every time it works well with my schedule though I wouldn’t necessarily plan around the event and I would highly recommend it as long as it being untimed wouldn’t bother you.
Beautiful run but not well organized...
When you compare it most organized runs. Great cause and a great time if you come to enjoy a run and the zoo. But if you are into running 5ks … MORE
When you compare it most organized runs.
Great cause and a great time if you come to enjoy a run and the zoo. But if you are into running 5ks and expect it to be timed and start on time then you’ve come to the wrong race.
Tips:
Line up in the 7 or 8 minute grouping if you actually want to run this no matter what your actual pace will be. Too many kids and walkers join the 9 and 10 minute groups even though they are supposed to wait for the next group.
Expect to wait 15 minutes after your warm up to start running bc they thank each sponsor.
Limited water stations and a few hills so be prepared.
Fun way to see the zoo
The WCS Run for the Wild is a fun way to see the Bronx Zoo. Your registration includes free entry to stay at the zoo all day (though you'll have … MORE
The WCS Run for the Wild is a fun way to see the Bronx Zoo. Your registration includes free entry to stay at the zoo all day (though you’ll have to pay if you want to see any of the ‘premium’ exhibits like the gorillas) and free parking. There is the 5k run and then a family run/walk that starts about 45 minutes after the 5k. You do have to raise $30 on top of the entry fee in order to run.
This year, the race featured “waves” by pace to help break up the crowd of runners, which helped to cut down on course congestion.
The course itself winds through the zoo, past various exhibits like the monkeys and giraffes. Even though the exhibits proper don’t open until after the race is over, animals are still out and you’re able to see and take photos of them.
The finish area includes water, muffins, fruit, etc. as well as giveaways from various companies, a beer garden, a rock climbing wall, and free post run zumba. Then you can spend as much time at the zoo as you want. This year, the weather was gorgeous, but it was rather warm and humid.
It’s definitely a fun 5k and you can decide what animal you want your entry fee/fundraising to benefit from a list of 5 or so animals.