The North Face offers free outdoor classes for aspiring adventurers
Publish Time: 2015-05-13 Origin: Site
A threatening sky loomed over Capitol Hill on Cinco de Mayo. And that gave personal trainer Jeff Rey enough of a reason to pump up the outdoor workout he was leading in Stanton Park for The North Face’s Mountain Athleticsprogram. It was, after all, a day to let loose and have fun, so as the rain swept in, Rey seemed almost giddy, urging participants to soak up the workout — and burn off what they might imbibe later.Created in partnership with November Project, a free outdoor exercise movement, the program offers training for outdoor adventures, from marathon running to mountain scaling. “The spirit of the training is to really be encouraging people to train for a goal, for an outdoor goal, and then giving them the tools to help them get there,” said Katie Ramage, sports marketing director for The North Face.
In preparing to climb Mount Rainier next month, Tony Sun, 36, of Rockville, and a friend attend both the Tuesday evening classes at Stanton Park and the Thursday evening classes in Georgetown to boost their treadmill and stair-climbing regimen.
“It’s nice to be in a group environment,” says Sun, who wore a North Face T-shirt to the Stanton Park class that read: “SUFFER NOW SUMMIT LATER.”
Last Tuesday’s workout involved a series of rather general drills — hopping along rope ladders spread across the grass, laps around the park and sets of squats, planks and crunches. According to Ramage, classes are meant to be tailored to participants’ outdoor goals.
Laura Pinsky, 24, of Shaw, joins the Stanton Park class for the community and free training. Pinsky values the many offerings on D.C.’s free fitness circuit, such as November Project’s morning workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Nike Training Club on Monday night.
“If I can save that money and go to workouts that I feel are really effective and keeping me healthy, then that’s great,” she says.
For Kahlil Gooden, 35, of Hyattsville, Md., who is training for his fourth Spartan Race, Mountain Athletics’ sensibility suits him. “I just think it’s stupid to pay money to work out” when body-weight exercise builds strength, he says.
When last week’s class in Stanton Park ended, the rain had long since lifted, but it was hard to tell if clothing was wet from precipitation or perspiration. And if there was a stench, it was something to be celebrated. You smell great! Rey told the group — like grass, he said, and the outdoors.