Between this visit to the Bronx Zoo and my recent trip to the New York Botanical Garden, I feel like I’m spending a lot of time in the Bronx lately!
This trip was special though- I was participating in the zoo’s annual Run for the Wild charity 5k. The event raises money for the Wildlife Conservation Society- and this year centered around snow leopards!
The Bronx Zoo is a world leader in snow leopard conservation and has successfully seen more snow leopard births than any other zoo in the United States- two of which were born last year.
Snow leopards happen to be my favorite animal, so I was excited to participate in this year’s run.
Preparing for the Race
The race cost $55 to enter (though there were occasional discounts) and there was a minimum fundraising amount of $35 to raise for the event. I was lucky enough to have my minimum met by some very generous sponsors, but the difference would be taken from the credit card used to enter the race if $35 is not reached.
The $35 donation also included a themed t-shirt to wear during the run, which was mailed to me a few weeks prior to the 5k along with my bib for the race. There are additional prize tiers available for those who raised funds with great success. If I had not reached the $35 minimum, I would have had to pick up my t shirt and bib at the zoo, prior to the race.
I’m not a runner at heart, so I spent several weeks training to prepare for this 5k. For the record, if you’re looking for running advice- this is not the blog for you! Still, it was nice to have a goal to motivate me on my runs.
The Race Experience
When the big day finally came, I made sure to arrive to the zoo early. Since I was driving, I was directed to park in the Bronx River Parking lot, which happened to be just about as far from the starting line as it was possible to get.
There was a bag check at the entrance to the zoo, but I chose to travel light, and left my lunch, water, and apparently my headphones in the car. Of course, I only realized my headphones were missing about halfway into my trek to the starting line and deemed it too late to double back for them. That’s right, I ran this 5k music-less!
As it was, I probably would have had time to go back for the headphones since the race ended up starting about ten minutes late.
I had positioned myself towards the back of the crowd (faster runners were directed towards the front), but as it turned out- I’d underestimated myself! There were quite a few people who ended up walking the majority of the course.
This positioning ended up being to my detriment because there was quite a bit of dodging and weaving around the walkers and varying terrain as the race got started. As the 5k continued, there was a bit more space to maneuver but it was still necessary to be prepared for a sudden dodge.
The route wove around the park with no backtracking, though we could occasionally see other runners on the route as we went. The miles were marked, though I have my suspicions that the mile markers were slightly off. The finish line did seem to be accurate at 3.10 miles by my run tracker.
Just about at the halfway mark, the zoo employees seemed to set up cheering stations. Fortunately or unfortunately, the zoo was closed to all except runners until 1pm so the only moral support we had as runners was from the staff or from people who had paid the entrance fee and decided against running.
When I say that the cheering sections made a difference, I mean that I can literally see my pace increase on my run tracker the moment the cheering stations were established. I’m not sure if these stations were officially organized or if the employees were just having fun, but I appreciate it either way.
Although I had planned for my running motivation to be seeing animals as I ran, it was pretty early and I think the majority of the animals were still sleeping. We did pass some antelope and the occasional peacock, but otherwise we were on our own.
I didn’t quite make it the full 3.10 miles, but I did hit a new personal best in terms of distance and speed! (Again, this is not a running blog). I’m really pleased with myself and very happy with my snow leopard themed participation medal.
Post Run
Once I completed the run, all runners were provided with water and a selection of bagels, muffins, oranges and bananas which was a nice surprise!
I swung back to my car to pick up my camera and snacks before re-entering the park. My race bib functioned as my admission ticket.
Once I completed the run, I had complete access to the park- including sections that were normally an additional fee. I’ve been to the Bronx Zoo several times, but somehow this was the first time I’d gone on the monorail ride! Although I believe the race bib was intended to be our “ticket”, I found that flashing my medal got me in just about anywhere.
I was also pleased to see that the snow leopards were relatively active- the reason we all were there!
The zoo had also organized a full itinerary of events throughout the day. I was devastated to have missed out on the face painting but I enjoyed seeing an increasing number of face painted guests exploring the park.
I made sure to make time for the the Native American Dancing demonstration and even participated! I’m on the lookout for any footage of that!
I also enjoyed the Photo Booth and the trivia games- though I believe I got exactly one question correct.
There were also a few signs with QR codes throughout the park that had custom filters for the race day.
It was also the Zoo’s 125’s birthday, so there were cupcakes available for the celebration.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my Run For The Wild Day at the Bronx Zoo. Although the entrance fee and subsequent fundraising fee may seem steep, once one takes into consideration the cost of the regular zoo admission, parking, all of the rides, and the t-shirt, you’re basically breaking even.
Ignoring the cost, it was a super fun day out at the Zoo and for a great cause. I’d highly recommend anyone to participate and am already looking forward to next year!
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