Long Beach hosts first NY Fit Fest

Posted
Courtesy NY Fit Fest

More than a thousand fitness enthusiasts made their way to Riverside Boulevard beach on Sunday for the first ever NY Fit Fest, a day-long festival that featured a variety of fitness activities for people of all skill levels.

Attendees joined world-renowned Olympic athletes, celebrities, trainers and local fitness instructors, who lead classes ranging from sunrise yoga, cycling, meditation, dancing and Zumba, to CrossFit, boot camps and boxing.

A string of vendors in the sand showcased products and services that promoted health, beauty and wellness. A handful of local businesses also joined in the festivities, including Barrier Island CrossFit, Synergy Fitness, Skudin Surf, iLoveKickboxing, Bikram Yoga, Life Time Fitness and Ocean Ride Cycling.

Local residents and co-founders of NY Fit Fest Colette Lee Morales, Ingrid Dodd and Jason Belsky worked to bring the festival to fruition.

“Colette, Ingrid and Jason had such a great idea to put this all together and I’m so glad that we could be a part of it,” said Jess Thurman, instructor and co-owner of Barrier Island CrossFit in Long Beach. “Being able to work out on the beach is the coolest thing.”

While some participants signed up for their favorite classes, many were trying their hand at something new.

“In my class, almost half of the people had never done CrossFit before they came,” Thurman said. “People could try things that they never tried before, and now they might go sign up somewhere and add something to their fitness regimen.”

“It’s truly overwhelming to see this dream and this vision come to reality,” Morales said. “Having this backdrop and being able to bring another amazing event to this beach is everything to me, because this is my home. To bring people that might have never even been here to experience Long Beach — is a dream come true.”