Grooving in the Heights

The NYRR Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K is an Upper Manhattan institution. Founded in 1999, the race was known for years as the Coogan’s Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K, named after the local Irish bar and restaurant that’s been a neighborhood landmark since 1985. (The original concept was as a way of taking back the dangerous area from drug dealers and street gangs.)

New York Road Runners became the race organizers in 2014. The race has continued to celebrate the vibrant neighborhood in which it takes place—including its diverse mix of cultures by including a variety of musical offerings throughout the hilly 3.1 miles along Fort Washington Avenue and through Fort Tryon Park.

The bands along the course add a unique element to this special race and reflect the rich cultural heritage of Upper Manhattan. And the music has the added benefit of lifting runners’ spirits as they negotiate the course’s challenging ups and downs.

Arguably the most popular musical offering is the Meetles, self-described as “NY’s most fun classic rock tribute band,” with a repertoire of over 300 songs, classic rock and R&B hits from the 1950s to the 1980s, including many Fab Four classics. Their placement along the course of the NYRR Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K is key—they’re at the top of a rise in Fort Tryon Park where the course loops around and begins its return south to the finish line. Classics like “Eight Days a Week” and “Here Comes the Sun” can’t help but inspire runners to keep pushing through their rising lactic-acid buildup.

Washington Heights is also home to the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory, also a longtime presence in Washington Heights and the home of The Armory Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving youth by promoting fitness and education through a broad range of athletic, educational, and community programs. The NYRR Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K benefits The Armory Foundation.