fitness · holidays

Halloween fitness inspiration: spookspo?

catherine w

Halloween is this Tuesday, but the celebrations have already gotten underway.  Runners and cyclists and even kayakers have been getting into the spooky spirit of the season.  My Halloween plans include going trick-or-treating with my friend Deb and her family, riding my bike over there and back dressed as Queen Elizabeth (well, sort of).  In case you were still unsure of what to do that might combine your interests in fitness, fun, and Halloween costumes, here are some images that I hope will be inspiring (or at least amusing).  I start with a surprise– try kayaking in a very large pumpkin.  Think it’s not possible?  Well, think again.

The Tualatin West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta start line (I think), with lots of people inside pumpkins with paddles (and wearing life vests for safety, of course).
The Tualatin West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta start line (I think), with lots of people inside pumpkins with paddles (and wearing life vests for safety, of course).

Tualatin, Oregon hosted a Giant Pumpkin Regatta last weekend, but maybe you could get some folks together to host your own.  We at Fit is a Feminist Issue do not recommend paddling in a pumpkin in open ocean– please use your own good judgment…

If you prefer your Halloween paddling to be more conventional (that is, you want to use a boat), you can trick out your kayak nicely.  Here’s one woman who did just that:

A woman in a purple kayak, dressed in a witch hat, green makeup, life vest (safety first!), with a skull on the bow.
A woman in a purple kayak, dressed in a witch hat, green makeup, life vest (safety first!), with a skull on the bow.

And then there’s cycling.

Options for biking while costumed are vast in number.  It’s cyclocross season where I live, and there are costume races this weekend.  Last year I rode in the Orchard Cross cyclocross costume race, and it was nothing but outrageous fun.  Here’s a picture of my friend Steph (she’s in the T. Rex costume, one of two T Rexs in the race) riding the course in a small pack:

A group of costumed cyclists on a cyclocross course, with a T.Rex on the left.
A group of costumed cyclists on a cyclocross course, with a T.Rex on the left.

If you prefer riding on the road, there are loads of Halloween bike rides.  I’ve done the one in Boston a few times and blogged about it here.  There’s nothing like riding at night with about 500 other friendly cyclists, all bedecked in spooky finery.  If you’re worried that your handlebar or helmet lights won’t be enough, you can always accessorize like this guy did:

Boston Halloween bike ride participant, with illuminated tubes wrapped around his torso, standing by his bike at night.
Boston Halloween bike ride participant, with illuminated tubes wrapped around his torso, standing by his bike at night.

 

And then there are the runners.

The family that runs together is incredible together. Family of four-- one man and three women-- dressed in Incredibles outfits with racing numbers.
The family that runs together is incredible together. Family of four– one man and three women– dressed in Incredibles outfits with racing numbers.

There are loads of Halloween running road races.  According to Running USA, Halloween is the number two most popular time for road races (with US Thanksgiving in the number one spot). There were reportedly 733,576 finishers in 2015.  I’m not (soooo not!) a runner, but I see ads for these races, and they look like a blast.  I mean, don’t you want to cross the finish line with these folks?  I almost do.

 

A merry band of multicolored costumed folks (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, plus leprechaun) crossing the finish line at a road race.
A merry band of multicolored costumed folks (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, plus leprechaun) crossing the finish line at a road race.

Of course there are many many activities I’ve left untouched.  There are Halloween yoga classes (worthy of its own post, but gotta save something for later), soccer games, spooky trail runs and walks, and goodness knows what else.

Hey readers– what sort of Halloween activities have you done?  Have you done a sport or activity bedecked in costume?  How was it?  We’d love to hear from you.

 

Published by catherine w

I'm a feminist public health ethicist (yes, that's a thing). I'm interested in heath behavior change, particularly around eating and activity, and how things other than knowledge affect our health decisions.I'm also a cyclist (road, sort-of-off-road, commuter), regular yoga-doer, occasional swimmer and kayaker and leisurely social walker.

4 thoughts on “Halloween fitness inspiration: spookspo?”

  1. For the last three years, I have participated in a Vampire Swim in Ottawa. It’s a fundraiser for the Red Cross (blood donation or cash). The first two years we dressed up in costumes, but this year we just wore our new orange Vampire Swim caps. The minimum is 25m in open water, skins or wetsuits. We always do skins, and this year I swam about 1850m.

    1. Wow, Diane! I just googled this and saw some cool pics and a blog post about it (maybe it was yours?). The orange swim caps sound more practical, as I think wearing a cape in the water would slow you down… 🙂

      Happy Halloween!

  2. Our Karate club has a Halloween class every year. Everyone comes in costume. We start with training and finish with a costume parade/contest. it is a great hit with the kids.

    1. Hi Val– what fun! Does everyone come as ninjas? 🙂 I also googled this, and I think your club is not the only one that does it– what a great idea.

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