Keep Fit: Meb, Boston Marathon and Fun on Monday
Monday is quickly becoming a solid day for sports and fitness.
Not only is it the day I look forward to yoga at my new favorite studio, Well Within in East Hampton, but lately it’s been a day where national sporting events take center stage.
This past Monday, baseball returned to Queens. The New York Mets won their home opener vs. the Philadelphia Phillies, 0–2. Queens was recently named the #1 place in the U.S. to visit in 2015 by Lonely Planet, due in part to its burgeoning craft beer scene. (And, of course, the Mets.) But the easternmost craft beer company on Long Island, Montauk Brewing Company, is moving in, as Montauk Session IPA cans are now available at Citi Field in Flushing.
“The Mets are looking solid this year, and now that Montauk brews are available, I think this year is all about the Mets and Montauk,” says Montauk Brewing Company co-founder Vaughan Cutillo. “We hope our beer brings them luck in 2015!” Though the Mets aren’t predicted to win the National League East, this is the first time in years that fans can feel that a postseason appearance is not out of the question. Add in a local brew, and Mets games just got a whole lot more fun.
The Montauk cans will be available on the promenade level behind home plate, as well as in certain sections in left field.
“We love making beer to share with a lot of people, and so our style is simple, clean and accessible to people who may not know much about craft beer,” says Cutillo. “There’s nothing like cracking open a can of beer on a hot sunny day and watching baseball.”
Citi Field has become synonymous with fine eats since it opened on March 29, 2009, with restaurants like Shake Shack and Blue Smoke securing outposts. But perhaps the best pairing for a cold Montauk beer is also the most obvious—a hot dog. Cheers to that!
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This coming Monday, April 20, the Boston Marathon will be run for the 119th consecutive year, reigning champ Meb Keflezighi, the first American male to win Boston since 1983, is back! Meb’s historic win came just a year after the Boston finish line was bombed during the 2013 race.
“[The country] needed an [American] win as a part of the healing process, for closure,” Keflezighi told me when I interviewed him prior to last year’s Shelter Island 10K, which he was running for the first time. (He’ll return for this year’s Shelter Island race on June 20.)
I can’t help but tear up a bit whenever I read an inspirational marathon story. In the wake of the 2013 explosions, which occurred minutes after five of my friends crossed the finish line, I remember someone commenting, “Why would someone choose to terrorize the one kind of sporting event where no one boos?” Marathons are about resilience, training and—even though people run them at their own pace—teamwork. It takes an incredible support system to prepare for a marathon during a New England winter for upwards of 16 weeks, with all of your hard work culminating in an hours-long race. Running Boston is one of my ultimate goals. The only way to guarantee entry is to run a fast enough time in a qualifying marathon. I’m working on it!
Until then, I’m happy to simply tune in to the race and watch in awe as the thousands of people make their way to the finish. The race will be televised on NBC’s Universal Sports Network, and streamed online at
watchlive.baa.org.