On September 27, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba and New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe will welcome the Men's Health Urbanathlon & Festival to New York City. The multi-disciplinary race incorporates iconic landmarks and will require competitors to run, climb stairs and negotiate urban obstacles. The race begins at 7:00am near the Band Shell in Central Park.

"Now in its third year, the Men's Health Urbanathlon is becoming an integral part of the city's growing fitness landscape," said Commissioner Podziba. "These events are more important than ever as more than half of all adult New Yorkers are overweight. Through events such as the Urbanathalon, it is our hope that New York City can become as famous for health and fitness, as it is for Broadway and skyscrapers."

From Central Park, racers will run across 72nd Street to Riverside Park and head south down the West Side Bike Path stopping at Hudson River Park Trust's Piers 84 and 54 for various obstacles. After completing the obstacles at Pier 54, participants will continue south to the skyscraper stair climb at 7 World Trade Center. Racers will then head down the bike path to the finish in Battery Park where they must hurdle a taxi and climb an 8-foot rope wall before completing the race. The race is 7.6 miles long (8.1 including stair climb) and can be executed individually or as a 3-person relay.

"This year's Men's Health Urbanathlon is another great opportunity for people to get out and play in New York City parks," said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "The Parks Department is thrilled to partner with Rodale, which has long supported our mission to help all New Yorkers be fit and enjoy the great outdoors."

This year's event will be hosted by celebrity chef, author, triathlete and "Dancing with the Stars" contestant Rocco Dispirito. DiSpirito will warm up with the athletes and sound the starting gun.

In addition to the race, Men's Health will also host a post-race festival on Piers 16 and 17 of the South Street Seaport. The festival is open to the public and will feature live entertainment, great food, urban challenges and prizes.

"We're expecting a capacity turnout," said Jack Essig, VP/Publisher of Men's Health. "Thousands of people have already signed on for more information, and we're getting inquiries from all over the country and around the world, including the U.K., Japan and Australia."

Money raised by the Urbanathlon supports the work of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an organization committed to helping people with physical disabilities pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics.

For more information, please visit www.menshealthurbanathlon.com.

Men's Health is the largest men's lifestyle magazine brand in the world with 38 editions worldwide. Published 10 times a year in the U.S. by Rodale, Men's Health is the best-selling men's magazine on newsstands, each month providing its 11 million readers with the latest information on all aspects of a guy's life including health, fitness, fashion, nutrition, relationships, travel, technology and finance. The magazine has garnered numerous accolades in the industry including several appearances on Advertising Age's "A List", Adweek's "Hot List" and Capell's Circulation Report, which recently named the magazine "Best Newsstand Performer of the Decade." In 2007, Men's Health Editor-in-Chief David Zinczenko was named "Editor of the Year" by Adweek magazine shortly after the title secured the top spot on their "Brand Leaders Hot List" in 2006. The magazine has also received a National Magazine Award in the personal service category. In 2004, Men's Health launched Best Life, the fastest-growing magazine for discerning, accomplished men and also publishes several branded books, DVDs, special interest publications and the online subscription service www.menshealthtrainer.com.

Parks & Recreation is the steward of 29,053 acres of land - 14 percent of New York City - including more than 4,000 individual properties ranging from Yankee Stadium and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. Parks operates more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds. The Department manages four major stadia, 550 tennis courts, 61 public pools, 48 recreational facilities, 17 nature centers, 13 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. Parks cares for 1,200 monuments and 22 historic house museums and looks after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. The Parks Department is New York City's principal providers of athletic facilities and is home to free concerts, world-class sports events and cultural festivals. For more information about Parks, visit our Web site: www.nyc.gov/parks.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series™ Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race, and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.