Run NYBG's Old-Growth Forest, Then Stay for Taiko and Kiku

NYBG holds its second annual 5K Fun Run on Sunday, November 8, rain or shine. The 3.1-mile route mixes road and trail, and returning runners get about a mile of course not used last year. The loop also takes in a stretch of the Thain Family Forest, one of the city's largest remaining old-growth forests, plus the Steinhardt Maple Collection, the Stone Mill and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Expect rolling elevation and uneven surfaces. The course is not ADA accessible, and strollers are not allowed on it. The run is untimed, with clocks only at the start and finish, one water station at the halfway point and more water at the finish.

The Fordham University Pep Band plays along the route, and guests with their own All-Garden Pass can cheer near the Visitor Center. Daffodil Hill hosts the post-run party from 8:30 to 11:30 AM, with a stretch zone, lawn games and records from Uptown Vinyl Supreme. Runners pick up a bagel and the commemorative T-shirt there, while oats, PB&Js, pastries and coffee are sold separately, and NYBG offers no official finish photos or video. The ticket covers All-Garden Pass admission from 10 AM to 6 PM. Kiku fills the Nolen Greenhouses from 10 AM to 4 PM, and its Highlight Weekend crafts and taiko start at noon, half an hour after the party ends, with Taiko Masala Dojo sets at 12:30 and 2:30 PM.

Tickets cost $55 for members and $65 for everyone else, and registration closes November 7 at 8 AM, or sooner if it fills. Runners must be 13 or older, and anyone under 18 needs permission from a parent or guardian. Runners 17 and under cannot take part on their own, and every runner must have a registered adult present during the run. Check-in, with a ticket check, runs from 7 to 8:15 AM at the Main Entrance at 2900 Southern Blvd., and the course closes at 10 AM. There is no bag check, though drivers can leave belongings in the car and come back in for the party. Metro-North takes about 20 minutes from Grand Central to Botanical Garden Station on the $5 weekend city pass. Garden parking is closed for the run, and the Fordham Lot and the 2960 Webster Ave. garage charge $22, or $11 for members, first come, first served.