• Jackrabbit Sports

  42 W. 14th St., 212-727-2980
  151 Seventh Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-636-9000

  Every item of clothing here is designed to be pulled, stretched, and drenched in sweat. With a wide range of technologically advanced fabrics boasting futuristic names like Drylete (Hind running pants), Meryl (Prana long-sleeve zip shirt), and Element (Brooks tank top), the store caters to hard-core triathletes as well as casual yogis. To help you find the perfect sneakers, the knowledgeable sales reps (several of whom are training for an Ironman) will videotape you running on a treadmill, then go over a frame-by-frame replay to see which shoe is best for your gait, weight distribution, and speed. Traumatic, yes, but worth it all the same.

From the 2006 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine