Runners, bikers, walkers and skaters took to the street for 4th biannual Síclovía

Annie and Jerry Moreno ride their quadcycle along Broadway, closed to motorized vehicles, during Sunday's fourth annual Síclovía, hosted by the YMCA and the city of San Antonio and sponsored by H-E-B. Annie and Jerry Moreno ride their quadcycle along Broadway, closed to motorized vehicles, during Sunday's fourth annual Síclovía, hosted by the YMCA and the city of San Antonio and sponsored by H-E-B. Photo: Photos By Robin Jerstad / For The San Antonio Express-News Photo: Photos By Robin Jerstad / For The San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 126 Caption Close Runners, bikers, walkers and skaters took to the street for 4th biannual Síclovía 1 / 126 Back to Gallery

Hordes of the health-conscious took to the street Sunday, as the fourth biannual Siclovía turned 2.5 miles of Broadway Street into an outdoor playground, all in the name of wellness, elevated heart rates and good, clean fun.

More than 65,000 people in various stages of fitness — from the ripped to the works-in-progress — came out to bike, skate, walk, unicycle and run at the free, noncompetitive event. It was the largest crowd in the history of the activity, a spokeswoman said.

Part of a $15 million federal grant geared to reduce obesity in San Antonio, Síclovía is the local version of an event that began 30 years ago in Bogota, Colombia.

Put on by the YMCA of Greater San Antonio and sponsored by H-E-B, the outdoor fair and street fest seeks to instill healthy habits in a city with a high rate of diabetes and other health woes linked to sedentary lifestyles.

For Andrea Flores, the event, which closed down Broadway to cars and other motorized vehicles for five hours between Lion's Field and Alamo Plaza, was a chance to introduce her 1-year old, Cameron Copado, to “the right way of life.”

“We've been wanting to do this for awhile,” she said, as Cameron took a break in his stroller and friend Sandra Guerrero kept a steady pace at her side. “This is a great way to get outdoors and see the community. My son especially loves all the pets.”

Along the route, participants stopped at various Reclovías — group activities featuring yoga and aerobics classes, group hula hooping, sidewalk chalk art, street tennis and soccer.

Two new features this year included a senior activity center and expanded BMX biking and skateboarding areas — helmets required.

Sam Khoshbin, 11, and Aidan Alcocer, 13, executed some impressive moves on their skateboards shortly after the event began.

“It's good,” Khoshbin said, appraising the various ramps. “It's pretty rad.”

Among those deploying some of the more unusual modes of transport were Leon and Lisa Martinez, who cycled in a People Powered Vehicle, or PPV, best described as a small boat on wheels.

“We love Síclovía; this is our second time,” he said. “There aren't too many places you can ride this thing. It's too wide for sidewalks.”

Síclovía kicked off at 10 a.m. in front of the Alamo, as Mayor Julián Castro, looking jaunty in cargo shorts and windbreaker, exhorted a crowd of more than 100.

“Ya'll ready to play in the streets?” he yelled. “We want people of all ages from all neighborhoods in San Antonio to have an opportunity to be healthy, and we hope today provides a spark for everyone to get into a pattern of physical activity.”

Síclovía has grown significantly from the 15,000 participants who attended the inaugural event in the fall of 2011.

On Sunday, a host of vendors hawked everything from gym memberships to homemade kites and biking gear along the route. This being San Antonio, tamales were on the menu — but they were of the organic, gluten-free, lard-free variety.

McDonald's got into the low-fat act with volunteers handing out free apple slices, fruit smoothie samples and coupons for grilled chicken wraps.

Water stations offered a welcome gulp or two for the legions of pooches on parade.

Not all seemed particularly happy to be there, including a Chihuahua named Princess, who barked nonstop in the arms of owner Isela Juarez.

“We were hoping to work on her social skills,” said Juarez's boyfriend, Benjamin Vidales.

mstoeltje@express-news.net