“Chinatown Runners is not a crew and it's not based in any specific locality. It's not a crew. It's a movement. I wanted it to feel bigger than just this one group that really sort of permeated throughout the entire running community worldwide. When you think about it, there are Asian-American Pacific Islander-centric communities all over the world outside of just America and Canada....Every neighborhood and borough has a dozen or so specialized running crews and groups, which is amazing and I don't want to try to eat anybody's lunch, but the idea is for it to feel really inclusive. And that's ..read more

“Yeah, it would be a bummer if there’s no Olympic Games because I feel like it would be a very political Games. But at the same time, I’m in fencing. I know that people forget the day after the Games are done that I go back to being a regular person. A million people could kneel at the Games and I don’t think you’d see a million people do it. You’re going to see a few special ones. That special one is important. But the idea that people felt comfortable to do that is so powerful for all the communities and all people. For people to be able to come and say what they want to say without worrying ..read more

“I come from the South Bronx. I had to leave the Bronx to have access to these things. I had to go downtown to take arts classes, writing, theater and poetry classes. What did I do it? I brought all that shit back Uptown so that everyone had access to that and it wasn’t just me. I felt horrible to be in these spaces that I knew would never accept me if I was with my homies from the block. They would never allow me. It was important for me to be the conduit or in the middle and maneuver through these spaces to see what I can do so I could bring it back." – Patty “There’s a lot of dope things in ..read more

“Running communities are a reflection of American communities, and if we know that American communities have been shaped by racist real estate laws; racist criminal justice systems; racist police officers; racist, segregated schools…how can there not be racism in running?” This is an episode of Social Sport – another show on the CITIUS MAG Podcast Network. This show is hosted by Emma Zimmerman and features conversations with endurance athletes of all types committed to fostering social change. The athletes she speaks with on this show are climate change activists, mental health advocates, and ..read more

"We, as Bronx Femme, promote health and wellness not just in our little running community but we run the streets...It's not just for folks to come on a run but it's also to show the Bronx that we can run. We're running in the hoods. We're running in all the crevices of the Bronx. I really hope that Bronx Femme is inspiring people. This isn't normal to see runners in the Bronx so when they see us, they're always like 'What is going on?' We're breaking necks out here. I really hope people see us, join us and talk about us to further promote in the Bronx because that is so important, especially r ..read more

“By being last, I obviously didn’t want to be last. I wanted to just beat one kid in swimming, running or whatever it was. I just wanted to get a little bit faster. Having that mindset of ‘getting a little bit faster’ is really what took me all around the world on a competitive world stage. Just wanting to be a little bit better each day and each time I compete...It was a slow progression of keep moving forward and really not letting the naysayers get to you. When you’re doing something unique and different, there will always be people who say that will not be possible or something negative ab ..read more

“I think where the dialogue really happens is in a Black Men Run group chat that we have. Just think about what we’re all feeling when that situation happens with George Floyd or Ahmaud Arbery. It really gets to a point where we don’t feel OK. We’re not alright. We try to support each other as best as we can but the reality is our job as Black Men Run is to show our community what we can do as a unit through running and to be role models. When I joined and we started doing the hood runs, just seeing the power of people in those communities seeing us as a unit and sticking together, I can’t eve ..read more

"My daughter said to me the other day, 'I want to be a police officer, Daddy, so I can be a good one and make changes.' I said, 'That's good, baby. Listen to all the conversations that are happening because you don't have to make this decision yet. Originally, she wanted to be a teacher. My mother is a teacher. I'm kind of a teacher in how I articulate things to my community. Now with everything going on, I think she's kind of re-thinking things and trying to figure out her purpose in all of this. She's also hearing about the children of the future. She said that to me yesterday, 'Daddy, I kee ..read more

On Sunday, June 14th, hundreds of New York City runners gathered at the East River Amphitheatre for a two-mile protest run against racial injustice and police brutality in America. The run was organized by Coffey – who was recently a guest on our show and has emerged as one of the city's most vocal activists in the fight against racism. He called on all New York City runners to come together and run together as one community. He initially expected 40 to 60 people to show up but there were hundreds. It was further proof that everyone in the running community will take the time to run together ..read more

"I saw that there was this lack of representation within this space. Even though I'm going it at a recreational level, I started to see the reactions and responses to people who were finding out that this is something I was actually doing. It is very normal for folks to just think, 'Oh you're in the sprinter category or you're you're more for short, fast distances or jumping' and that's the end of the road. Even my family and friends finding out that I am running these longer distances, my parents were even like, 'Oh my gosh. This is so wild and we're so excited to see you.' My little cousins ..read more