Harlem Run-aissance

Two years ago, when Alison Mariella Desir founded Harlem Run, her goal was simple: Find some running buddies. She ended up launching a local running revolution.

Desir had finished her first marathon in San Diego in 2012. Back home in Harlem, she and a friend met up for runs and invited others to join on social media.

Word spread, and within a few months, Harlem Run multiplied from two to 10 to 50. Today, as many as 100 people turn out for runs.

Harlem Run hosts three- to six-milers on Mondays, track or stair workouts on Thursdays, random “popup” runs advertised through social media, and for the last several months, weekend long runs for those training for the NYC Marathon. Ten members, including 30-year-old Desir, will participate in this year's event.

Inclusiveness is central to the club's ethos. Harlem Run counts members who are young, old, black, white, experienced, and beginners. Many are born-and-raised Harlemites, but the group also includes transplants, people from elsewhere in the city, and even tourists.

Every run starts with participants in a circle, answering an icebreaker question, and then captains split up into different pace groups. Postworkout, they hold “run chats” to answer beginners' questions. “There are other groups where it seems like you have to have certain gear or talk a certain way to fit in,” Desir says. “I wanted people to feel comfortable coming with whatever they have on, not having to know anything.”

Desir and her five group captains plan varying routes that explore Harlem, which is rich in African-American cultural touch points, including the Apollo Theatre. “The idea is connecting people and having them respect the community, understanding their place within this historical space,” she says.

It's common for people in the neighborhood, especially kids, to join in midrun. Desir says business owners often invite runners to stop by when they're finished. “Harlem is one of the few places left in New York where there's still that tight sense of community,” Desir says.

Harlem, Desir says, “is a hot place to be right now.” But with that have come issues of gentrification and income inequality. She sees her group of runners as a force to help preserve the community's identity and help residents who are in need. Earlier this year, Harlem Run partnered with Harlem United, a nonprofit that serves the HIV/AIDS and homeless populations, to put on a one-miler in Harlem's historic Marcus Garvey Park. The event drew 150 participants and raised $2,500 for health and housing services.

Desir, who is working on her master's in counseling psychology at Columbia University, also wants to start Harlem Run psychological workshops to promote the mental benefits of fitness.

In this fall's marathon, Harlem Run will have a cheer block and will man the 21st mile's fluid station, where the course enters the neighborhood. “There are negative thoughts associated with Harlem, and misgivings about whether it's safe,” Desir says. “We want to show that sense of community and support, that this is a place where everybody should come out and run.”