As the Covid-19 pandemic left the once-buzzing marketplaces of New York City’s Chinatowns quiet, Victoria Lo, a product designer from Brooklyn, was fixated on the news cycle and political climate. As a Chinese American, she was especially aware of the anti-Asian hate crimes taking place in the United States and around the world.
One day Lo went for a run in Prospect Park wearing sunglasses and a mask, wondering if people could discern that she was Asian. She had experienced racially charged verbal abuse before, and the thought of it happening again unnerved her. Running had always made her feel powerful and independent, but suddenly she felt vulnerable. “It felt like I had lost control of something that meant a lot to me,” she says. “That made me want to do something to empower myself to take running back.”
Lo wanted to start a movement that would not only safeguard and welcome AAPI runners, but would also bring visitors and business back to struggling AAPI neighborhoods. So she created Chinatown Runners in 2021, with its home base in Sunset Park, Brooklyn’s primary Chinatown and one of the city’s largest, along with the ones in Manhattan and in Flushing, Queens.
“Our angle is to bring different running clubs to AAPI neighborhoods they might not typically visit or are outside their comfort zone,” Lo says. “We also aim to support small businesses and encourage folks to explore and nurture these ethnic enclaves that are unique to New York.”
Rather than organizing formal memberships, Lo regularly collaborates with existing NYC run clubs, such as Run for Chinatown and Asian Trail Mix, as well other clubs in the U.S. and Canada, to bring them back into the neighborhoods that had become ignored, isolated, or abandoned and increase foot traffic in the area to boost safety.
Chinatown Runners often participate in activities around Asian holidays, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival in September. And its most popular event happens during National Ice Cream Month in July, when Lo takes runners to AAPI-owned ice cream shops.
Lo wants to encourage everyone to run in solidarity with Chinatown Runners. “I love it when other clubs and crews want to hold an event, but I also try to shout out any individuals that do a run on their own and go to an AAPI neighborhood and support small businesses,” she says. “They use the hashtag #ChinatownRunners, and I consider them part of the movement as if they were running with us in person.”
Lo believes it’s crucial for social activism vehicles to maintain momentum now, as many conversations surrounding racial injustice have dissipated since 2020, after the murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd.
“Movements like this are still important because injustices happen daily regardless of whether or not the news chooses to highlight it,” she says. Efforts like Chinatown Runners that are “centered around social activism are just another tool to keep us educated and involved in trying to better our communities in any small way we can.”
Emilia Benton is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor. In addition to Runner's World, she has contributed health, fitness and wellness content to Women's Health, SELF, Prevention, Healthline, and the Houston Chronicle, among other publications. She is also an 11-time marathoner, a USATF Level 1-certified running coach, and an avid traveler.
