Building community in Silver Lake's hipster haven
The gentrified Los Angeles locale is a place for individuals to stand out - but Silver Lake Track Club is determined to bring everyone together. For the kids.
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I first noticed Silver Lake Track Club back in 2018 when they announced their Fall Classic event - a two-mile race around the eponymous reservoir that was organized, but unsanctioned and unpermitted. It was a bold, high-visibility move but the group - formed by a small group of local business-owning friends - just kept on doing things like that.
After the pandemic rudely put paid to 2020’s Spring Classic, SLTC engaged in plenty of very visible work for racial justice. In time, they started Sunday morning runs around the reservoir, and slowly added a track run and a pub run to form a weekly schedule - they became a real run club.
A 2022 race around the Silver Lake Reservoir raised over $3,000 for L.A. Saves Track. Last year’s addition of a 501(c)(3) charity organization is another step the run club is taking to help the local underserved population. This is the club’s path to becoming a true community pillar.
Taking it one step even further, Silver Lake Track Club captain, Howie Goldklang has recently opened a coffee shop, Makisupa, a quarter of a mile from the reservoir, and his aim is to create a space in his image to serve as a physical neighborhood hub for runners. I spoke to Howie about life and running.
