Read on for my latest hot take on Running Culture™, but first I want to show you the things that I’m doing in New York this week.
It’s time for the NYC Marathon.
It’s that time of year. It’s the NYC Marathon – the greatest event in the marathon runner’s calendar. Yes, nobody can get a bib, and there are too many events, but the pizza is delicious and plentiful, and the people in attendance on both sides of the barrier are absolutely scrumptious.
I’ll be staying at the rabbit Clubhouse at the Walker Hotel in Tribeca. It’s the perfect home base from which to see the city. Do drop me a line if you want to meet me there for a coffee or a bite.
On Friday afternoon, I’ll be leading a creative session at the Clubhouse. Creativity is one of two cultural strands that I’m pulling on this week. I’m also hosting a panel with four brilliant NYC-based creatives at the Rec Room on Thursday afternoon, you see.
The other half of what I’m doing concerns my diaspora. First, on Friday evening, I’ll be hosting a celebratory conversation around the South Asian running community in New York, and on Saturday morning, I am honored to lead the inaugural Bengalis of New York 5K run.
Thu 29 Oct
5:00pm – Running Creatives @ Rec Room, 301 Grand St [SIGN UP]
Fri 30 Oct
7:00am – Crossing Cultures @ White Noise Coffee, 829 11th Avenue
4:00pm – Creative Session @ rabbit Clubhouse, 77 Walker St [SIGN UP]
6:30pm – South Asians in NYC @ Perfect Stride, 32 Union Sq [SIGN UP]
Sat 31 Oct
9:45am – Bengalis of New York 5K @ Hello Bangladesh, Astoria [SIGN UP]
Go check out Marathon-Weekend.com for all the info in one place. I met the founder Michel in Boston, and he’s worked really hard to make this the best platform for runners looking for what to do and when.
I’ll be in a couple hundred other places over the week. Come find me, and I may be able to bestow some Running Sucks merch onto your good person.
Also get in touch if you want to jump the line with me at MoMA (half the days are taken already, so chop chop) or watch the Arsenal match with me on Sunday. More info on my IG, if that’s your vibe.
Last week on Running Sucks
You really loved last week’s piece on Pit Lane Shakeout. I got so many more messages and texts than normal about it. Maybe it’s the F1 effect. Maybe it’s how human the story is.
Go read it if you haven’t yet, and don’t forget to click the heart at the bottom. It really helps other people find my work. (That’s the algorithm that everyone talks about.)
Another place to chat MORE?
There’s a new chat function that I’m keen to try out. Very early on in the Running Sucks journey, I started a Discord channel. It’s still there, with probably around 30 people still in it, but now Substack has introduced more complex features – similar to Discord’s channels – in the Chat function.
I think this is a pretty cool community. Tuned in, thoughtful, open to sharing with each other. I have often been led to new things via conversations that I’ve had with some of you. Maybe it’s time to try this again.
Please leave a comment about what Chat channels you would want, and I’ll make them!
How to run a sub-3 hour marathon by Dan Dalton
I had the pleasure of meeting Dan Dalton earlier this year when I popped up to Leeds from London en route to my university reunion weekend, but I picked up on his work a year earlier. I love writing, and I do a lot of it, but my real superpower is being able to spot a more talented writer a mile off. Dan is certainly that.
Sadly, he’s been somewhat sporadic with his writing on tangents. this year (for reasons you’ll discover when you read this piece), but it was worth the wait. Take a dive into his older work as well. It’s good stuff.
Conversations about running culture
A new ultra-glossy podcast on run culture just launched. It’s called Running Mouths and it’s from Gordon Clark, who I profiled back in 2023.
Gordon and I sat down and discussed the LA running scene for almost 3hrs back then, so this episode being 2hrs long isn’t a surprise. There are three guests, though, so it’s more like three concurrent 40-minute episodes of deep, esoteric conversation around modern running.