Bergen Runners rung in the Year of Pig ? with an epic half marathon (plus some) in downtown Manhattan today. Nearly 100 runners representing 5 Chinese running clubs around the metropolitan (Bergen Runners, Flying Fox, Misty Mountain, NewBee & Trail Hoppers) inked their footprints through the streets of Union Square, Flatiron, Greenwich Village, Noho, Washington Square, Tribeca, Battery Park, Wall Street, Chinatown, Stuyvesant Town, Gramercy, Two Bridges, East Village, Lower East Side & Alphabet City.

To organize an event of this scale and in such short time, many individuals are to thank. Group leaders are tasked with familiarizing themselves with the route so as to provide the best and safest running experience possible to participants while ensuring our Pig ? route remained in tact. It’s a daunting task and they did so beautifully. Did I also mentioned the commadaire was second to none? While equal parts social, sightseeing and challenge, this run kicked off something of tremendous historic and personal significance.

NYC is renowned for its fertile soil for the dreamers, the hard-workers and the gifted. For this reason, it remains as our immigrant nation’s immigrant capital. Yet little was known about our forefathers, the first Chinese’s experience, their contributions and toils in the land of the free and the home of the brave. While this year marks the 150th anniversary since the First Transcontinental Railroad was built, we are only beginning to scratch the surface of the contribution of Chinese men who were instrumental in building a key segment of the railroad. Instead, they were discriminated because of their race and perceived reticence. Their contributions were undocumented until recently. In effort to tell their stories (and really ours), the Museum of Chinese in America launched “MOCA Spike 150 – Running Forward with Our Stories”. (Spike refers the ceremonial metal spike that was nailed into the railroad to commemorate the completion of the project.). While our forefathers’ stories were never recorded and their effort, unrecognized, we have the privilege and opportunity to honor and give a voice to them. Equally important, we are at a crossroad of history to craft and own a narrative that is overdue. As a mother of young children, I can’t imagine a better gift for my kids. I hope they too will one day run forward with our stories.

#bergenrunners #nycrunning #MOCASpike150 #跑猪庆猪年 #野豬迎春 #nyc #manhattan #lunarnewyear #yearofthepig #run #runlikeagirl #runningmotivation #littlelegs #捕?行動

Event Photos