The Nocturnal Pursuit
Experience NYC's road-running scene through the lens of photographer Dave Hashim. Follow a group of seasoned racers on a threshold run, as they weave through the city's labyrinthine streets, harnessing the cover of night to replicate the thrill of their beloved unsanctioned racing.
Amidst the bustling urban backdrop, a tight-knit community of athletes converges, each seeking the visceral rush of this nocturnal pursuit. Witness the city's neon-lit chaos become the stage for their shared passion.
“Unsanctioned racing in NYC is a high-speed chase through a steel and concrete labyrinth of chaotic avenues and neon lit streets. For me, it is the ultimate test of mind and body, requiring both fitness and extreme heightened awareness. Your legs and lungs are pushed to their limits while your brain calculates the optimal route between pedestrians, cyclists, and fast-moving multi-ton deadly obstacles. A closed course will test how fast you move in a vacuum - but if you want to understand how fast you can move through the real world, there is a community here of like-minded adrenaline-seeking athletes who will test that with you.”
– Jack Baylor
“There is something about ripping through the streets of the city in the biting cold or the hot, humid days of summer, in the middle of the night, dodging cars and cyclists, alongside a hundred other athletes that are doing the same thing. Unsanctioned racing is the most real, no-frills style of racing there is. Times don’t matter, distance doesn’t matter - it’s just about how fast you can go. It attracts this community of incredible people from all different backgrounds that are showing up for the same reason. It’s intense. It’s inspiring. It’s how I returned to running years after working myself out of love with the sport after running competitively in high school and college.
Unsanctioned racing in NYC is magical, especially at night. You view the entire city from a different perspective, and seeing all the people that show up to participate really makes you appreciate how special a community we have here.”
– Julia Larson
Photography: David Hashim