Last weekend, around 100 runners dressed as gang members gathered in an abandoned stadium in the Bronx’s Van Cortlandt Park at one in the morning. Armed with running vests, gels, and electrolytes, they were here to participate in the annual Warriors UltraRun, an unsanctioned, underground race inspired by ‘The Warriors,’ Walter Hill’s 1979 cult film about a gang that has to run from the Bronx to their home turf in Coney Island after mistakenly being accused of killing a gang leader.
It’s a rare few that would voluntarily run the roughly 28-mile stretch, which includes a large swath of Broadway and running over the Brooklyn Bridge, overnight. But for those that did, including both locals and people flying cross-country just for the event, it’s an unparalleled way to see and experience the city (alongside endlessly quoting the beloved film).
These Warriors were good. Real good. Check out some scenes from one of the country’s most unique races. CAN. YOU. DIG. IT?!
1. The Armies of the Night Gather
All runners convene at South Bronx bar Tortoise & Hare to meet, gather their supplies, refresh their costumes, and trade war stories about past runs. For many, 28 miles is a short distance compared to the 50- and 100-milers some of them are used to. One runner returned from finishing the Moab 240, a grueling 240-mile race that he finished in five days.
2. Entering the Conclave
In the movie, nine delegates from nearly every gang in the city (except The Orphans), convene to hear Cyrus, the leader of the Gramercy Riffs, detail his plan to take over all of New York City … one borough at a time. For the race, runners are escorted from the bar to an abandoned stadium nearby to get final instructions before beginning their journey.
3. The Conclave Begins
The most elite runners in the group, naturally, are the Warriors who stand on the bleachers facing the other runners. Brandon Jackson of Black Men Run NYC (standing with hands in air) was the honorary Cyrus this year. Says Jackson: “W.A.R.R.I.O.R.S.: Willpower, Adaptability, Representation, Raw intensity, Oomph, Recovery, Satisfaction.”
4. Ready to Rumble
Runners from the Party Pace Furies get ready to begin the race. “The Warriors run is otherwordly. No other ultra requires me to put grease paint on my gear list,” says Ellen Bentz, war chief of the Furies. “Other ultras I worry about ticks. The Warriors race, I count the number of rats that scamper over my feet. Running through the neighborhoods of a hot and humid NYC summer, the call from delighted cars and onlookers of ‘Warriors, come out to play,’ and the shared camaraderie of the city that never sleeps makes this my favorite night of the year.”
5. And They’re Off
After organizers played a pivotal scene from the film in which Cyrus is shot and killed, it was time to start the journey. Runners exited the track at the stadium to hit the New York streets.
6. Crossing Broadway
As in the film, the Party Pace Furies, one of about a dozen gangs that also included members of the Moon Runners, the Rogues and the Saracens, are armed with bats, albeit plastic ones.
7. Entering Riverside Park
The race took a detour at 100th Street and Broadway to enter Riverside Park, the real-life location of the famed gang conclave. “There’s nothing like running through NYC in the middle of the night,” says Jen Curtis, who finished third. “Normally, I would be scared to run at night. But I felt completely safe and adrenaline was high having seen so much of the city before sunrise.”
8. Posing in the Park
Runner Stella Dellamora leaps for joy having completed the first seven miles. Only 21 more to go.
9. Bopping Through Times Square
The Warriors, the most elite racers, bopping their way through Times Square in the middle of the night. With the World Cup final set to take place the next day, the area was mobbed with partiers rooting runners on.
10. Times Square Takeover
A gang joyously making their way through the big city…