The Red Hook 5K Is a Drag Race on Foot

Below is an extract from a Runners World article, about the Red Hook Crit, which quotes BKTC runner Daniel Winn.

The Red Hook Crit 5K has been described as “one of the most intimidating races in the urban running scene” by New York’s Orchard Street Runners’ blog, and is run on the same course (on the same day) as a risky, high-speed fixed-gear bike race. The tight and technical five-lap course starts and ends at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook, an out-of-the-way neighborhood on the borough’s waterfront.
Both in the New York City running community and nationwide, the Red Hook Crit has a high profile—nearly 500 hungry, up-and-coming club and crew runners toe the starting line, hordes of screaming spectators line the route, and the winner gets a cash payout of $1,000. There’s little “fun run” character to the race; it is an unapologetic celebration of speed and competition. Here, photographer Nils Ericson documents this year’s men’s event, run on April 28th, capturing the runners’ expressions after their 3.2-mile all-out effort.
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Dan Winn (shown above), Brooklyn Track Club, 3rd place (15:26)
​“It was one of the toughest races I have ever run. In the last kilometer, I had a runner 15 meters behind me. Quickly that gap was reduced to zero, and I had no response as he blew by me. With the last podium spot on the line, I just went for it. I could tell I had enough speed to overtake him but kept pushing through the line, beating him by less than half a second. It was a satisfying success, the kind only perilous, gritty races can produce.”

READ MORE: www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a21604026/the-red-hook-5k-is-a-drag-race-on-foot/