"Loops of Love" Will Celebrate Chinese Culture

“If you have a Chinese jersey on—at any race—people will yell out 'Let's go!' or '加油' (jiayou) in Chinese. It bonds us right away. It’s so connecting.”

Bergen Runners is a running group in northern New Jersey that started five and a half years ago as an offshoot of several New Jersey and Philadelphia-area running clubs.

“We are a group of runners who believe in supporting and cheering for one another,” the group’s website reads. “Our running paths wind through major parks and hidden trails in various neighborhoods. Together, we run into the sunrise and sunset. We sweat and laugh through personal and physical challenges.”

Amy Ko-Tang, a member of the group, notes that Bergen Runners’ goal is to “get together, run, and provide a comfortable setting to connect culturally—especially for native Chinese speakers.” Last weekend, nearly 50 members ran the RBC Brooklyn Half.

On May 28, in partnership with Misty Mountain Runners, Bergen Runners will host “Loops of Love: A Run to Celebrate AAPI” in Rockland State Park. Runners will collectively aim to run 1,869 miles to commemorate the year 1869, marking the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, which was built primarily by Chinese immigrants. (See the flyer below, in English and Chinese, for details.)

Misty Mountain Runners promotes running as a sport and a lifestyle to the public, particularly Chinese speakers in Greater New York area, making runners and building strong and healthy communities.

Bergen Runners’ weekly runs average about 30 people, with up to 80 turning out for special events. The club has representation at all the NYRR Club Points races—and some members have run in Abbott World Marathon Majors events around the globe.

Ko-Tang joined the group in 2018. A first-generation American, she speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, Fujianese. She serves on the Bergen County Board Diversity Commission and supports diversity and inclusion efforts at her twin daughters’ school.  

She notes that AAPI runners face challenges. “I never used to have to pick my routes,” she said. “Now I pick my routes. Some people can just go out and run, but I can’t do that” as an Asian American woman. She notes that one member told her they sometimes “run away in fear” from someone who makes them uncomfortable.

“Our culture doesn’t really talk about things like that,” she said, adding that Bergen Runners serves as a way to “bring people together, allow conversation, and show there is strength in numbers.”