When you think of Washington D.C., you probably think of the most famous office in the world, the most powerful position in the world, and a whole lot of history that goes along with it. Undoubtedly, Washington D.C. is home to a lot of wealthy, aging, white males from other cities making decisions that affect the entire United States, and many parts of the rest of the world.

You probably don’t think of urban run crews made up almost entirely of people of colour. But thanks to some forward thinking from Matt Green and his 3 buddies back in 2013, District Running Collective was born. Today, it’s a thriving community that carries the history of D.C. and motivates new runners to push themselves further.

“I’m born and raised in D.C., and back in 2013 there weren’t any run crews in D.C. but obviously there were a lot around the country, and that sparked my interest. I noticed the type of people running with these crews weren’t your typical runners. They were creatives, they had style, they brought something new to running that I hadn’t seen and I was attracted to that. Two of the guys who helped start DRC had lived in New York City and ran with some of the NYC crews".

Green, a graphic designer, didn’t run as a junior, instead focusing on wrestling in high school. His running experience was limited to cross training to get fit for the wrestling season.

“As a hometown kid who grew up here and went to college here, I was going through a transition of figuring out an outlet for my creative passions and exercise. What I saw in these running crews satisfied those passions”.

Washington D.C. is a transient city, with a large population of its residents moving in or out each year (it constantly ranks in the top 5 US cities for these population changes).

As Green explains, those new residents come to D.C. full of hope and optimism, and those that stay beyond a couple of years start to shape the culture of the city.

“Around 2008 when Obama took office, a lot of people started coming to the city. There was a new energy in the city, people wanted to be around that presidency. We have a lot of people from Maryland and Virginia, and even from Florida and as far as California.

I grew up in a very different D.C. to what we have now. There’s a big creative scene as well as restaurants and nightlife that we didn’t used to have”.

It’s obvious that Green feels not only pride for his city, but responsibility too. DRC doesn’t just run the streets of D.C., it supports local business and charity groups.

“One of the foundations of DRC is using the voice and platform we have to impact our community. Not just getting out to run, but supporting local businesses and helping local D.C. families. For social events or after a run, we’ll always try to support D.C. business first.

In 2017 we launched an initiative to raise money for a local school to help them fund a mobile library for their students. Our crew raised over $3,000 to bring this to life.

Continuing to give back to the youth is really important to us and a focus for 2018”.

The DRC community has gone from strength to strength since 2013 when they had 125 people turn up to their first event, a midnight 5km that was planned to coincide with Green’s birthday.

“In 2014 we started our weekly runs. I remember it was February and cold as hell, and we were getting 20 people to a run. As the weather got warmer we got 50, then 60, then 70 people for each run. Now it gets up to 100-150+ every Wednesday”.

Bringing over 100 people together every week in a city like Washington D.C. is no simple feat, and speaks volumes for the culture Green and his team have created.

THE SPEED PROJECT 4.0

The biggest challenge on the radar for DRC right now is The Speed Project 4.0. For a crew that regularly gets 100+ runners to a session, I’m surprised DRC haven’t made the trek from Santa Monica to Las Vegas before.

“We had the chance to do TSP in 2017 but we were nowhere near ready for it. So when we got the chance this year we jumped in straight away”.

Like all North American teams, DRC will do most of their training for The Speed Project through winter. And while places like California are still running-friendly through the colder months, D.C. is downright inhospitable.

Brittany Henderson has been running with DRC for over three years. Brittany knows TSP is going to be a more physically demanding run than she has ever done, but she also knows the challenge represents so much more to the wider D.C. community.

"DRC having a team represented at TSP shows the DRC community that we are committed to challenging ourselves to do races that are outside of the ordinary".

There's no doubting the impact the DRC team will have on the running community in their city. It's sure to be inspiring and to help push a lot of people past their perceived limits.

The bigger picture, however, is much more sombre and there are some uncomfortable realities that DRC are hoping to change.

For Shelby Hall, who is so often the spark of energy at DRC sessions, TSP is a chance to get people running for their lives.

"There are huge health factors including heart disease and stroke that continue to plague African American communities, where physical activity and diet begin to mitigate a large amount of these health risks. (In 2015 African Americans were 1.4 times more likely to be obese than non-Hispanic Whites)".

Clif Light, who ran parts of the infamous Death Valley in 2016 (he also slept outside in the elements) has nothing to fear when it comes to the course, the elements, or the challenge.

He's too focused on showing the running world how they do it in D.C.

"Once we cross that finish line it will be pure joy. It will be champagne showers to celebrate and then the party begins".

Whatever happens in the desert between Santa Monica and Las Vegas, the runners from DRC will return to their city full of stories, inspiration, and hope for the future.

Being in a transient city, DRC have the opportunity to touch the lives of a large number of runners, and foster relationships that go beyond city and state borders.

Matt Green, his co-founders, and everyone that runs with DRC have established a community for all runners, regardless of ethnicity or ability. Only a limited number of runners can toe the start line of the TSP, but DRC will be running with the full force of D.C. behind them.