NYC Runners on Culture, Community, and Joy Ahead of the RBC Brooklyn Half

In celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, these NYC runners share their stories of identity, resilience, and representation as they prepare for the RBC Brooklyn Half on May 16. Together, they show how the sport creates space for belonging, purpose, and inspiration both on and off the course.

Teresa Hui, Brooklyn

“I feel so lucky to combine my love of running and singing and do [both] in my hometown.”

Teresa Hui singing the national anthem at the TCS New York City Marathon start.

Teresa Hui started running as a freshman in college. Back then it was hard for her to run even one block, but she didn’t give up, and one day it felt good. Teresa continued running through college and joined New York Road Runners when she graduated in 2004, then ran her first New York City Marathon in 2006. She’s now run 12 New York City Marathons and has no plans of stopping.

“Marathon Sunday is literally my favorite day of the year,” she said.

Running hasn’t been easy for Teresa. She lives with osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and endometriosis, and runs with Achilles International. She finished second-to-last at the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon and said, “I had the most amazing support from NYRR staff, community, and my friends and family to keep on going no matter what.”

Teresa’s not only an avid runner; she’s also a trained opera singer who has sung the national anthem at many NYRR races. This year, she’ll sing before lacing up and running the RBC Brooklyn Half, a race she describes as a "13.1-mile block party." A lifelong Brooklynite, she’s excited to run the race she ran for the first time in 2005, back when it started in Coney Island and ended in Prospect Park. Now that the course ends where it once started, she said it’s a short walk home from the finish line on the boardwalk.

A proud first-generation Chinese American, Teresa’s family came from Southern China and Hong Kong. She said growing up, she was bullied in elementary school because she was “different.”

“Now, I embrace my uniquely Chinese heritage, celebrate all of the celebrations that have meant so much to my mom, and I love learning more about my roots,” she said.

She says she’s happy to see more folks like her in the running community, as well as in the entertainment industry.

“As a performer, it feels good to hopefully inspire others who see me acting on TV, singing on a stage, and give others who look like me hope that they can also do what I do,” she said. 

Harjinder Singh, Queens

“Running is therapy, freedom, and a spiritual experience all at once.”

Harjinder Singh at the United Airlines NYC Half. Photo provided by MarathonFoto.

For Harjinder Singh, every mile through New York City is both a professional study and a personal act of grief, faith, and hope. As an assistant director and civil engineer with the NYC DOT's Capital Project Engineering team—where he has overseen corridor redesigns, school safety improvements, and Select Bus Service developments since 2019—he instinctively reads the pitches, angles, and crowns of the roadway beneath his feet, mapping the most efficient path in real time. The streets he helped design are the same streets he races.

His running journey began in 2014 after his grandfather, a turban-wearing Sikh runner and physical training teacher in the Indian Army, died of cancer. Harjinder was searching for an outlet for his grief and that summer he joined the Achilles Hope & Possibility 5M race in Central Park without ever having run an organized race before.

He recalled, “That moment changed everything. Since then, running has taken me across the world.” He has since completed 10 marathons, including six TCS New York City Marathons, and raised more than $8,000 for NYRR's free youth programs as a longtime Team for Kids member.

As one of the few Sikh and Punjabi athletes in distance running, Harjinder competes proudly in a turban—both a tribute to his grandfather's legacy and a visible statement that representation matters. “When people see someone who looks like them or shares their background, it opens the door—it shows that they belong in that space too." To extend that sense of belonging to the next generation, he founded the Iron Darbar Run Club through Sikh Youth of New York, mentoring young athletes who share his background.

He enjoys connecting with others in the running community either online or in person. At the United Airlines NYC Half in March he ran into Tehila Novak, a member of Nice Jewish Runners, who he met over Instagram a few years ago, during the last mile of the race. They crossed the finish line holding hands, and after the race Harjinder said, “It was the best feeling ever.”

Harjinder looks forward to running the RBC Brooklyn Half to experience the ocean views, the beach, and finishing on the boardwalk. The race will have especially deep meaning for him as he runs in tribute to his mother who passed away in February.

“She lived a life rooted in service to her family and community, and I hope to carry forward her love and light in everything I do. Moments like this are a reminder that life comes with its highs and lows—but running remains a constant. It is a safe space that allows me to cope, heal, and simply breathe,” he said. 

Clifford Tsao, Brooklyn

“Running allows me to prove to myself working hard matters and it gave me [the] confidence and purpose [to] help others.”

Clifford Tsao at the RBC Brooklyn Half.

In 2009, Clifford Tsao's doctor told him he needed to get stronger after a back injury. Within a year, he was crossing the finish line of the New York City Marathon, completing the race in under four hours, and he hasn't stopped since. More than 30 marathons later, his running accolades include finishing races in Tokyo, Berlin, and Canton, China, the city where he was born and raised before immigrating to New York in 1981.

Inspired by memories of running in high school in China, he began training for his first marathon in Marine Park and Prospect Park in 2009, with weekends spent running loops in Prospect Park and weekdays in Marine Park after work. He then reconnected with his high school classmates in China, 30 years after graduation. He said, “I was deeply committed to my first marathon… and shared my story with classmates in China, who proudly published it in our school’s publication.”

Clifford has been a volunteer captain at NYRR's Marine Park Open since 2015, watching weekly attendance grow from roughly 20 runners on a good day to more than 40 regulars. For someone who has called Marine Park home for over 20 years, he wanted to give back by helping others experience the same joy he found in running.

“I even helped raise nearly $1,500 each for the Marine Park Alliance with two other runners by participating in the 2026 NYC Half Marathon to support park maintenance and beautification,” he said.

This spring, he returns to the RBC Brooklyn Half for the 11th time. He’s excited to be running through his borough, starting from his training ground in Prospect Park then cruising along the flat stretch of Ocean Parkway all the way to the Coney Island boardwalk.

“It’s springtime… Get out, have fun, and be generous and humorous within your community. Embrace your spirit, be a role model for yourself, your family, and your community, live healthy, and keep running,” he said. 

Alexander Yu, Manhattan

“What started as stress relief turned into a real passion.”

Alexander Yu at the NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K.

Alexander Yu didn't plan to become a runner. One afternoon last summer after finishing a clinical shift at Mount Sinai, he walked outside and spotted runners at Summer Streets—an annual event of car-free fun, fitness, and entertainment along 22-miles of NYC streets. He quickly went home, dusted off a pair of running shoes and joined in to clear his head. After that run, he was hooked.

“Just like being a doctor, I believe that running promotes lifelong progression and learning. I have started signing up for races with NYRR and found that I love competing with myself and chasing faster times,” he said.

What started as a post-hospital stress reliever has turned into something Alexander looks forward to as a third-year medical student. Sometimes while on the run, he’s reflecting on a patient’s story or conversations he’s had with their family. Other times he’ll listen to music to help process what happened that day. “It has become one of my most reliable ways to manage stress and prevent burnout.”

Alexander grew up in Arizona and said that being Taiwanese and Korean, there weren’t a lot of people who looked like him or shared a similar background. He remembers spending a lot of his childhood navigating different cultures and when he moving to New York City, it was like a breath of fresh air.

“I am surrounded by people who share pieces of my story, whether it is the food I grew up eating, the values my parents raised me with, or the quiet pressure of being the kid of immigrants who gave up a lot for you to be here,” he said. 

He often thinks about his parents and grandparents when he’s on a long run or a long shift and. “They did harder things than a half marathon or a 24-hour hospital shift, and that perspective keeps me honest.” For Alexander, representation in the running space matters because it can change what people believe is possible for themselves. “When more of us show up, we make the sport bigger and more welcoming for everyone behind us.

The RBC Brooklyn Half will be Alexander’s first half marathon and he’s looking forward to experiencing the energy at the start, the rhythm down Ocean Parkway, and finishing in Coney Island surrounded by thousands of runners who all showed up for their own reasons.

“The RBC Brooklyn Half is ultimately about gratitude. Gratitude for a healthy body, for a supportive community, and for a city that makes it possible to train before dawn and race through its streets,” he said. 

You May Also Like...