Suicide Hill Racing Club (SHRC) was a legendary, informal running crew and workout that took place on a notoriously steep hill in Brooklyn, New York City. Born in the winter of 2012/2013, the group was founded by three veteran members of the pioneering BridgeRunners—Tony, Muriel, and Paul—who wanted to stay in shape during the off-season. They became famous for their "unconventional speed workout," a brutal session of hill repeats that attracted dedicated runners from all over the city and became a rite of passage in the NYC running scene.
Suicide Hill Racing Club: The Legacy of The Brutal Brooklyn Workout Born from BridgeRunners
In the aftermath of the 2012 New York City Marathon season, three inseparable friends and long-time members of the legendary BridgeRunners crew decided they needed a way to stay in shape through the holidays and the cold winter months. Tony, Muriel, and Paul knew of a brutal hill the BridgeRunners would sometimes run in Brooklyn. They thought, "Why not just run up and down a hill as a workout?" From this simple, punishing idea, the Suicide Hill Racing Club was born.
A Philosophy Forged on the Hill
The philosophy of the Suicide Hill Racing Club was simple: to create a brutally effective, unconventional speed workout centered around one main big hill. What started out as a couple of short, casual repeats quickly evolved into a more structured and intense threshold workout. The focus shifted to improving running form and controlling breathing over various distances, all on a punishing incline. This raw and challenging approach was the core of their identity.
The community of SHRC was forged in shared effort and pain. Its founders' deep roots in the BridgeRunners gave the workout immediate credibility, and it became a gathering point for serious runners from across the Brooklyn and wider NYC scenes. It was a place where athletes came not for a social jog, but to push their limits and build the physical and mental fortitude that only a relentless hill can provide.
While the Suicide Hill Racing Club is no longer active, its legacy in the New York City running scene is one of grit and openness. Their invitation was simple: if you were willing to tackle the hill, you were welcome. The workout they created became a legendary part of the city's running fabric, a testament to the power of a simple, challenging idea to bring a community together.
The Brooklyn Running Scene
SHRC was a key and hardcore part of Brooklyn's incredibly diverse running ecosystem. The borough is home to a multitude of other crews, including the empowering women's collective Girls Run NYC, which hosts its weekly track workouts in the same area, and the exclusive, high-performance Black Roses NYC. This rich tapestry of crews ensures a community for every type of runner.
The borough of Brooklyn provides a vibrant and gritty backdrop for a running community. Its most famous running landmark, and the home of SHRC, is the notoriously steep incline officially in Fort Greene Park, which local runners have long since nicknamed "Suicide Hill." The borough is also home to the magnificent Prospect Park, with its famous running loop, and offers access to iconic routes over the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges. The premier racing event is the RBC Brooklyn Half, the largest half-marathon in the United States.