Community Spotlight: Mike Saes x BridgeRunners
Founder of Bridge Runners. Urban running icon. Culture shifter.
From founding BridgeRunners to literally Bridging the Gap between run crews around the world, Mike Saes has been one of the most influential figures in New York’s running scene for the past couple decades.
Nike took a bet on him back in 2003, recognizing the movement he was building, and they’ve been rolling together ever since.
Catch Mike and the crew on a Wednesday night and you might cross a bridge, see some street art, hear a few stories and experience a side of the city only he could show you.
Origins of Bridge Runners
Q: What inspired you to start Bridge Runners and how did that first run to Peter Luger’s come about?
Mike:
Was actually 2003 when I had to pick up my son from nursery school on Dutch St. I was running too late to scoop my son and couldn’t find a taxi. We usually walked the bridge post Luger Burger and I told the crew I had to run literally. A week or so later, my lunch mate Franky Lex dropped me off by the Brooklyn Bridge, which was closer, so that’s kinda when it became my thing. If I wasn’t running late to scoop my son, who knows how long it would’ve taken for jogging to become cool?
Bridging The Gap
Q: Can you share the vision behind “Bridge The Gap” and how it built a global crew culture?
Mike:
Charlie Dark, Edson, and Edison flew to Bowery to fly with us #OnaWednesday at the Nike Stadium shop. Edison’s run was planned and he didn’t have a crew, but Charlie and then weeks later, Edson decided to #JustShowUp and we grew from local to global. The movement started at the Women’s Nike Marathon in SF where Zapo and others discussed a mass gathering for an answer to crew curiosity: what other cool run crews existed and how can we join them for some #RoutesAndCulture?
The Nike Partnership
Q: Nike was one of the first to support Bridge Runners. How has that evolved over time?
Mike:
Nike was the 1st — and what was cool is they kept us boutique and away from their Run Club program. They actually decided to nurture us with culture runs and history lessons. My goal was to recruit non-running runners and bridge the gap between experts and vandals like myself. Providing preceptors on our elevated runs was my job, which was easy.
This is what I did with the Bridge Rollers and they thought it might be cool to stop in the middle of a run to look at cool graffiti in Williamsburg. They were correct.
What’s cool now is that the movement did a Wu-Tang label-type deal other brands are supporting our crews and many are making a good living from providing a good living lifestyle to their communities. That’s actually the most awesome thing of all. That and training the leaders we are looking for.
The Wednesday Runs
Q: Your Wednesday runs are legendary. What can a newcomer expect?
Mike:
#ExpectTheUnexpected #OnaWednesday
Running & Culture
Q: How do you integrate art, music, and food into the Bridge Runners experience?
Mike:
NVR NOT A SNAKE RUN. We seek the new and olde every week. Probably close to 70% of our runs are decided once your run app has already started.
Urban Running, Then & Now
Q: How has urban running changed over the last 20 years, and what role did Bridge Runners play in that shift?
Mike:
Now it is 100% lifestyle while before it was once or twice a week plus vacations. I’m honored to be amongst other cult leaders in the healthiest of cults out there! #BTG4LIFE!
Advice to Aspiring Crew Leaders
Q: What advice would you give someone looking to build their own run crew or community?
Mike:
Fill a void, could be a time slot, could be a need for speed and always try to run through neighborhoods that don’t see runners and could use the inspiration.
Try to nurture other leaders in your squad to hold it down when you can’t, especially females if you want runs run correctly when you’re not around. And of course, follow the 10+ crew commandments. #JustShowUp is not one of them, but obviously the first step on this journey to betterment.
A Few Favorite Moments
Q: Any standout stories that capture what Bridge Runners means to you?
Mike:
I love hearing stories about “my first Bridge Run” or tales of runners still stranded in Shaolin after Coach Cedric made one wrong turn.
I actually grade myself by the “you’re only as good as your last run” standard and my last run with HOMERUN and Dominguez Productions was pure NYC epicness. Mostly because it introduced dozens to crew running, and we stuck with tradition by making an #AirMax5k feel closer to a BR 5-miler.
What’s Next
Q: What’s on the horizon for you and Bridge Runners?
Mike:
Been routing another 100-miler but decided to be pragmatic and make it a 100K instead. That’s gonna be a jump-in/jump-out food tour.
We also have the Bear Bones 50-mile ultra that starts in Bear Mountain and ends in Central Park. This is for experienced trail runners, a real race, similar to Bell 2 Bull, not our standard jump-in ultra, which is more of a What’s Your Ultra? vibe where you can jump in where you fit in.
Sign up ASAP. And of course, the BTG movement continues to grow by the kilometer. We plan to help produce other ultras, relays, rolls, or run/walks globally. #ALLPLANET