While run clubs might be the latest trend captivating the zeitgeist, We Run Uptown is already miles ahead of the curve. Well before the new favorite ‘third space’ took over our FYPs, the WRU crew was redefining what a New York run club could look like. Ahead of this year’s Global Running Day, Klarna, the global tech company reimagining how people spend and save, is positioning their pink-hued spotlight on the NYC-based run collective that's transforming Uptown—one intentional stride at a time.
Every Monday night since late 2013, WRU co-founders Hector Espinal and Josh Mock have run through the lively streets of Washington Heights. They extend an open invitation to anyone in the neighborhood. Yet, despite the club’s inclusive ethos, initially, they received pushback from the surrounding area.
“We would get yelled at by people in the street. We would get stopped by the NYPD and searched while on our runs because what we were doing in Washington Heights was very foreign,” Espinal recalled. “No one in our community—especially not people who look like us—were hosting group runs at night.”
Espinal and Mock kept at it, refusing to miss a Monday under any circumstances. The mantra was simple: if they didn’t show up, how could they expect anyone else to? Once the local authorities understood WRU’s purpose, an unshakeable rapport was built, helping power the group to continue growing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they held distance running meets over Instagram Live, so club members could maintain their streaks and find connections when they needed it most. By 2020, around 100 runners were showing out each week. Today, they have “150 to 200 people coming out on a Monday night,” Mock explains with a hint of disbelief at what they’ve built.
Besides creating connections with their weekly runs, WRU is dedicated to giving back to neighborhoods like Washington Heights, Inwood, and the Bronx by shopping local—a process made substantially easier with Klarna’s suite of tools, like the Klarna app, one-time cards, and flexible payment options—all designed to help you stay in control and spend with confidence. “We only frequent businesses that are Uptown,” Espinal says. “It’s very important for us to pour back into our ecosystem and continue to help it grow, whether that be through fitness, athletics, culture, or the arts.”
Their Klarna footprint is a map of the hotspots that fuel their runs and give ‘The Heights’ its vibrant identity. The first stop is UP NYC, the club’s go-to sneaker spot founded by hip-hop legend Fat Joe. Before the first UP NYC store opened in 2016, runners had to trek downtown to buy the latest kicks. Now, they’re proud to support a shoe shop on their side of Manhattan—one that’s adding to the neighborhood’s credibility as a place for runners. UP NYC’s ties to the community go beyond the laces of the shoes that line the displays of their store. The streetwear staple hosts annual food giveaways during the holidays, doubling down on its commitment to cultivating camaraderie.
A 15-minute jog away is Wahizza, Washington Heights’ very own Dominican-style pizza spot. An early partner of WRU, the shop helped the club establish its presence by offering discounts and letting club members gather there as they were still finding their footing. Wahizza’s owner is a runner himself and a first-generation immigrant who’s built a business that goes toe-to-toe with major chains. More than a pizza place, Wahizza is an institution—a “beacon of hope,” Espinal dubs it, showing natives that they can resist gentrification by embracing their culture with pride. With the Klarna app’s transparent purchase overview, WRU can easily track and manage their spending in one place—giving them the financial clarity to budget wisely and continue supporting the local spots that matter most to them.
For all New Yorkers, but especially immigrants, the bodega offers familiarity, often because of shared cultural ties. People move Uptown “[because] the person at that corner store speaks their language,” Espinal notes. “You find products from back home; it brings a sense of comfort. And in a city like New York that's big on immigration, people are always searching for that little piece of back home.” Before tools like Klarna’s Pay in 4, which lets you split purchases into four interest-free payments, Mock jokes that your best bet for flexibility was being tight with the local bodega crew (and cat). Now, people have a better way to plan their spending - using Pay in 4 to stay on top of their budget and make everyday essentials work within it.
The last stop after a typical WRU jog is Locksmith, a bar that serves as the backdrop for post-run hangs and sits in what Espinal calls the cultural triangle of Washington Heights. He explains that Locksmith was one of the first nightlife locations in the area that didn’t promote hookah or bottle service, attracting an entirely different demographic from other North Central Park spots. “I think it just put us in a different cultural conversation where WRU was being positioned, not only as a running group but also now as part of the lifestyle conversation Uptown.”
Connecting with Klarna gave the WRU crew the ability to pace themselves as an organization, offering helpful budgeting tools that make it easier to manage resources, plan ahead, and stay focused on the people they’re building with and for. Through other efforts like their nonprofit, Comunidad WRU, Espinal and Mock view the club’s impact on Uptown as a marathon, not a sprint.
“I want people to say [WRU] was the crew that made running feel like home, that redefined what it meant to move through these streets with purpose, pride, and unity,” Espinal says of his hope for their legacy. “I want people to know that we created a space where Black and Brown people could reclaim joy, feel seen, and feel like they belonged, not just in the sport, but in every corner of the city.”
If they keep the momentum they have right now, it’s safe to say the duo will reach that goal—and surpass it—without breaking a sweat. What started out as a simple Monday night run has become a movement, empowering every Uptown resident to find their stride.
Download the Klarna app to get in on the action and shop local.
