The Rarest Flower in the Garden: Inside NYC's Exclusive Black Roses Running Collective
Black Roses NYC began in 2013 for runners who care about the city’s downtown energy as much as their race times. Knox Robinson and Jessie Zapo started the group to build a running culture focused on tough group training. From the start, the crew has been different—exclusive, fast, and always pushing each other to aim higher than just crossing the finish line.
Black Roses NYC is all about being different. Their name comes from a Barrington Levy song about the rarest flower in the garden. They don’t follow the mainstream or big marketing trends. Knox Robinson, one of the founders, talks about "goals beyond"—always thinking about what comes after big milestones like the Olympic Trials or Boston. They focus on long-term growth, both for each runner and the group.
The Black Roses crew brings together all kinds of people—nurses, bartenders, marketing folks, DJs. What they share is a love for running and street culture. They’re a close team, always supporting each other and aiming high. They want to do more than just hit their own goals; they want to help shape running culture in the city.
The culture of Black Roses NYC is a potent blend of intense dedication and a lively social scene. The crew meets twice a week for highly structured and demanding track practices. These are not casual jogs; workouts can range from grueling sets of five 1-kilometer repeats to descending ladders of 5K, 3K, and 1K. They run fast, and they run in a pack—often at a Boston-qualifying pace. This "work hard" mentality is balanced by a "party hard" ethos, creating an energetic culture that is as much about the shared social experience as it is about the intense training.
Membership in Black Roses NYC is exclusive and not for the casual runner. This is a high-performance team, and joining is by invitation only. Prospective members must be invited to wear the "infamous black bib," a symbol of their commitment to the crew's demanding training and unique culture.
Black Roses NYC stands out in New York’s huge running scene. The city has all kinds of crews—BridgeRunners, Harlem Run, Orchard Street Runners, Old Man Run Club, and more. Each group has its own style, from the fast Lostboys Track Club in Manhattan to the Boogie Down Bronx Runners, who focus on community.
New York has some of the best running routes anywhere. Black Roses usually trains on the track, but the city’s parks and paths are open to everyone. Central Park and Prospect Park have great hills and scenery. The Hudson River Greenway is flat and runs along the water, and the city’s bridges give you tough climbs and amazing views.
New York is home to some of the world’s biggest races, mostly run by NYRR. The highlight is the TCS New York City Marathon in November, with more than 50,000 runners going through all five boroughs. There are also unique races like the Empire State Building Run-Up, where you race up 86 flights of stairs.