In a remarkable feat of endurance and determination, 35-year-old Thai Richards from Brooklyn, New York, has accomplished the extraordinary task of running the entire New York City subway network, spanning hundreds of miles. Richards traversed all 25 subway lines in the city, including the Staten Island Railway, making him the first person to run through the entirety of the New York City subway system.
According to a report by Gothamist media, Richards, a model and experienced ultra-marathon runner, considered distances below the standard 26.2 miles as mere warm-ups. Two years ago, he set himself a new challenge – to run along every subway route in New York from start to finish, documenting his journey to share with his fans.
When he initially set this goal for himself, Richards admitted that it was an incredibly daunting feat. His plan kicked off in the fall of 2023, starting with the longest subway line in the city, the A train, stretching nearly 34 miles from 207th Street in Inwood, Manhattan to Far Rockaway in Queens. He then ran approximately 27 miles along the F train, from Jamaica through Manhattan to Coney Island. Every month or so, he completed a new route along the subway lines.
On a rainy Tuesday evening this week, Richards completed his final leg of the journey along the 4 train, running from Woodlawn in the Bronx to Crown Heights in Brooklyn, covering about 23 miles – which also happens to be his birthplace and hometown.
Dressed in a Yankees jersey and running shorts, Richards made pit stops along the way to have a beer and updated his social media followers on his mileage every 3 miles. “Coming from such a massive city, how can you not feel proud?” he said. With this achievement, Richards has run every route within the city’s subway system with his own two feet. “Running is easy, life is hard,” he often shouted along the way.
Richards mentioned that this journey helped him gain a deeper understanding of the city’s history. He enjoyed sharing various subway trivia, such as the 4, 5, and 6 train lines being among the earliest subway routes in New York, and how the Staten Island Railway was once owned by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
He remarked that knowing the history can aid in understanding the current state of New York City, as the city’s rise and fall and transformations are inevitable. As he neared the end of the 4 train line at Utica Ave, Richards pulled out his phone and addressed the camera, saying, “MTA, I’ve run all your lines.”