Manhattan event is the second of three Start Line Series fun runs produced by New York Road Runners as part of NYC DOT’s Summer Streets
2025 BROOKLYN EVENT PHOTOS / VIDEO
WHAT: New York Road Runners (NYRR)—the nonprofit that “runs” New York City producing 60 annual adult and youth races including the TCS New York City Marathon—is hosting its second FREE NYRR Start Line Seriesevent Saturday, Aug. 1, in Manhattan as part of New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT)’s Summer Streets program. With registration for the 5K event still available, the free, beginner-friendly community fun run is open to walkers, joggers, and runners of all experience levels.
WHERE/WHEN:
Saturday, August 1
Manhattan
Start/Finish: Park Avenue at East 80th Street
7 a.m. – Pre-race interviews
7:30 a.m. – Race start
7:45-8:45 a.m. – Participants finish, post-race interviews
WHO:
New York Road Runners, NYC DOT leadership, and event participants will be available for interviews on site, including:
- Ted Metellus, New York Road Runners Chief Event Production Officer & Race Director: speaking to the expanded Start Line Series and its aim to increase access to running, walking, and fitness for New Yorkers
- Race participants, including many running/walking their first-ever 5K
ADDITIONAL RACE BACKGROUND:
As part of New York Road Runners’ mission to introduce communities across New York City to the transformative power of running, more than 1,000 are expected to take part in the accessible event, including many first-time race participants taking the first step in their running journeys. Athletes will complete an out-and-back 5K course down the Park Avenue section of this year’s Manhattan Summer Streets route.
Participants will need to register for the event, with registration still available and open to those eight years and older at nyrr.org.
The Start Line Series is an extension of New York Road Runners’ strong year-round presence in Manhattan, and an expansion of the decades-long collaboration between the nonprofit and NYC DOT to increase access to running, walking, and fitness for New Yorkers within their communities. Building off a successful inaugural year of the Start Line Series in 2025, which drew more than 1,100 participants across two events in Queens and Brooklyn, New York Road Runners has expanded the program this year to three free events in two new boroughs—Manhattan and The Bronx. The Bronx event will take place along Grand Concourse on Aug. 22.
Beginning in 2008, the DOT has hosted Summer Streets—an annual celebration of one of New York City’s most valuable public spaces: our streets. Since 2023, Summer Streets has reached all five boroughs. This year, more than 20 miles of Summer Streets corridors will be open to pedestrians and cyclists from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Manhattan and with adjusted, later hours in the outer boroughs based on local feedback. Summer Streets will run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island to help more New Yorkers enjoy car-free streets and programming.