The mayor’s office will host the 2K for 2-K run along with a festival and youth races on June 7 at 8 a.m. in Fort Tryon Park in Manhattan, partnering with New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit behind the TCS New York City Marathon.
Mamdani said the race will also serve as a boost for applications for free child care, encouraging eligible families to apply for the inaugural seats by the June 26 deadline.
“This work is a marathon, not a sprint,” Mamdani said. “We are building a city where every family, no matter where they live or how much money they earn, has access to the care they need to build a life in New York City. This race is about bringing families together to raise awareness about 2-K, and giving New York’s cutest the running start they deserve.”
While the first 2K seats will go to families in four communities, Upper Manhattan, parts of the western Bronx, neighborhoods in central Brooklyn, and southeast Queens, the 2K for 2-K will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
The fun run is the next in a series of events as part of an awareness campaign promoting the launch of free 2-K programs. Mamdani has toured schools, reading stories and even partnered with rap superstar Cardi B to host a 2-K jingle contest
Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO for NYRR, which also produces the TCS New York City Marathon, said he was thrilled to expand on the nonprofit’s free running programs and hoped the family event would encourage running at an early age.
“This event embodies our vision as a nonprofit to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running and we look forward to seeing the next generation of runners and New Yorkers on the start line,” Simmelkjaer said.
Universal 2K is a significant undertaking in lawmakers’ quest for universal child care and an affordable New York. Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans to ramp up free 2-K programs over the next four years to every household following the launch of the initial 2,000 seats this fall
Wednesday night, state legislators finally approved a budget for fiscal year 2027 after nearly two months of delays; the deadline was April 1. The budget made major investments in the program including $73 million for 2-K programs in NYC, which Hochul and Mamdani have said will grow to over $400 million by next year.
Hochul championed the investments Thursday in a speech ahead of signing the budget.
“This is a signature issue for me,” Hochul said. “I’ve been working on this since I was lieutenant governor.”
Funding the increasingly expensive cost of child care programs is a key campaign platform in Hochul’s reelection campaign this fall.
“We’re on a path, a rapid path to universal childcare across the state because every young parent looks at New York and says ‘I want to be here,’ they should be able to.”