On Tuesday, Zohran Mamdani took an important step in his quest to become New York City’s next mayor, upsetting longtime politician Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary election. But Mamdani is not only running for office—he’s a runner. Literally.
And running, in fact, has played a significant role in his campaign.
Mamdani, 33, has run the New York City Marathon twice, in 2022 and 2024. Both times, he wore a shirt that said, “Eric Adams Raised My Rent!” The slogan is a reference to the incumbent mayor of America’s largest city, who is running for reelection but faces low support among constituents. Adams has approved rent hikes for rent-stabilized apartments multiple times during his tenure.
Leading up to the 2022 marathon, Mamdani said he had “never been a runner” but he’d trained for months. On race day, which was unseasonably warm that year, Mamdani ran 6:04:52 (13:55 per mile pace).
The conditions didn’t seem to damper his excitement, though. The New York State Assembly member wrote after the race: “Ran the marathon, did a little political education, and fell in love with my friends, family, and city all over again … One of the best days of my life.”
Two years later, Mamdani tackled the distance once more; this time as a mayoral candidate. Again, the front of his shirt read, “Eric Adams Raised My Rent!” but this time, on the back, it said: “Zohran Will Freeze It.”
Mamdani improved on his personal best—the 2024 race was cooler than 2022—finishing in 5:38:10 for an average mile time of 12:54, and conducting a mid-race interview with Playbook, where he said he was “currently outpacing every mayoral candidate in this race.” Pun intended.
At both marathons, Mamdani was sporting a pair of black Asics, which appear to be the Gel -Kayano, a stability shoe.
Mamdani also ran the 2022 Gaza 5K in New York in a time of 34:54, although the results page mentions that the “actual distance” was 3.327 miles.
His campaign did not immediately respond to Runner’s World’s request for comment on his running history.
Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, will now turn his attention to the November general election. He’ll face Adams (running as an independent) and Curtis Sliwa, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Cuomo, however, could also enter the race as an independent. He formed the Fight and Deliver party in May but has not yet said if he will run.
The general election will occur on Tuesday, November 4—two days after this year’s New York City Marathon.
It’s not unheard of for mainstream politicians to run marathons.
George W. Bush ran 3:44:52 at the 1993 Houston Marathon. Al Gore has a 4:58:25 to his name from the Marine Corps Marathon in 1997 when he was vice president. And although he hasn’t gone 26.2, former vice presidential candidate and Minnesota governor Tim Walz has a love of running.
“It’s how I decompress and prepare for big events,” he said to Runner’s World last July.
Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
