When Mallory Kilmer first moved to New York City three years ago to further her career as a social media influencer, she didn’t know anybody, but she knew she wanted to run. More specifically, she wanted to run with other people.

A native of Binghamton, New York, she had spent the past few years living in Florida, where the heat and humidity, along with a super-competitive running community, had often left her running alone before the sun came up.

“In Florida, everyone just kind of keeps to themselves,” Kilmer says. “And if you are in a run club, they're all really, really, really fast. So there were no leisure, fun or community-oriented run clubs.”

That made training tough, especially when she was putting in big miles ahead of her second marathon.

Kilmer wanted New York to be a different experience, so after settling in, she posted on social media, asking anyone interested to join her for a Saturday morning run in Central Park. Six women joined her that first day. They ended the morning with coffee and bagels, along with plans to meet at the same time the next week.

The following Saturday, 35 people showed up, and the week after, there were 100. The group now known as No More Lonely Runs just kept growing. It even has a global reach, connecting more than 10,000 people, some of whom pop in for a run when they’re in town. 

The club’s twice-weekly runs regularly draw about 200 people, fostering friendships, physical and mental wellness and a sense of belonging. Through Kilmer’s leadership and partnerships, the group has become a welcoming hub for runners of all backgrounds, proving that in a city of millions, finding connection can start with a single step.

The group is an affiliate club of New York Road Runners, the nonprofit group that sponsors more than 60 adult and kids races each year, including the annual TCS New York City Marathon. Separately, Kilmer has forged influencer partnerships with several leading running and lifestyle running brands.

Now she also works with Mastercard, a partnership that began when the company offered her a bib for this year’s New York City Marathon through Mastercard’s Priceless Start program.

Rather than claim the bib for herself — Kilmer was already juggling No More Lonely Runs’ first-ever marathon pop-up and other race-day commitments, she pulled off a memorable surprise for Rossi Weinberg during a training run. The coveted entry went to her clubmate, a relative newcomer who quickly became one of the group’s leaders but never had the chance to run the marathon. Weinberg was able to race in style. Thanks to the VIP perks of a Mastercard Priceless Start, he began the legendary course just ahead of the pros, with the Verrazano Bridge practically his own.

“It’s essentially his dream come true and I was able to surprise him with it, and he was shocked,” Kilmer says.

Kilmer has also helped promote Mastercard’s Lyft offer, which provides exclusive ride discounts to World and World Elite Mastercard holders on race day, part of Mastercard’s effort to support runners logistically and make the marathon more accessible and memorable. Since the surprise announcement, Kilmer continued sharing practical tips for both runners and spectators attending the Marathon. On race day, she joined the WABC coverage from the pace car to offer real-time insights and helpful race-day hacks and later headed to the crowds to cheer for her run club.

Kilmer oversaw the pop-up, intended to be a “one-stop shop” for everything a marathoner needs, including fuel, hydrations, shoes and recovery. Many of the group’s favorite partner brands took part.

There was also shake-out runs, a Halloween scavenger hunt and other fun activities leading up to the race, as well as a post-marathon pizza party and medal portraits open to everyone, not just marathoners.

Perhaps most importantly, the pop-up is a chance for Kilmer to share her deep emotional attachment to running that originally drove her to found No More Lonely Runs. Like a lot of runners, Kilmer says her love of the sport stems from its mental health benefits, in addition to the physical ones.

“For a long time, I was really struggling with mental health, and between running and therapy, I feel like it really brings out the best version of me,” she says.

Kilmer says she relishes the running community that she cultivated, pointing to the numerous close friendships and even romantic relationships that have formed between No More Lonely Runs members.

She stresses that the global running community is open to anyone. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far you go. There’s a pace, and a place, for everyone.

“Just keep moving,” Kilmer says. “Don't worry about what your pace is or your distances are. Just push past that pain zone, because, on the other end, it's euphoric.”