So: How’s a working dad in New York—with another baby on the way—supposed to find the time and energy to train for all 26.2 miles of the city marathon?
That’s the highly pragmatic, if unexpectedly profound, question we set out to answer with our friends at Dad Day, an email newsletter designed to deliver the kind of stories, advice, and recommendations modern dads actually want to receive.
The man at the center of this series is Tucker Piner. A first-time parent in Brooklyn, Piner is the founder of Tuck Travels, a nonprofit dedicated to helping expand access for students to travel and study abroad. He’s also the leader of Dumbo Dads Run Club, which organizes stroller-pushing jogs around Brooklyn Bridge Park on weekend mornings (their slogan: Let Mom Sleep In).
You can follow Piner’s journey to the New York City marathon in November over on our Instagram—and get to know him a bit better below.
Were you a runner before you became a dad? How did you get into running?
Like a lot of folks, I played sports throughout most of my life, but picked up distance running more as an adult. During Covid, obviously, I put on a few pounds, and so I think I used running as a way to hold myself accountable. Never really focused on fast times—just running distance. I love seeing new cities. I love being able to explore. So running was that outlet to just go on an adventure. And then all of a sudden the times did start to come down, and I started to feel more confident in running.
What drove you to run your first marathon?
In my 20s I never took training seriously. I did two marathons then—I ran Paris and Chicago, which was a cool accomplishment. But to me, the biggest accomplishment is the journey, and at that time I didn’t take the training as seriously as I should have. I did cross the finish line. But truly, 2024, the New York Marathon, was that first one where I put in the work. I felt like I was proud of the effort. And now to come back in 2026 and know so much more about my body, and know how to train—I’m really loving the journey. So it’s still not about a time for me. It’s really much about crossing the finish line, and showing my son—by that time, my son and daughter—that I can do hard things.
You’ve been solo running, but then you decided to start Dumbo Dads. Tell us about that.
Starting Dumbo Dads has been one of the coolest experiences of my life. I had a child and I knew I wanted to run with him. The big reason for starting Dumbo Dads is solving for time. I think every parent constantly thinks about time as the most important resource. I started realizing I wanted to spend quality time with my son, I wanted to help my wife just have some time to relax, and I wanted to train and get some fitness in. And it was so hard to do all those individually. So I thought—if I start a run club where I run with my son, my wife can have some time to herself, and I can spend some quality time with my son. Then I started to find other dads who were in the same position as me, and it became a bit of a community. What was one or two dads, now we’ve got 20 out there, and I’m excited to see it turn into 100.
Most run clubs are about self-improvement. Tell us about the slogan, Let Mom Sleep In, and the other side of it.
The hardest marathon is watching your wife go through pregnancy, go through labor, go through recovery, tackle postpartum. Women are just absolutely incredible. And as parents know, weekends are the hardest time. So our run club meets [on Saturday and Sunday mornings], when there’s rarely a daycare or a nanny, and you’re on your own to figure out how you’re going to program that time.
Maybe moms want to sleep. Maybe they want to get their nails done. Maybe they want to just scroll on TikTok. Maybe they want to watch a movie or eat some cereal in bed. Whatever mom wants to do, we want her to have that time back, and then she can show up even harder for the family—because I truly believe families can only go as far as the moms can take them. And it’s our job as dads to make sure our wives feel strong, and feel confident, and feel like they can be themselves.
What are the conversations like with the dads in the club?
The run club has introduced a lot of deeper conversations, things that wouldn’t just happen at a surface level at a bar, or even in an office environment. When you’re running with somebody, it’s such a vulnerable time to just say what’s on your mind. And with parenting, it’s been a cool experience where some folks are helping each other out with feeding advice, or sleeping advice, or apartments, and all the struggles that come with New York City living. I’ve overheard dads take a conversation and really dig into—you know, if you’re struggling, if you need help somewhere, how can that person help, exchange numbers.
Your son Liam has logged hundreds of miles with you. What’s that like?
Since Liam’s been born, I’ve run over 250 miles with him. It’s just so fun to think about the amount of time that it took us to do that, and all the things that he saw and that I saw, and that we learned together while we were running. Parenting to me is just constantly solving for time—and it’s such a good use of time when I run with Liam.
How do you balance work, training, and family? What keeps you grounded?Parenting changed my entire mindset there. I often think about how to manage work, and my social life, and my parenting responsibilities, and my run club responsibilities — and all those things make it difficult and sometimes feel like competing forces. But one thing that’s been beautiful is that with the run club, it almost feels like my community building aligns with my training and aligns with my parenting. So I’m trying to have everything compound instead of feel like friction forces.
I’ve had to learn to be kind to myself there, and forgive myself. When it comes to the concept of time, I’ve had to really forgive myself and know that it’s okay to take a nap if my kids are taking a nap — and if I need to answer that email, I’ll get to it, but I need to make sure I’ve packed Liam’s lunch first. There are other, more important things than looking at my phone.
What’s special about training in New York?
We’re coming off an incredible time for running in New York. We just finished Summer Streets, where they block off miles of road in Manhattan, in the Bronx, in Brooklyn, and give runners and bikers and walkers the ability to just have a fun field day down Park Avenue if they want to. That’s such a unique thing. And obviously New York’s got some of the greatest parks in the world, so it’s been so fun to meet up for run clubs in Central Park, meet up for my run club here in Brooklyn Bridge Park, and really see New York through the lens of running. As you start to train for the marathon and see all your other friends training, it’s such an uplifting community. It’s such a motivating time to be a runner in New York.
Does that push back on the stereotype of New Yorkers?
The running community in New York is uniquely special, but I think runners globally are just a really great group of people. I’m from North Carolina—I’ve got my country mom staying with me now, and she just walks into a place, and I think people mirror the energy you give back. So if you’re willing to say hello, I’ve found that New Yorkers are really pulling for each other.
What’s on the marathon playlist?
My approach to the music is: no music for the crowds, and then on those lonely stretches, obviously you’ve got to have Timber by Kesha, you’ve got to have Levels by Avicii. That’s just a staple. But what I’m thinking about doing this year is asking the dads—dropping a Spotify playlist and saying, who wants to add songs, and just see what the community comes up with.
What are you looking forward to when this is all over?
Marathon Monday is one of my favorite days of the year. I’m really looking forward to just holding my kids and feeling like I did something that I’m really proud of. And looking at my family, who made the effort to fly here or show up on a Sunday morning and cheer me on and track me all over New York City. A ton of gratitude—I want to make sure I thank them.
Your daughter arrives any day. What’s that doing for you right now?
That’s bringing on a ton of emotions and a ton of excitement, and just being really grateful for where our family is now. What happens next is an absolute blessing. It’s a unique feeling to be so deep in toddler parenting and then know that life’s going to get ten times harder—but also my heart is going to grow ten times bigger. I feel like I’m trying to survive through the chaos of parenting in New York, and parenting in general. And I’m really proud of what we’re building here in Brooklyn: as a family, as a run club, and for myself.
This interview has been edited and condensed.