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[title]While continually racking up millions of views across social media platforms and interviewing celebrities may be a part of Jack Coyne’s day job at his media company Public Opinion, deciding to run the New York City Marathon was a decision based solely on his love for the city itself.
Most people would consider a 26.2-mile trek through New York City’s five boroughs to be a bit of a daunting task, but 33-year-old Coyne described his preparation to Time Out New York as, “A very life affirming thing.” This won’t come as much of a surprise to those familiar with Track Star, which has amassed over 340,000 followers on Instagram and 31.1-million likes on TikTok. Coyne hosts the show, which he created alongside his Public Opinion partners, his brother Kieran Coyne and their friend Henry Kornaros. In it, he breaks down barriers between strangers by offering them cash if they can name songs.
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“I think that what we’ve all gotten from doing this is just a lot of faith in humanity and faith in New Yorkers,” says Coyne. The trio started the company only two years ago, which is crazy considering they’ve since hosted Oprah, Charli XCX and Vice President Kamala Harris as guests. And while the celebrity of it all has served the channel well in terms of garnering views, it’s still the cherry on top of a channel that was created for the sole purpose of connecting with people.
Coyne, who currently lives in Gramercy, and his brother are lifelong New Yorkers who grew up in the East Village, and Jack Coyne met Kornaros in perhaps the most fateful way possible when he came up to him on the street as he was filming and introduced himself. They all share a love for the city and the people who live in it.
“It can be scary to step out there and try and talk to people, but once you start doing it—and once you do it every day for two and a half years—you get more comfortable and you realize there's more good than bad out there,” Coyne says. If Track Star is the love letter to the people of New York City, Public Opinion’s eponymous channel could be thought of as a tribute to the inner-workings of the city itself. This channel takes deep dives into things like long-standing local business, the city’s drinking water, and even the intimate communities built around things like tennis courts.
The first video that really resonated with people answered any question you possibly have about what happens when you flush the toilet. Coyne spoke with New Yorkers, plumbers, and finally, the commissioner of the New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection.
“This guy is like a policy person who works in the New York City government and 25 million people watched this video where he's explaining what happens when he flushes the toilet,” says Coyne. “It was really affirming because I’m thinking this is a cool story and no one’s really talked about this in a fun way—but I think if we do it right, it's going to educate people, and it's going to be exciting, and it's going to be interesting.”
Obviously, the idea of uniting people over shared experiences and common interests has become a cornerstone in Coyne’s life, which is one of the many reasons he thinks the New York City Marathon is, as he puts it, “The best day of the year in New York City.”
While he says he’s not doing any specific training program, each morning he runs up to 12 miles starting from his Gramercy neighborhood—either up the east side of Manhattan and into Central Park, or down around the bottom of Manhattan and back up the West Side Highway.
Part of the reason why Coyne has such a seemingly laid-back attitude about the marathon is that this will be the fourth marathon he’s participated in, having run the New York City marathon in 2019 and 2022. The fact that he knows what to expect definitely doesn’t diminish his excitement about the race itself or the training that comes along with it.
“It’s just a great way to see New York City coming alive and to see people on their way to work, and the beginning of the hustle and bustle as the sun’s coming up,” he says.
Public Opinion has posted videos in the past about the marathon, including a longer-form piece on why it’s about so much more than simply running. This year, Coyne will be documenting his participation first-hand on his personal Instagram account, which is under his name. He’ll also be doing some videos for both Track Star and Public Opinion, although he says he’s not exactly sure what those videos will include just yet.
For Coyne, the marathon is a confluence of everything he loves and has based both Track Star and Public Opinion around: music, community and New York City.
“When people are running, they're listening to music a lot of the time, and it's this pretty universal thing that a lot of people can relate to,” says Coyne. “I think the New York City Marathon is a great New York City story, and part of what we're about is telling stories about New York.”