Back in June, comedian Kevin Hart was in Boston to perform stand-up for his What Now? comedy tour and wanted to go for a run.
Instead of lacing up his sneakers and heading out solo, he took to social media and invited fans to join him on a “spontaneous 5K run.”
“Boston, I want u 2 get up & run with me n the AM! Meet by the water shed 367 chestnut hill ave Brighton MA … Next 2 Reilly recreation center,” he tweeted to his 22.4 million followers.
When the pint-size funnyman arrived at the nondescript meeting spot near a reservoir, he was greeted by about 300 people, and gave a rousing speech recorded on live-streaming app Periscope.
“I’m in Boston, so I wanted to do what Boston does,” he said to enthusiastic cheers. “I’m not a runner, so please take it easy!”
But by the end of the 3.1-mile course, which he completed in 27:43, he could call himself a runner.
And what started as an impromptu experiment would go on to define his next few months on the road — and transform his persona from comedic lead playing alongside the likes of Will Ferrell to a less flamboyant version of Richard Simmons — as he continued to invite followers to run with him in cities across the country.
On Friday at 7:34 a.m., Hart is capping off his fitness tour with a free 5K run in Manhattan on Pier 26 (at the Hudson River Park at North Moore Street).
“It was honestly a spontaneous decision,” Hart, 36, tells The Post of his first tweet-inspired run. “I felt like it would be a cool way to get people motivated about fitness.”
Hart did the same in Atlanta and then in his hometown of Philadelphia, where close to 6,500 people followed him through the streets and up the steps of the Museum of Art, like the city’s patron saint, Rocky Balboa. Free runs followed in Portland, Ore.; Dallas; Brooklyn — a total of 13 cities in five months.
Soon the father of two was a pied piper for running, kicking off a fitness movement that drew everyone from overweight grandmas and casual joggers to athletes like Los Angeles Clippers star Chris Paul and Olympic runner Matthew Centrowitz Jr. In July he teamed up with Nike+Run Club to make the unofficial runs more organized.
“My goal was to simply bring people together. Once people started coming out in the thousands, it made me see the true potential in the platform that I created. That’s when my eyes were opened to how huge and global these runs could be,” he says, adding, “I also got to use my social media for the powers of good.”
His partnership with Nike has helped spread his gospel even further.
“We both believe that the power of sport and maintaining a healthy lifestyle makes you better. We are making history together, and I love it,” says Hart, famed for his roles in “Get Hard” and “The Wedding Ringer.”
In the process, he’s become fast — and improved his 5K time with a personal best of 20:03. That’s a record he promises to shatter this week in the Big Apple.
“I’m going to break 20 minutes,” says Hart, who now guts it out alongside security and official pacers.
When the 5-foot-4 comic is done with a race, he stands at the finish line and high-fives participants. After completing his run in Dallas, he spotted an obese man jogging the course and headed back to finish with him.
And on his Instagram, he has posted hilarious interviews with finishers, including a cute toddler with her mother. When Hart asked the little girl if he had motivated her, she broke out into giggles — which Hart then “translated” as “Yes, at every point.”
Not bad for a guy who says, “I have absolutely no running history whatsoever. This is a new hobby that I have picked up that I’m falling in love with. I simply find it relaxing. It puts me in a great thinking space.”
He has also made it a family affair by enlisting his kids, Heaven, 10, and Hendrix, 7, in logging miles.
“My kids love to do what they see their father doing. My kids love being healthy and that means the world to me. They are finishing their 5Ks with ease now,” says Hart, who runs 2 to 3 miles a day and fuels up with an orange before pounding the pavement.
Last week, the actor tweeted that he’s taking these runs international and will be announcing cities soon. And though he’s built his endurance on short distances, he isn’t ruling out a marathon.
“Who knows what the future brings?” he says. “I’m open to it.”
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