The New York Road Runners are coming to New Jersey.

The running club and Jersey City officials announced Tuesday they will host a new race, the NYRR Newport Fiesta 5K, in the city’s downtown area on May 4.

The running organization also will have open runs and free youth programs throughout the year

“For us, it’s a matter of coming into a community and helping to be there all year round,” NYRR chief executive Michael Capiraso said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “The race may be one aspect of it, but there are other parts of it we want to bring to the community as well. We want to give people who have an interest an opportunity to engage in running programs and give kids, who are obviously the next generation, an opportunity to be introduced to running.”

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The five kilometer race (3.1 miles) will start and end at Washington Street, south of the Newport Parkway. The Saturday night event is tied in with festivities for Cinco de Mayo.

“It will celebrate the diversity in running, the diversity in the communities,” Capiraso said.

The race, which was finalized over the past six months, is open to all runners. There will be an entry fee, which will be used to cover the race and help with the costs of the free programs for the rest of the year.

One attraction for participants will be running in the shadow of New York City.

“I have actually run over in that area myself, and it is a spectacular view of the skyline along the course,” Capiraso said. “Looking over into the city there will be some post-race festivities. There will be some food trucks to make it a fun-family celebration.”

“The city’s partnership with NYRR will bring together members of our City in an active, healthy way, without having to cross the Hudson River,” Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop said in a statement. “Not only will the City host the Newport Fiesta 5k, but NYRR will bring year-round initiatives and races to the City that are of no cost for residents and runners of all ages to participate in.”

NYRR conducts more than 50 races throughout the year. Nearly 30,000 finishers of NYRR events last year were New Jersey residents. Among those finishers, nearly 40 percent live within a 10-mile radius of Jersey City.