Registration for the 2014 Brooklyn Half Marathon opens on Wednesday, January 22!! Super early this year and expected to sell out quickly. The Brooklyn Half is one of the two races I try to run EVERY YEAR (the other is the Women’s 10K). Brooklyn we go hard.
Coney Island – Brooklyn Half Marathon Finish
Saturday, I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon for the second time. The weather was perfect for running, somewhat cloudy and mid-50s. The heightened security post-Boston bombings meant runners had to arrive earlier. It also meant instead of the port-a-pottys lined up outside of the corrals they were inside with the runners. This made for some bad smells while we runners tried to warm up and wait for the race. Alas.
Overall the course was good. I love the parts in and around Prospect Park. I just wish there was a way to break up the 6+ miles of boring/strenuous road on the highway to Coney Island. When my legs are feeling tired and I want to slow down, just looking out into the highway provides little motivation.
The best improvements this time around were definitely the pre-race expo. I loved it! NYRR moved the bib pick-up to Dumbo, Brooklyn. Plus the expo featured tons of local food vendors and sporting stores. I was happy to be able to grab some gel & supplies at JackRabbit’s station along with my bib.
And for all those interested, I PR’ed by knocking ~1 minute off last year’s PR. My new half-marathon PR is 1:39:29, pace 7:35. I placed: 2,608/21,378 putting me in the top 12% of all finishers.
Now it’s time to kick off my 16-week marathon training. Let the long runs begin 😉
Last year the Brooklyn Half sold out in 10 hours! Sigh, it’s no longer just marathon races that close out fast. With so many people discovering the beauty, joy and love of running popular races of all distances sell out fast.
In 2012, my husband and I ran this race together (a rare occasion that happens 1-2 times a year). I love being able to get up just an hour or so beforehand to travel the 15 minutes from our apartment to the starting line. The Prospect Park start and Coney Island boardwalk finish is very Brooklyn 😉 Even though the stretch on the closed off highway is slightly boring I still enjoyed the race.
“Registration for the Brooklyn Half-Marathon will open for registration on Friday, February 15, at 12:00 noon EST. The race date—either Saturday, May 18, or Sunday, May 19—will be announced at the opening of registration.” http://www.nyrr.org/races-and-events
