With the NYC Half Marathon 2019 in the rear view mirror, I wanted to continue my journey towards running it again in 2020. To do so would require running 4 of the 6 borough races (NYC Half Marathon, Brooklyn Half Marathon, Queens 10k, Bronx 10M, Staten Island Half Marathon, and Manhattan 7M), and the second one of the year would be the NYRR Popular Brooklyn Half Marathon.
The NYRR Popular Brooklyn Half Marathon is the largest half marathon in the United States at 26,818 runners. With that many runners, the race is run in two waves, of which I was supposed to start in the first wave, but the MTA had other ideas. Due to the 4 train running local, I joined Andrea in the second wave and prepared to start 45 minutes later than planned.
The race started with a crowded half mile run south on Washington Avenue before turning right onto Flatbush Avenue for an out and back that looped around Grand Army Plaza and back down to Ocean Avenue. Making a right onto Parkside Avenue around the edge of Prospect Park brought us to the three mile and 5k markers. At the 3.5 mile point we turned into the park and made a 3.5 mile loop around the park. From there it was a quick run onto Ocean Parkway and a hot 5 mile run straight down towards Coney Island. The heat and lack of shade had an effect on my last miles, but I was able to push through to get to Surf Avenue and the ramp leading to the boardwalk for a short 400 meter run to the finish line.
While I thought I hadn’t trained enough for the NYRR Popular Brooklyn Half Marathon, I was still able to finish the race in 2:14:25. Now to start preparing for the NYRR Queens 10k in June as I continue working towards the 2020 NYRR NYC Half Marathon.
