Brooklyn Marathon

I was excited to run this marathon as I am a brooklyn resident and was prideful to take place in such a race in my borough. The marketing for this race was marathon everything. NYC runs made it known that this marathon was a massive deal. In reality? This was a half marathon and then marathoners did a down and back on ocean avenue to get to 26.2. A majority of the racers in this event were half marathoners (although their shirts and medals all said marathon, make sense, right?). The first half of the course was honestly great. If you were a marathoner, you were only running with marathoners. The second loop of prospect park was horrid. I had to finish the race along side a massive slog of walking half marathoners and people just biking in the route I guess? I felt the marathoners were an after thought. The majority half marathoners were used as funding to financially support this inaugural 'marathon' as a clout and cash grab for NYC runs.

If you love the Prospect Park Hill of Death so much that you want to run it at Mile 15 and AGAIN at Mile 25 (while the half marathoners get to skip it altogether), I have found the race for you. "A cruel course" is how my friends described the elevation map. If you like not one but TWO out-and-back runs (that may be uphill both ways), I have found the race for you. If you enjoy being subjected to surprise metal detector THEATER at the start of your marathon, I have found the race for you. If you don't really need to know your times or pace, except at a few random mile markers, I have found the race for you. If, after running 26.2 miles, you have no desire to eat a bite of food or to see your family, I have found the race for you. If you want some of the most difficult miles of the race (17-22) to also be the most tedious out-and-back with the fewest spectators and least interesting landscape, I have the race for you (seriously, it's as if this was really a Half Marathon course, with the Full Marathon added on as an afterthought). And on a less snarky note: If you would appreciate a scenic tour of historic Brooklyn neighborhoods as Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights and Flatbush, before heading through a loud and enthusiastic tunnel of spectators cheering you on into beautiful Prospect Park, I have the race for you. Again, I would recommend running the Half Marathon - as more than 17,000 of the 20,000 entrants had the good sense to do. If you enjoy a big, splashy, slightly tacky medal (as I very much do), I definitely have the race for you. Bottom Line: I was excited to run Brooklyn's first full marathon whose course extended beyond Prospect Park. However, this was a very challenging course, and I think needlessly so. Did any runners look it over before it was finalized? It works much better as a half marathon, until some major changes are made. You can start by scrapping the metal detectors at the start.

The 2022 New and improved version of the Brooklyn Marathon. The race run by NYCRUNS was bigger and better than ever. Of course, there were a few snags to contend with as it was the first time this organization was doing a race with this large number of runners. Brooklyn marathon has been ongoing for 10 years - in 2018 & 2019 in exited the confines of Prospect Park and ran about 10 miles on the streets surrounding the park - mainly using the old Rock & Roll Half Marathon course. In 2022 the race expanded and showcased new and interesting areas of Brooklyn. The race was combines with a Half Marathon with about 20,000 finishers between both races, about a 75/25 split Half/Full. As this was my 53rd marathon let me give you a review as best as I can recall Course: New this year was the first 10 miles through the northern areas of Brooklyn. Williamsburg, DUMBO, etc. Starting near McCarren Park and winding through the waterfront areas. Passing under the 3 East River bridges, Williamsburg, Manhattan & Brooklyn bridges with beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline. After passing the Brooklyn Bridge and waterfront park area runners traveled through Old Fulton Street and Fulton Street to emerge on Flatbush Avenue going towards Barclays Center and Grand Army Plaza. From there an eastward trek through the iconic Eastern Parkway and back toward Grand Army Plaza into Prospect Park. One ½ loop for the Half Marathoners and a full loop for the full Marathoners (once up the big hill). From there the Full Marathoners exited the park at Grand Army Plaza and proceeded south around the park toward Ocean Parkway for a out and back loop, then back into the park for 1 more loop up the hill to the finish line. While the first half of the Full was interesting the second half has the out and back of Ocean Parkway and leaves a lot of open space. The slight problem arises for the fast runners when returning for the last 2 miles, you will encounter slow half runners blocking your way. Swag: Nice runners short sleeve runner's shirt (adidas) and big, beautiful medal for the finishers. Plenty of food after the race (bagels with cream cheese and apples, Gatorade, and water. There was some much food that as a slow runner we were given bags of bagels to take home. The finishing area in the park is a large grass field and makes it easy to find friends to bring you support. Spectators: What surprised me the most was the number of spectators cheering for the runners early in the morning. In the early stages (along the waterfront areas) there was quite a lot of spectators considering the early morning hours. When the runners arrived around the Brooklyn Bridge area the crowd stated to grow. On Flatbush Avenue and Grand Army Plaza the crowd was at least 10 deep similar to the NYC marathon. The fans in and around Prospect Park were astounding. I was greatly surprised of the amount of cheering. Brooklynites really showed up and supported. Issues: Being the first time NYCRUNS had a race this large you expect a few snags. The start area was very hectic with little direction. Being that runners had to enter a NYPD checkpoint it was a bit slow (rumors had the opening delayed until 6AM) Being that the Full Marathoners had to use Wave 1 at 7AM. I did not enter until 7:20 AM. If you are in contention for awards and prizes this can put a damper on your race. More help and signage at the staging area is needed. As for bag check it is best not to check a bag. Now the course does loop around Prospect Park so fast runners will encounter slow Half Marathoners around mile 25 near Grand Army Plaza and Full Marathoners doing their first loop around mile 24, there is clear signage that a merge of runners will occur. It would be nice if the part of the Full would avoid Ocean Parkway and make a deter around other part s of Brooklyn. Many races use Ocean Parkway as its course and it can get quite boring, though it is flat. In conclusion the race was 4/5. It has some issues but that was to be expected for a large new race. It is bound to improve with minor tweaks. It has the potential to become the spring marathon of choice in NYC area and can complement the NYC Marathon in the fall. Maybe a joint medal for completing both races. (Are you listening NYRR)