Scenes from the Brooklyn Marathon and Brooklyn Half

Some 20,000 runners, and tons of cheering supporters, filled the streets from Greenpoint to Midwood to Prospect Park

After nine years of just doing loops around Prospect Park, the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Marathon and Half Marathon finally hit the streets on Sunday, with a new scenic course that made its way from Greenpoint to Williamsburg, Dumbo to Downtown Brooklyn, Prospect Heights to Crown Heights to Prospect Park, with a lengthy detour down to Midwood and back for those doing the complete 26.2 miles.

Jake Rost came across the river from Kips Bay to run the half marathon, and loved the new course. “It was so fun,” he told Brooklyn Magazine as he flashed his medal. “It’s beautiful out here. The course was great, it’s nice having the roads in Brooklyn closed off, though the out-and-backs—like on Eastern Parkway—were a little tough.”

When the race began at 7:00 a.m., launching onto Manhattan Avenue from McCarren Park, spectators were thin on the ground, but by the time the 19,297 runners started pouring into Prospect Park, the scene on the sidelines had gotten appropriately rowdy.

Bushwick resident Chrissy Michael was pumped. “Oh my gosh this spot is unbeatable!” she shouted over the sounds of the L Train Brass Band on Kent Avenue. “The band is phenomenal! I mean I’ve run Disney races, I’ve run the NYC marathon twice, but the energy here is incredible. I’m very convinced to do it next year.”

Winning the race is obviously not the point of the event for the vast majority of runners, but there was $100,000 in prize money handed out to the top runners, including a $5,000 first prize in each of the men’s, women’s, and non-binary fields in both the marathon and half marathon. Race winners who are New York City residents doubled their money with an additional $5,000 bonus. On Sunday, the marathon honors went to Aaron Mora, Jake Caswell, and Hirut Guangul. The half marathon winners were Teshome Mekonen, Winter Parts, and Lily Anderson.

Mostly, though, the day was about cheering for loved ones and strangers, gathering with friends, and, in no small part, celebrating Brooklyn. And the vibe overall was much more loose than what we’re accustomed to with the big five-borough New York City Marathon, especially in Prospect Park where exhausted runners, finishers wrapped in mylar, exuberant spectators, and neighborhood randos all shared the space around the Grand Army Plaza entrance.

“The course was really fun,” said Melody Feo of Crown Heights after finishing her half marathon. “The familiarity of the streets made it easier for me. I was able to enjoy the process of it. I didn’t train for the day at all; I’ve just been doing light running to get my mental sanity together, but I feel great right now. I feel like I could run another one!”

Here are some scenes from the race throughout the day—and throughout the borough.