By Kaitlyn Dibello (IG)

If you’re reading this - then you’ve made it! Through all the training and work you’re about to run the New York Road Runners RBC Brooklyn Half! So what should you expect on race day?

From the ups and downs of Prospect Park to the Coney Island Boardwalk, here’s your guide to being successful. If you need a pace strategy customized for the race, use our handy pace calculator!

The Start

You’ll start next to the Brooklyn Museum. Pay attention to your wave and start time. Different waves have different starts and entrances, and you’ll want to make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get through security. It’s better to be early than run the risk of missing your wave start time!

The First 5K

Once you start, you’ll start on a downhill past the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Be careful here! Pre-race jitters and a downhill start can lead to you being pulled out too fast, burning energy you’ll need later. Then you’ll make a right hand turn and head up towards the Brooklyn Museum. Welcome to your first hill of the day. Don’t stress if your mile split is slightly slower than goal race pace, and remember you’re going uphill and paces are normally slower on a hill.

Once you hit the Brooklyn Museum, you’ll wrap around Grand Army Plaza. Take in the views, relax, find your footing and place among the crowds. Then, enjoy the downhill and open your stride up as you head back down towards the bottom of Prospect Park.

Don’t worry if people start flying by you! Some people take downhills super fast, but you have a lot of race left. At the bottom of the park you’ll make a right and head along the side road to the park entrance. By this time you’ll have run around 3 miles - a perfect chance to check in on how you’re feeling and take in fluids and nutrition.

Miles 4-7

Welcome to Prospect Park (and its infamous hills)! This is where you’ll hit basically all of the hills on the course.

Plug in and listen to your body. Again, pace is normally slower on hills so don’t panic if your mile splits are slower than goal pace. If you’re near a pace group let them do the work, and attach onto them for the ride. Once you’ve hit the top of Battle Hill, let the rolling hills/downhills pull you through the rest of the park.

There will be a Maurten gel station around 10K - if you need it, take it. But remember: NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY. If it’s warm (and I sure hope it’s not too warm!) look out for misters to take advantage of that will cool your body down. As you hit the end of the park, celebrate a little bit: you’re halfway home to medals and celebrations.

Miles: 8-11

Welcome to Ocean Parkway. My first tip: DON’T PAY ATTENTION TO THE STREET SIGNS! While it may seem simple to just go from A to Z and be done, that is not the case. There is no Avenue Q, and once you hit Avenue Z you still have miles left. If you only look for the alphabet, it will mess with your mind.

Ocean Parkway itself is not pancake flat, so make sure you have energy left for the rolling hills. While they aren’t massive hills, they are important to keep in your mind. Ocean Parkway does not offer much shade either, so pay attention to how your body is feeling. If you start to feel too hot - dump some water on your head, drink a Gatorade, take a Salt Stick, run through sprinklers and walk if you have to.

Another tip: get a good song or mantra in your head. While there are spectators and teams out cheering, it is quieter than the first half of the course, so do what you’ve got to do to keep yourself motivated. Focus on a group ahead of you and try to catch them. Find a pacer if you're near one, or pick a fellow runner and make it your goal to not let them gain more distance. While it seems silly, it will help!

Miles 12-13

You’re almost there! You’ve survived ocean parkway and are on the turn toward home. You turn off of ocean parkway right around mile 11.5-12. Plug in and go for it! This is where if you have energy left you can make up ground or make moves on others. You’ll know you’re close when you see the cyclone and the famous Coney Island boardwalk. The crowds will start to swell and cheer you towards home. Take those cheers as momentum and let it fill you towards the finish.

The Last 0.1

You’ll make two more turns. 1. left turn up onto the boardwalk ramp. As in true NYRR fashion, yes this is a hill. But you’ll hardly notice it. You’ll see the North Brooklyn Runners crew right around there, so take in those cheers and high fives!!

Then, you’ll make one last turn onto the boardwalk and see the finish. This is it! Whatever’s left in the tank give it what you’ve got!! Celebrate as you cross that finish line!!

Finish

Congrats you’ve made it!!

Make sure to get your recovery bag and take time to let your body cool down. Phone service can get a little spotty at the finish, so if you’re meeting someone have a pre-planned spot. The Cyclones Stadium is a good spot, but it gets busy. I’ve also used Nathan’s as a destination, though on the road instead of the boardwalk where it’s a little easier to move. A lot of people will head to the cheer spot to join up with the team, so that’s also a good spot!

People will also jump in the ocean so that’s also a positive!!

Most importantly have fun and enjoy the ride! You did all the hard work so the race is the victory lap!

Make sure to check out our pace calculator! It gives you mile-by-mile splits and has race presets, including the NYRR Brooklyn Half, which gives you paces adjusted by the elevation of the course. Remember to take into account the weather on the day as well!

Open Pace Calculator