The Brooklyn Marathon will take a brand new form when it returns in the spring of 2022, organizers announced on June 16.
After starting out as a loop through Prospect Park then expanding to include neighborhoods surrounding the park, the newly routed race will take runners on a tour of some of Kings County’s most iconic sights.
“The idea is ultimately to hit all of those iconic parts that we have on the route, with the least impact to traffic and parking possible,” said Steve Lastoe, the founder of NYCRUNS, which has organized the marathon for over 10 years.“Which we accomplish by hugging the waterfront, fortunately, that works out very nicely because you have all these great views.”
The exact route is still being finalized, but organizers say they are planning for a start in north Brooklyn where runners will jog along the waterfront past the Brooklyn Navy Yard and into Dumbo. They will then make their way to Grand Army Plaza by way of Fulton Street to Flatbush Avenue, where they will have the choice of either finishing the race by taking laps in Prospect Park or continuing on to Coney Island.
“This is going to be a lot more interesting because we’ve created this from scratch for the most part,” Lastoe said. “Parts of it are very easy, going to Coney Island is not hard, but a lot of it is very new. From an operations point of view that’s going to be very challenging and also pretty exciting.”
The race will take place on April 24, 2022 in what city Recovery Czar Lorraine Grillo celebrated as a community-centric event that brings people together across the borough.
“We look forward to seeing the excitement of camaraderie and personal achievement that the Brooklyn Marathon and Half Marathon will bring to new corridors while supporting local businesses uplifting neighborhoods throughout the borough,” Grillo said.
According to Lastoe, what sets the Brooklyn Marathon apart from other marathons is its emphasis on the local.
“Our approach is more locally-oriented overall,” he said. “The goal for the event has always really been to develop an event that has strong continuity with local business and local nonprofits.”
“This is the race we promised New York City over 10 years ago, and I think it’s going to play a huge role in tourism and supporting local non-profits and small businesses,” he added.
Update 5/3/2024, 5:39 p.m.: This story previously featured a photo of the New York Road Runners Brooklyn Half Marathon, not the NYCRuns Brooklyn Marathon. We regret the error.
