Even if you won’t spend three hours running the New York City Marathon this Sunday, that doesn’t mean you have to sit on your butt at home.
Throughout Brooklyn’s 12-mile stretch of the 26.2-mile run, you can find live music and cheering zones that might even inspire you to start running yourself.
The race starts in earnest after the runners make it over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. Here’s where it heads after that point, which might even be in your backyard:
Mile 2: Bay Ridge
Spectators get their first glimpse of runners as the pack comes off the bridge. Crowds are relatively sparse here, and the view is spectacular.
Upon landing in Bay Ridge, the runners make their way up to 92nd Street, make a left, but are only going west until Fourth Avenue, where it’s north for six miles.
Miles 3–8: Fourth Avenue
It’s a straight shot for five miles here, as the marathon goes from 92nd Street all the way to Atlantic Avenue. Along the stretch, you’ll find more than 30 official entertainment spots, featuring live bands of various stripes. There’s also an official cheering zone at Fourth Avenue and Seventh Street, where, if you don’t have a fancy phone, you can check up on a friend or family member who’s running at one of the computer stations.
Miles 8–9: Fort Greene to Clinton Hill
Things get interesting here. The Brooklyn Academy of Music at Lafayette Avenue signals the eight-mile mark, where three lanes of the runners merge and you can get a sense of who’s leading. The runners make their way up Lafayette before turning north up Bedford Avenue. Station yourself at Bishop Loughlin HS at Greene and Clermont avenues and you can listen to the school’s band. If only the Brooklyn Flea operated on Sundays here.
Miles 10–12: Williamsburg
The winding Bedford Avenue provides another nice stretch for the marathon, as it snakes through South Williamsburg en route to McCarren Park.
Miles 12–13: Greenpoint
Speaking of which, McCarren Park makes for a nice destination, as the marathon cuts right through it. If you’re predisposed, get a to-go beer at the Turkey’s Nest (on Bedford Avenue and N. 12th Street). At Manhattan Avenue, the marathoners swing left, then right on Greenpoint Avenue for three blocks, before continuing north on McGuinness Boulevard. The Pulaski Bridge (closed to spectators) provides their gateway to Queens, whereupon the runners are, officially, dead to us.
