Brooklyn’s original premier running event features 13.1-mile course from Prospect Park to iconic Coney Island boardwalk
More than 1,000 youth to participate in Boardwalk Kids Run, one of 20+ annual Rising New York Road Runners youth events encouraging kids to get physically active
New York, May 12, 2025 – New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit that “runs” New York City producing 60 annual adult and youth races including the TCS New York City Marathon, will host more than 28,000 runners during the RBC Brooklyn Half Saturday, May 17, as well as more than 1,000 youth in the accompanying Boardwalk Kids Run.
The original, premier Brooklyn running event for more than four decades, the RBC Brooklyn Half is one of the largest and most anticipated half marathons in the country. The 13.1-mile course takes runners on a journey through the Borough of Kings, starting in Prospect Park and ending on the iconic Coney Island boardwalk.
“The RBC Brooklyn Half has been New York Road Runners’ flagship Brooklyn race since 1981 and is a highlight of our year-round presence in the borough,” says Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners. “In addition to hosting six annual races that run in Brooklyn, we offer free and accessible programming across the borough as part of our vision of building healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running.”
New York Road Runners’ year-round programs in Brooklyn include:
- NYRR Open Run: Free, weekly community-led runs hosted in five neighborhood parks across Brooklyn that are regularly attended by more than 500 community members of all ages, abilities, and experience levels.
- Rising New York Road Runners: Free running-based youth program that helps more than 35,000 Brooklyn kids build the skills, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life.
- NYRR Striders: Free walking and fitness program with sessions hosted at four Brooklyn sites, including older adult and community centers, to help more than 80 Brooklyn-based older adults lead a more active life and meet new people in their community.
- NYRR Race Free: Provides race fee assistance and training to those who financially qualify to make running more accessible for 1,000 participants, including more than 200 Brooklyn residents, with complimentary race entries to events like the RBC Brooklyn Half and the TCS New York City Marathon.
- NYRR Group Training: Workout sessions in Prospect Park that meet four times a week to support more than 250 Brooklyn runners of all levels with coaching, camaraderie, and the inspiration that comes from running with others.
The RBC Brooklyn Half is the third of six races in New York Road Runners’ NYRR Five-Borough Series, which showcases New York Road Runners’ commitment to the individuals and communities in each borough and celebrates what makes each borough unique and inspiring. The other races in this series include the NYRR Manhattan 10K in February, the United Airlines NYC Half in March—the largest half marathon in New York Road Runners history with more than 28,600 finishers in 2025—the Citizens Queens 10K on June 14, the New Balance Bronx 10 Mile on September 14, and the NYRR Staten Island Half on October 12.
As the unofficial kickoff to summer, the 2025 RBC Brooklyn Half offers some exciting highlights and initiatives to look forward to:
RBC Partnership
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) will serve as both the exclusive title partner and exclusive financial services and investment banking partner of the RBC Brooklyn Half for the fourth consecutive year with activations on race day, as well as at the Pre-Party and After-Party festivities. As a purpose-driven global financial institution, RBC, like New York Road Runners, is strongly committed to giving back to communities.
At the Pre-Party, runners and their supporters can visit the Run Inspired with RBC interactive experience, which is designed to encourage runners before race day with motivational mantras at the Inspiration Wall, giveaways, and a photo moment for runners to create a custom trading card that can be shared on social media using #RBCBrooklynHalf, with RBC donating $1 for each post shared to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. An RBC-branded finish line photo moment will also be on display for runners celebrating at the After-Party.
Notable and Inspiring Runners
This year’s race will feature several notable, inspiring, and local Brooklyn runners, including:
- Alan Bersten: The “Dancing with the Stars” pro dancer will be running his first-ever race to push himself before returning to the next season of the show. To help make a positive impact around his first race, he’s raising money for NYRR Team for Kids, New York Road Runners’ premier charity that supports the nonprofit’s free youth and community programs.
- Matt James: The reality TV personality turned entrepreneur and four-time TCS New York City Marathon finisher will be back in Brooklyn to tackle the RBC Brooklyn Half. After the race, Matt will host his first-ever food festival, also in Brooklyn, the Love at First Bite Food Fest.
- Patina Miller: The actress, singer, and multiple-marathon finisher, who is currently starring in the Starz TV show “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” will be running her second RBC Brooklyn Half after recently completing the United Airlines NYC Half in March.
- Natalia Trevino Amaro: The Los Angeles-based sustainable fashion designer partnered with climate activist and former elite runner Tina Muir to create a running skirt from used gel wrappers. Tina has worn it at nearly every race for the past two years, and the two will run the 2025 RBC Brooklyn Half—Natalia’s first half marathon—together as part of NYRR Team for Climate wearing sustainable gear.
- Ryan Cutter: The winner of the 2024 RBC Brooklyn Half is returning, this time running with NYRR Team for Climate. A local elite athlete who won four NYRR races in 2024 with the Brooklyn Track Club, Ryan is a sustainability advocate who is running as part of NYRR Team for Climate for the first time after attending multiple NYRR-hosted plogs.
- Jaclyn Keely: A Brooklyn resident, she was diagnosed with lung cancer at just 28 years old in October. Once capable of running half marathons, after losing the lower lobe of her left lung she felt winded after walking a single block. This year, she’ll be back running the RBC Brooklyn Half a little slower and half a lung lighter—but crossing the finish line as a survivor.
- Chasity Velez Navarro: Chasity’s connection to Brooklyn runs deep—her grandparents emigrated from Puerto Rico in the 1930s and 1940s and built a life in Williamsburg, where she spent her weekends. After their passing in 2020 and 2023, Chasity felt she lost her link to Brooklyn, so she is running her first RBC Brooklyn Half as a tribute to them, their resilience, and to everything they built.
- Larry Sillen: A lifelong Brooklyn resident who has been a New York Road Runners member for more than 45 years, Larry has run at least 10 RBC Brooklyn Halfs. An NYRR volunteer since 1979, helping with everything from handing out bibs to hauling water from fire hydrants, Larry was inducted into the NYRR Volunteer Hall of Fame in April. At 80 years old, Larry is a familiar face at NYRR Open Runs across the city, especially at Marine Park in Brooklyn, where he grew up.
- Robert Denker: Robert has seen it all, from selling Good Humor ice cream on the beach near the RBC Brooklyn Half finish line in Coney Island at age 14 to finishing second in his age group during last year’s RBC Brooklyn Half. Now 81 years old, Robert has been running with NYRR since 1976 and has completed more races than he can count, with no plans to slow down.
RBC Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented by New Balance
From May 14 to May 16, runners will get a taste of Brooklyn before race day at the RBC Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented by New Balance, located on scenic Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and open to the public. Runners and supporters can:
- Pick up their bibs
- Shop for merchandise, stock up on products, and enjoy activations from New Balance, RBC, Maurten, Peloton, and Knockaround
- Visit the Running Lab and meet NYRR coaches, who will provide course strategy sessions to help you run your best race, and experts from Hospital for Special Surgery to learn how to prepare and recover with race-day tips and tricks
- Sip on drinks from Michelob ULTRA, as well as fun, themed cocktails, including “Road Runner-ita” margaritas and the “Shake Out Spritz”
- Dine from local food trucks
- Listen to music from live bands and DJs on the RBC Stage
- Find their names on the #RBCBrookynHalf Runner Wall Presented by TCS
- Enjoy waterfront views, lawn games, and photo activations
Boardwalk Kids Run
In addition to the adult half marathon, more than 1,000 kids will participate in free dashes and races as part of the Boardwalk Kids Run, one of more than 20 free Rising New York Road Runners youth events the nonprofit hosts during the year. The youth event will take place on Ocean Parkway, near mile 12 of the adult race, with kids running alongside the adult participants for a fun and rewarding experience that encourages them to be physically active and builds their confidence to cross any finish line. Participants will include members of Rising New York Road Runners, NYRR’s free running-based youth program that serves 200,000 students nationwide, with 100,000 students in New York City.
RBC Brooklyn Half After-Party
The race-day fun continues with post-race celebrations at the RBC Brooklyn Half After-Party in Coney Island at Maimonides Park baseball stadium, home to the Brooklyn Cyclones. In addition to entertainment, food, and drinks, runners and their supporters can enjoy a live taping of the NYRR Set the Pace Podcast Presented by Peloton. The podcast co-hosts, New York Road Runners CEO Rob Simmelkjaer and Peloton Instructor Becs Gentry, will be joined by “Dancing with the Stars” pro dancer Alan Bersten after he completes his first-ever race.
Sustainability Efforts
As part of New York Road Runners’ commitment to ensuring future generations have access to clean air, green spaces, and a healthy environment to run in, the nonprofit launched NYRR Team for Climate in 2024, a new entry method for NYRR’s three marquee races—the TCS New York City Marathon, United Airlines NYC Half, and RBC Brooklyn Half—in which runners raise funds to help support both New York Road Runners’ carbon offsetting and insetting initiatives. NYRR Team for Climate runners raised nearly $800,000 and offset the entire carbon footprint of the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon, and raised more than $140,000 and offset the entire carbon footprint of the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half.
New York Road Runners will continue the momentum during the RBC Brooklyn Half. In addition to welcoming 50 NYRR Team for Climate runners, race-day sustainability efforts include:
- Fully electric Volvo EX90s pace cars
- Finisher medals made with 100-percent recycled steel produced domestically and ribbons made from PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) recycled material
- Waste sorted by Green Team volunteers at five stations
- Discarded runner clothing from the start area collected and donated to All of Us Clothing
- Leftover food and recovery bags donated to City Harvest
- Gatorade and water cups composted at a farm in upstate New York
Ahead of race day, New York Road Runners will host a two-mile RBC Brooklyn Half Plogging Event Friday, May 16, at 5:30 p.m., encouraging runners to pick up trash while running. The event will take place at the RBC Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented by New Balance on Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and feature special guest Tina Muir, an environmental advocate and former elite marathoner.
NYRR App
New York Road Runners launched a new year-round app earlier this year to enhance the race-day experience. Participants, spectators, and supporters can now use one app for all New York Road Runners events, including the RBC Brooklyn Half. The NYRR App Developed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) keeps users conveniently connected to every race, runner, and milestone, with runner tracking and leaderboards, race-day information and alerts, and course maps. The NYRR App is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
NYRR Beyond the Finish Line Offers
After a successful launch at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon, NYRR Beyond the Finish Line will return, offering RBC Brooklyn Half athletes and their friends and families a unique opportunity to engage with New York City’s top cultural institutions. The program elevates the race experience for runners, offering free and discounted admissions, behind-the-scenes access, private tours, and meet-and-greet opportunities at participating nonprofits, historical sites, performing arts centers, and quintessential New York City attractions. For the RBC Brooklyn Half, NYRR Beyond the Finish programming includes special offers on Brooklyn Cyclones baseball games, discounted tickets to a New York City Football Club match on race day, and free admission to the Museum of Modern Art.
Mental Health Awareness Month
To honor Mental Health Awareness Month, New York Road Runners will offer a variety of in-person events, virtual challenges, and digital resources to encourage all New Yorkers to run or walk and improve their mental well-being leading up to the RBC Brooklyn Half. With one in three Americans experiencing loneliness, New York Road Runners’ 60 annual adult and youth races, community events, and free programming across the five boroughs are designed to foster social connections that reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and the risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia.
Learn more about New York Road Runners’ efforts to increase access to physical activity and community in May and year-round here.
Virtual RBC Brooklyn Half Powered by Strava
Runners unable to run the RBC Brooklyn Half can still participate in the event virtually, running 13.1 miles to celebrate the Brooklyn spirit from anywhere in the world, anytime between May 10 and May 18. Registration for the Virtual RBC Brooklyn Half Love of Running free and premium tier are still available. Participants who are registered for the Finisher Medal tier will be shipped a finisher medal after completing the race and collect credit for the NYRR 4 Out of 6 program to help earn guaranteed entry to the 2026 RBC Brooklyn Half.
About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
A New York City-based nonprofit, New York Road Runners’ vision is to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running – serving nearly a half a million people annually through its races, free community events, youth running initiatives, and school-based programs across the five boroughs. During its nearly 70 years, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, producing more than 60 adult and youth races each year, including the TCS New York City Marathon. Held the first Sunday each November, the TCS New York City Marathon features more than 50,000 runners—from the world’s best professional athletes to a vast range of runners across experience levels, ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.