Course & Elevation

The RBC Brooklyn Half is the half marathon of New York Road Runners (NYRR), held on a Saturday in mid-May, and in 2026 it was the largest half marathon in the United States with 30,341 finishers. NYRR counts the race from 1981, and the 2026 edition was the 44th running. The 2027 edition is listed for 22 May 2027. The race starts near the Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden, makes a full loop of Prospect Park, then follows Ocean Parkway south for about 5.5 miles and finishes on the Coney Island boardwalk. For most of its early years the race ran entirely inside Prospect Park over a series of hills; from 1996 it ran from the Coney Island boardwalk to Prospect Park, and since May 2009 it has run from Prospect Park to the boardwalk, with nearly 10,000 runners that first year. Entry is by NYRR guaranteed-entry programmes, time qualifiers and a general drawing. The race is part of the NYRR Five-Borough Series. In 2026 Abraham Longosiwa won the men's race in 1:04:32 and Fatima Alanis the women's in 1:13:11.

Course Facts

Distance 21.0975 km
Elevation Gain ≈ 145 m
Surface road
Profile Flat

Weather

Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record

16°C

Temperature

70%

Humidity

37%

Rain Chance

Mid-May in New York is mild: highs average about 20°C and lows about 12°C, with rain on around eleven days of the month. NYRR started the 2026 race under a yellow flag because of warm weather.

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