New York, January 21, 2020 – New York Road Runners (NYRR), the world’s premier community running organization, will open registration to the general public for the Popular® Brooklyn Half, the largest half marathon in the United States on Wednesday, January 22, starting at 12:00 p.m. ET at www.nyrr.org.

More than 27,000 runners are expected to make the iconic 13.1-mile journey on Saturday, May 16. The 40th running of the Popular® Brooklyn Half will be the second of five events in the 2020 NYRR Five-Borough Series. The course will take runners through the heart of Brooklyn, beginning near the historic Brooklyn Museum and going around Grand Army Plaza, over the rolling hills of Prospect Park, and down to the finish line on the world-famous Coney Island boardwalk.

In 2019, the event sold out in hours, making it one of the fastest-selling races in the country.

“We’re excited for the 40th running of the Popular® Brooklyn Half this May,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of NYRR. “It’s always so amazing to see people of all ages and abilities running along the iconic and fun 13.1-mile course, through the many neighborhoods of the borough and then finish their race at the legendary Coney Island boardwalk.”

Popular Bank will be the title sponsor of the Brooklyn Half for the third consecutive year, serving as the exclusive official bank of the event and strategic partner of the NYRR Five-Borough Series.

Runners who received guaranteed entry to this year’s Popular® Brooklyn Half already claimed their race entries earlier this month, including participants in NYRR’s Virtual 6 program who completed six NYRR virtual races in 2019. If runners do not receive entry through the general public registration or by claiming their guaranteed entry, they can still obtain entry to the Popular® Brooklyn Half by running for NYRR Team for Kids. Team for Kids is NYRR’s largest charity and raises funds for NYRR’s free youth running programs for kids who would otherwise have little or no access to regular physical activity.

Last year, 26,840 runners crossed the finish line at the Popular® Brooklyn Half to make it the largest half marathon in the country in 2019. U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier Louis Serafini broke the course record by four seconds and Feyne Gudeto Gemeda of West Side Runners won the women’s race, while NFL legends Tiki Barber and D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Broadway actress Christy Altomare, model Ruby Aldridge, and chef Daniel Humm all took part in the event.

Race details for the 2020 Popular® Brooklyn Half can be found here.

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, free youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners.  To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.