New York, May 11, 2016—The 2016 Airbnb Brooklyn Half, the largest half-marathon in the United States with an expected 27,000 finishers this year, will bring almost a week’s worth of inspiration and activities to runners of all ages abilities and the surrounding communities of Brooklyn. Beginning Wednesday, May 18, the Airbnb Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented by New Balance, a free three-day festival open to the public, will kick off the week with three days of music, food, and programming at Pier 2, Brooklyn Bridge Park. Race day for the Airbnb Brooklyn Half, and the second annual one-mile NYRR Kids’ Boardwalk Run, is set for Saturday, May 21.  

“The Airbnb Brooklyn Half provides days of excitement and activity for more than 27,000 runners and the entire Brooklyn community,” said Peter Ciaccia, president of events of New York Road Runners and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. “Working closely with our city partners, we are able to transform Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park to showcase what makes this borough special. We invite everyone to celebrate the week with us at the Airbnb Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented by New Balance, and to come out to cheer and spectate along the course on race day.”

The Airbnb Brooklyn Half will take runners through the heart of Brooklyn, from the historic Brooklyn Museum, through Grand Army Plaza, over the rolling hills of Prospect Park, and down to the finish line on the world-famous Coney Island boardwalk. After the finish, runners can take in all of the classic offerings of Coney Island—hot dogs, beer, roller-coaster rides, stilt walkers—and additional programming and entertainment. A post-race festival will take place for the third year at MCU Park (the Brooklyn Cyclones’ stadium) for all to enjoy food, beer, and live entertainment directly following the finish.

New York Road Runners’ adult charity running team, Team for Kids, will have over 1,400 participants on the course, running in support of NYRR’s free youth running programs, events, and resources that support 200,000 youth across the nation.

NYRR Kids’ Boardwalk Run

The second-annual NYRR Kids’ Boardwalk Run at the Airbnb Brooklyn Half, part of the NYRR Youth Running Series, will bring an estimated 1,000 high school, middle school, and elementary school students, including those from NYRR’s Mighty Milers and Young Runners youth running programs, to Coney Island for a one-mile out-and-back course along one of the world’s most celebrated stretches of the boardwalk, at the Airbnb Brooklyn Half finish line.

“There are so many fantastic elements that make up the Airbnb Brooklyn Half,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “We are especially excited about the NYRR Kids’ Boardwalk Run, which will be the culminating event of race week and race day, giving our youth runners and families, and all of our participants, something special to celebrate together. The finish line at the Coney Island boardwalk will be an inspiring place to be on May 21.”

Elite Runners Lead the Pack

The race will feature a men’s and women’s seeded athlete program comprised of talented elite runners and NYRR members. Runners will vie for a $5,000 prize purse, including a $1,000 first-place prize to the top male and female finishers.

The biggest American name in the field is 2014 USA Marathon Champion Esther Erb Atkins, who also competed at the 2015 IAAF World Championships and qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Joining her from the international side will be Thailand’s Jane Vongvorachoti, who has already qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Marathon and was the 2014 NYRR Runner of the Year.

Airbnb Hosts Brooklyn

The world's largest home sharing company, Airbnb, is the Official Community Hospitality Partner of New York Road Runners and the title sponsor of the largest half-marathon in the United States. Airbnb has 15,000 hosts in Brooklyn, who have welcomed over 430,000 travelers to the borough.

Airbnb continues to build stronger ties to the Brooklyn community by using its platform to show how home sharing enriches neighborhoods and provides a local lens on what makes Brooklyn a great place to live, work, and visit.  

"We're proud to continue our partnership with New York Road Runners as the title sponsor of the Airbnb Brooklyn Half for the second year in a row,” said Melissa O’Young, Head of Community, New York. “Events like this are an opportunity to put the spotlight on the wonderful people and neighborhoods that make this borough someplace special. Through our Run into the Best of Brooklyn campaign, we are honored to help by connecting our vibrant host community to the thousands of visitors who want to experience Brooklyn like a local."

In celebration of the race, Airbnb rolled out a “Run into the Best of Brooklyn” campaign across digital, out-of-home, and social channels, interactive guidebooks that feature host-recommended local businesses, and a social media campaign showcasing hosts who are incredibly passionate about helping their guests experience Brooklyn like a local. The Run into the Best of Brooklyn campaign will unlock the real Brooklyn by showcasing hosts’ favorite local gems from restaurants to parks to historical landmarks. Finally, Airbnb has set up a hotline so visitors and locals alike can easily access host local recommendations at (718) 885-4228.

New Balance Celebrates Brooklyn

New Balance returns for the fourth year as the official footwear and apparel sponsor of the Airbnb Brooklyn Half and remains the presenting sponsor of the pre-party, which has become an annual destination in the borough. This celebratory, free, three-day event will take place at Pier 2, Brooklyn Bridge Park May 18-20, inviting runners, family, friends, and the public to experience the energy and diversity of Brooklyn.

To kick off the pre-party, at an opening event, New Balance will be providing shoes to youth runners from NYRR’s Young Runners program who will be running in the NYRR Kids’ Boardwalk Run.

The pre-party will serve as much more than the main hub for race material pickup, and will be filled with celebrations of hospitality, fitness, local food, and live musical performances. Various local food vendors and trucks will be on site, including the Mac Truck, Takumi Taco, Chickpea & Olive, and others, for all to experience the flavor of Brooklyn, along with local brewery Sixpoint Brewery and Red Hook Winery.  Live musical performances will take place each evening.

The Airbnb Brooklyn Half Pre-Party presented by New Balance will feature official New Balance branded merchandise, including performance running technical apparel, cotton lifestyle apparel, sublimated race-day singlets and the latest from the spring 2016 footwear collection. Activities at the Airbnb Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented by New Balance will include race shirt customization, free local coffee by Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters, and Instagram photo printing.

TCS Powers Brooklyn

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the year-round Premier Partner of New York Road Runners, will aid runners with their race-day strategies at the NYRR Running Lab. NYRR coaches will walk runners through a mile-by-mile course strategy session via Course Strategy Sessions Powered by TCS. The NYRR Race Predictor, also powered by TCS, will take a runner’s data, including training paces and recent race times, to calculate the best strategy and predicted finish time. Pace bands will be available to help keep runners on track throughout the race. Nutrition information for products available on the course will be provided in this space.

NYRR Partners with Coney Island

As part of the 2016 Airbnb Brooklyn Half, New York Road Runners will continue its partnership with the Alliance for Coney Island. The partnership’s purpose is to support the collection of unique, independent businesses and attractions that make up Coney Island. Participating Alliance members will provide race day offers to encourage runners and spectators to eat, shop, and celebrate in Coney Island after the race. NYRR will be promoting participating businesses and their offers during the week leading up to the race. The long-standing partnership has proven to be a successful way to jumpstart business leading up to Coney Island’s official opening on Memorial Day weekend.

Additional information on the Airbnb Brooklyn Half and the Airbnb Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented by New Balance can be found at www.nyrr.org.

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth running initiatives, school programs, 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 nyrr.org.