Popular Brooklyn Half Becomes Largest Half Marathon to Date in United States in 2018 With More Than 25,000 Finishers
New York, May 19, 2018—A total of 25,346 runners crossed the finish line at the Popular Brooklyn Half on Saturday, May 19, making it the largest half marathon to date in the United States in 2018.
This was the 38th running of the Popular Brooklyn Half, the second of five events in the NYRR Five-Borough Series. The course took runners through the heart of Brooklyn, beginning near the historic Brooklyn Museum, over the rolling hills of Prospect Park, through Grand Army Plaza, and down to the finish line on the world-famous Coney Island boardwalk.
Ethiopia’s Fikadu Girma Teferi, who ran a personal best 10K when he finished fourth at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K last month, won the men’s race in 1:04:20. His compatriot, Askale Merachi, who was sixth at the United Airlines NYC Half in March and 16th at the TCS New Yok City Marathon last November, won the women’s race in 1:12:26.
Olympic medalist and American record-holder Deena Kastor wore bib No. 19 in her 19th NYRR race, taking second in the women’s race in 1:15:13.
Saturday’s notable finishers included two NYRR Team for Kids Ambassadors, former NFL running back Tiki Barber and MLB sportscaster Sam Ryan, as well as Good Morning America anchor Amy Robach and competitive eater Yasir Salem, who participates annually in the hot dog eating contest on Coney Island.
Popular was the title sponsor of the Brooklyn Half for the first year, serving as the exclusive official bank of the 2018 Popular Brooklyn Half and strategic partner of the NYRR Five-Borough Series. More than 90 runners from Puerto Rico ran the race as part of Popular’s running team.
Race week kicked off with a three-day celebration highlighting the distinct culture of Brooklyn at the Popular Brooklyn Half Pre-Party presented by New Balance. Runners, friends, family, and the entire surrounding community enjoyed a free, unique experience filled with celebrations of fitness, hospitality, local food, and live musical performances at Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park from May 16-18.
Photos from Saturday’s race and the Popular Brooklyn Half Pre-Party Presented by New Balance will be made available shortly on NYRR’s online media center. In order to download them, you will first need to create a login. Once you’ve registered, select the “Photo Libraries” tab on the right. Please have photo credit read: Courtesy of NYRR. For any specific requests or media inquiries, please email media@nyrr.org.
In 2018, NYRR is celebrating 60 years of helping and inspiring 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, 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 www.nyrr.org.