New York, May 11, 2026 – 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 and providing free year-round youth and community programs, will host 29,000 adult athletes of all ages and abilities for the 2026 RBC Brooklyn Half Saturday, May 16, as well as more than 1,000 youth in the accompanying Boardwalk Kids Run.

Known as the unofficial kickoff to summer, the RBC Brooklyn Half has been the borough’s original and premier half marathon since 1981 and is now one of the country’s largest half marathons. The race will take athletes on a 13.1-mile celebration and tour of the Borough of Kings, beginning in Prospect Park and ending on the iconic Coney Island boardwalk.

“The RBC Brooklyn Half is more than a single-day race for New York Road Runners,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, New York Road Runners CEO. “From programming, activations, and family-friendly experiences before, during, and after the race, we’re excited to give 29,000 athletes the ultimate Brooklyn experience to mark the unofficial kickoff to summer.”

Brooklyn’s vibrant and diverse running community will be on full display at the RBC Brooklyn Half, as about 20% of the field calls the borough home. The most represented zip codes and neighborhoods in the race include: 11201 (DUMBO, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights), 11215 (Park Slope), 11238 (Prospect Park, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights, Fort Greene), 11217 (Boerum Hill, Park Slope, Prospect Heights), and 11222 (Greenpoint). Local running club presence will be led by Prospect Park Track Club, North Brooklyn Runners, Brooklyn Track Club, and South Brooklyn Run Club.

While the RBC Brooklyn Half is the nonprofit’s marquee event in the borough, New York Road Runners hosts six other races that run in Brooklyn, as well as free year-round programming for Brooklynites of all ages.

New York Road Runners’ slate of Brooklyn programs and initiatives include:

•NYRR Open Run: Free, weekly community-led runs and walks hosted in five neighborhood parks across Brooklyn that are regularly attended by around 900 community members.

•Rising New York Road Runners: Free running-based youth program that encourages more than 32,000 Brooklyn students ages 2 to 18 to be physically active for life.

•NYRR Striders: More than 200 older adults attend free Striders walking and fitness sessions at four Brooklyn community and older adult centers, helping them lead a more active life and create community.

•NYRR Race Free: Nearly 300 Brooklyn residents qualify to receive race fee assistance through the program, which offers 4,000 complimentary race entries, including to the RBC Brooklyn Half and TCS New York City Marathon, to 1,000 New Yorkers.

•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 the country with 30,267 finishers in 2026—the Citizens Queens 10K on June 20, the New Balance Bronx 10 Mile on September 19, and the NYRR Staten Island Half on October 11. Throughout 2026, New York Road Runners is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the five-borough New York City Marathon course, which first brought the race to the city’s streets, including miles two through 13 in Brooklyn.

Media interested in covering the 2026 RBC Brooklyn Half on-site can apply for a Media Credential here: https://www.nyrr.org/media-center/media-credentials.

Highlights and initiatives to look forward to during 2026 RBC Brooklyn Half race week include:

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 fifth consecutive year, with activations on race day, as well as at the Expo 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 Expo, runners and supporters can visit the RBC Hype Zone, an interactive on-site experience designed to build race-weekend energy and celebrate the journey to the start line. Guests can enjoy a signature Brooklyn-inspired photo moment, daily exclusive giveaways, and share their personalized keepsake on social media using #RBCBrooklynHalf. For every public post shared using that hashtag, RBC will donate $1 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), up to $10,000, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. At the post-race After-Party, once runners cross the finish line, RBC is bringing back their branded finish line photo moment—giving all participants the chance to capture their victory with a celebratory photo.

RBC Brooklyn Half Expo Presented by New Balance

Race week will kick off with the RBC Brooklyn Half Expo Presented by New Balance from May 13-15 in Prospect Park at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, located steps away from the RBC Brooklyn Half start line.

The new Expo location in the heart of Prospect Park will get runners and supporters into the Brooklyn spirit while they pick up their bibs and race souvenirs, catch course strategy sessions from New York Road Runners coaches, grab official merchandise from New Balance, enjoy specialty food, drinks, and sponsor activations from RBC, Shokz, Fleet Feet, Maurten, and Knockaround, play lawn games, and participate in photo opportunities, including a giant RBC Brooklyn Half medal. Runners can also visit the NYRR360 to learn more about New York Road Runners’ year-round programs.

Runner Health and Safety

As part of New York Road Runners’ commitment to runner health and safety and ensuring every participant has a positive and safe race experience, free, hands-only CPR training is offered at all three marquee race expos—the United Airlines NYC Half, RBC Brooklyn Half, and TCS New York City Marathon. The initiative kicked off at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo Presented by New Balance in November, and, for the first time, RBC Brooklyn Half Expo attendees can participate in free and quick training sessions to learn basic CPR and potentially save a life.

CPR training is one of several educational resources that New York Road Runners offers throughout the year to equip runners, spectators, and volunteers with the knowledge and tools to act quickly in an emergency. Other resources include a landing page on the NYRR website with essential runner safety resources like a NYRR Set the Pace Presented by Peloton podcast episode with New York Road Runners Medical Director Dr. Matt Friedman of CrowdRx, race-day best practices, guidance on identifying warning signs and when to seek medical care, details on medical and aid stations along the course, and instructions for performing hands-only CPR.

Notable and Inspiring Runners

This year’s race will feature several notable, inspiring, and local Brooklyn runners, including:

•Errol Barnett: CBS News anchor and national correspondent

•Keri René Fuller: Broadway performer currently starring as Elphaba in “Wicked” running her first-ever race before performing

•Matt James: Reality TV personality turned entrepreneur, five-time TCS New York City Marathon finisher, and New York City resident

•Patina Miller: Tony-Award-winning Broadway star and supporter of NYRR Team for Kids

•Vinny Guadagnino: Reality TV star running as part of his “Vinny Runs the City” journey

•Peloton instructors Camila Ramon and Mariana Fernandez

•Alexander Yu (Upper East Side): Third-year medical student and NYRR Race Free participant running his first half marathon

•Alina Santamaria (East Williamsburg, Brooklyn): Pastry chef originally from Argentina who decided to start running at least 10 minutes every day in 2023 to manage her depression while she could not afford therapy

•Beatriz Diaz (New Rochelle, N.Y.): Social worker in The Bronx who started running after the stillbirth of her son four years ago and is running her first RBC Brooklyn Half

•Harjinder Singh (Bellrose, Queens): A Sikh and Punjabi athlete who runs in a turban to champion Sikh representation and the founder of the Iron Darbar Run Club to mentor young athletes who look like him

•Jessica Aguilar (Coney Island, Brooklyn): Coney Island resident who lost seven percent of her leg and was told she would never run again after being hit by a drunk driver in 2021 and is running her first RBC Brooklyn Half while her young daughter participates in the Boardwalk Kids Run

•Kristin Smith (Darien, Conn.,): A mother of two who uses running to manage her depression

•Teresa Hui (Brighton Beach, Brooklyn): An Achilles International athlete and final finisher who will sing the National Anthem before running to the finish line, which is right around the corner from her home

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, including its marquee event, the TCS New York City Marathon Kids Kickoff. 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 Brooklyn 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. Runners, spectators, and their loved ones can enjoy entertainment and food and drinks for the whole family.

NYRR Beyond the Finish Line

The NYRR Beyond the Finish Line program will return, offering RBC Brooklyn Half athletes and their friends and families exclusive discounts and experiences during race week that capture what makes Brooklyn unique, vibrant, and fun.

The program provides free and discounted admissions, exclusive behind-the-scenes access, private tours, and meet-and-greet opportunities at participating sporting events, performing arts centers, and quintessential Brooklyn attractions, including the Brooklyn Cyclones, New York Liberty, New York Aquarium, and SailGP.

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 in which to run and be active, the nonprofit will debut several Culligan Filtered Water Refill Stations with its Official Water Solutions Partner Culligan at the start and finish of the RBC Brooklyn Half. These large-scale hydration stations are designed to enhance taste and address contaminants such as lead and microplastics, creating better race-day hydration experiences while helping reduce reliance on single-use plastic water bottles and traditional water coolers, minimizing the event’s environmental impact. This initiative represents an extension of New York Road Runners' long-term partnership with Culligan, grown around sustainability and the promotion of a reuse-based model.

The RBC Brooklyn Half course will also feature a volunteer-led water refill station located 30 feet from the traditional fluid stations at miles 4, 6, and 8, giving runners the opportunity to refill their own cups, water bottles, or hydration vests directly.

NYRR Team for Climate will return for the RBC Brooklyn Half with 60 runners fundraising to support New York Road Runners’ sustainability initiatives. Launched in 2024, NYRR Team for Climate is an entry method for NYRR’s three marquee races—the TCS New York City Marathon, United Airlines NYC Half, and RBC Brooklyn Half—and has raised more than $1.7 million, including more than $44,000 during the 2025 RBC Brooklyn Half, to deliver a more environmentally friendly racing experience for all runners.

Additional sustainability initiatives during the 2026 RBC Brooklyn Half include:

•Making all finisher medals with 100 percent recycled steel produced domestically and with ribbons produced from PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) recycled material

•Using fully electric Volvo EX90s pace and support cars

•Deploying Green Team volunteers to sort waste at two stations

•Collecting and donating discarded runner clothing from the start area to All of Us Clothing, with 990 pounds of clothing donated from last year’s race

•Donating leftover food and recovery bags to City Harvest, with nearly 10,000 pounds of food donated from last year’s race

•Composting Gatorade and water cups at a compost farm in upstate New York

•Providing reusable aluminum water bottles to finishers upon crossing the finish line, courtesy of Culligan, the Official Water Solutions Partner of the RBC Brooklyn Half; participants are encouraged to reuse and refill these bottles beyond race day

NYRR App

Participants, spectators, and supporters can access runner tracking, race-day information and alerts, and course maps through the NYRR App Developed by Tata Consultancy Services. The NYRR App is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Mental Health Awareness Month

During Mental Health Awareness Month, New York Road Runners will offer a series of in-person activities, virtual challenges, free community programming, and digital resources designed to get New Yorkers moving and help them build community. With research showing that just 15 minutes of running or walking a day can reduce the risk of major depression by up to 26 percent, New York Road Runners’ full slate of races, community events, and free year-round programming champion social connectedness, reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as the risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia.

Learn more about New York Road Runners’ efforts to increase access to movement, community, and connection 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 and finishing on their own Coney Island boardwalk from anywhere in the world, anytime May 9–17. Registration for the Virtual RBC Brooklyn Half Love of Running free and premium tiers 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 2027 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 more than 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.