New York, May 16, 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, hosted a record-breaking 30,341 athletes during today’s RBC Brooklyn Half, the borough’s original and premier half marathon since 1981. Today’s finisher count set a record as the largest half marathon in RBC Brooklyn Half and NYRR history, as well as the largest in the country.

The 13.1-mile race—known as the unofficial kickoff to summer—took athletes on a tour of Brooklyn, beginning in Prospect Park and ending on the iconic Coney Island boardwalk. The borough’s vibrant running community was on full display, with more than 20 percent of finishers residing in Brooklyn, and the most represented zip codes and neighborhoods including: 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).

In his New York Road Runners and half marathon debut, Abraham Longosiwa broke the tape in 1:04:32, adding to a celebratory weekend as he graduates from Hofstra University Sunday, May 17. Longosiwa finished just three seconds ahead of runner-up Ryan Kutch of Central Park Track Club, and eight seconds ahead of third-place finisher Owen Ritz of New York Athletic Club.

“This is a good step in my long-distance running career. I’ve been running 5Ks, 10Ks, and [today was] my first half marathon, so this is impressive to me,” said Longosiwa following his victory. “I’m graduating tomorrow, so I’m going to sleep a little bit tonight, and tomorrow I’ll be celebrating two things: my graduation ceremony, and my [RBC Brooklyn Half] win.”

On the women’s side, Upper East Side resident Fatima Alanis of Central Park Track Club stormed to victory in her RBC Brooklyn Half debut, running 1:13:11, 14 seconds ahead of her coach and second-place woman Roberta Groner. Central Park Track Club swept the first four finish positions, with Madison Offstein and Kidan Kidane finishing third and fourth.

“I moved to New York City a year ago, and I knew I wanted to do as many New York Road Runners races as possible, and I thought, ‘I want to get a good year of training, and this is the perfect timing and the perfect race,'” said Alanis at the finish line. &ldquo'The people cheering and running the streets of Brooklyn [made the RBC Brooklyn Half] so special.”

In the nonbinary division, hometown runner Danica Reinicke of Brooklyn Track Club won their first RBC Brooklyn Half title in 1:18:17. They were followed by Jacob Caswell and J Solle of Front Runners New York in second and third.

“It’s a really great course [and was] my first time on it,” said Reinicke. “[The vibes] were amazing, it’s such a pretty [course], and now I’m about to go jump into the ocean.&rdquo

Around mile 12, adult athletes passed 1,456 youth running dashes and races as part of the largest Boardwalk Kids Run in history.

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, the organization offered free, hands-only CPR training at the RBC Brooklyn Half Expo Presented by New Balance during race week for the first time. The nonprofit introduced CPR training in November at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo Presented by New Balance, and it is now offered at all three marquee race expos—the United Airlines NYC Half, RBC Brooklyn Half, and TCS New York City Marathon.

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

Among the 30,000+ finishers were notable, inspiring, and local Brooklyn runners including:

•Kenneth Serrano (Bed Stuy, Brooklyn) (1:22:02): Close friend of Charles Rogers, a runner who passed away following a cardiac incident suffered during the 2025 RBC Brooklyn Half; he continues to run in his friend’s honor and to process his grief

•Matt James (1:31:57): Reality TV personality turned entrepreneur, five-time TCS New York City Marathon finisher, and New York City resident

•Alexander Yu (Upper East Side) (1:38:19): Third-year medical student and NYRR Race Free participant who ran his first half marathon

•Errol Barnett (1:41:28): CBS News anchor and national correspondent

•Peloton instructors Camila Ramon (1:42:31) and Mariana Fernandez (1:45:49)

•Kristin Smith (Darien, Conn.) (1:46:29): A mother of two who uses running to manage her depression

•Keri René Fuller (1:50:27): Broadway performer currently starring as Elphaba in “Wicked,” who ran her first-ever race and will perform both the matinee and evening shows

•Harjinder Singh (Bellrose, Queens) (2:19:03): 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) (2:28:11): 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; ran her first RBC Brooklyn Half while her young daughter participated in the Boardwalk Kids Run

•Alina Santamaria (East Williamsburg, Brooklyn) (2:40:50): 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.) (2:50:55): Social worker in The Bronx who started running after the stillbirth of her son four years ago; ran her first RBC Brooklyn Half

•Teresa Hui (Brighton Beach, Brooklyn) (approximately 7:15): An Achilles International athlete and final finisher who sang the National Anthem before running the race herself, finishing around the corner from her home

“I had a blast; I had so much fun,” said James after crossing the finish line. “It’s hard to say the [TCS New York City] Marathon is not the best race of the year, but this is up there for me. I love Brooklyn, and I don’t get to Coney Island enough, so it’s a great way to explore the city.&rduo;

“I’ve only run 10 miles before, so while Philipe [my pacer] and I were at mile 10, he told me, ‘If you’re at mile 10—the longest distance you’ve run—you’re kind of at the last three miles, uncharted territory.’ That’s when I started to get heavy feet, but that’s why it’s really nice to run with a partner, having somebody holding me accountable. It was pretty epic,” said Fuller, after completing her first-ever race. The actress, who plays Elphaba in “Wicked” on Broadway, headed to the Gershwin Theater from Coney Island to prepare for the matinee and evening performances of “Wicked.”

“Today’s race was everything,” Aguilar shared after crossing the finish line of the RBC Brooklyn Half. Aguilar’s daughter also ran the Boardwalk Kids Run. “This course is my home, it’s where I grew up, and it’s where I’m raising my daughter. I used to grieve the version of me that was a runner, but I realized I never lost her, I rebuilt her.”

“It was tough … Charles has run in my mind heavy, but I’m glad I had him to rely on,” said Serrano, who ran the RBC Brooklyn Half in honor of his friend, Charles Rogers. “The job is done now. The crowd kept me going. I stopped and walked a couple of times, and they didn’t let me do it—they made me keep going. Hats off to them, thank you so much for coming to support—it really means the world for us.”

Boardwalk Kids Run

In addition to the adult half marathon, 1,456 kids ages 2–18 completed 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 took place on Ocean Parkway, near mile 12 of the adult race. Many youth athletes were 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.

Brooklyn Impact

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 was 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 included the NYRR Manhattan 10K in February, the United Airlines NYC Half in March—the largest in event history 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.

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 55,000 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.