Running the BKLYN MILE is like getting shot out of a cannon and falling into a mosh pit. But in an exhilarating way. The BKLYN MILE is a road race that runs along Kent Avenue, under the Williamsburg Bridge, and onward through the heart of North Brooklyn.
The mile is an iconic distance. Unique in its ability to stoke the fire of the most competitive runner, but also in its wide appeal to people of all abilities and experience levels. On Sunday, August 6, participants in Brooklyn’s road mile will run along Kent Avenue through the heart of Williamsburg. The course is fast and exhilarating. Personal bests abound for experienced runners, and a unique opportunity for beginners and back-of-the-packers to experience a unique trip and perspective through Williamsburg’s main artery.
Running the BKLYN MILE is like getting shot out of a cannon and falling into a mosh pit. But in an exhilarating way.
The course is fast but honest. Raw in bursts, urban to the core. But scenic. Street art dots the route, both genuine and commercial. The South Williamsburg start is narrow, forcing eager runners through a keyhole. Hints of North Brooklyn’s past. The Williamsburg Bridge marks the 1/4 mile and casts a quick shadow over those underneath. Adrenaline subsidies and heavy breathing onset is drowned out by the J/M/Z train trekking the span overhead. Then the route widens, and goes quiet, offering you a brief moment of reflection and self-doubt, perhaps?
Grand Street marks halfway as the course leans right and slopes downward. The Kent Avenue gauntlet draws you in like a siren. Curious onlookers, first, then anxious crowds growing larger. At the 3/4 mile mark eager throngs surge, whoop, and ring their bells; strategically positioned to mask the course’s only incline. Modest bump at best. You crest and then charge into a funnel of screaming, blurred faces. Is there room to pass? Din. Gotham’s skyline and the East River State Park are to the west, but you don’t see them. There is only the finish red ahead. You’re aided by a gentle decline in the road across the line. It is a unique city running experience.
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