Tight security — and a party — before the Brooklyn Half Marathon

25,000 runners expected

May 16, 2013 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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This Saturday’s Brooklyn Half Marathon is expected to attract 25,000 runners to a course extending from Washington Avenue to Coney Island. The race is also bringing bomb-sniffing dogs, bag checks . . . and a killer pre-race party.

At the New York Road Runners’ (NYRR) ongoing registration at the Tobacco Warehouse in DUMBO, runners must present government-issued photo ID to receive their race documents. Police cars are parked outside, while inside signs explain the meaning of alert-level flags: green for “good” conditions; yellow for “less than ideal;” red for “potentially dangerous;” and black for “extreme and dangerous – event cancelled.”

Most of the runners attending the “Brooklyn Half Pre-Party” at the warehouse on Wednesday and Thursday, however, were more interested in listening to music, munching on snacks and hanging out in the outdoor beer garden set up by sponsor New Balance.

“Picking up race bibs is usually a chore, and this was the exact opposite,” runner Madeline Garber told the Brooklyn Eagle. “The NYRR couldn’t have picked a cooler venue—or filled it with cooler things, from McClure’s Pickles to a Polaroid station. The energy in the warehouse was amazing… I wanted to start running the second I left!”

The party continues through 9 p.m. Friday night, and the race begins Saturday morning at 7 a.m.

On race day, there will be 13 entertainment zones along the course and DJs at the start and finish. As runners finish on the boardwalk, they will find hot dogs, beer, roller-coaster rides, and stilt walkers.

The Half Marathon has been held since 1981, but NYRR says this year’s event will have “the biggest field ever, a wicked-fast lead pack, and a fast, fun course with a big Brooklyn payoff—the home stretch is a dash along the world-famous Coney Island boardwalk.” Click link for more information.