Saturday, May 30, 2009

Initial Thoughts

Brooklyn Half race results aren't posted yet, but should be up later this afternoon.

Some initial thoughts from this morning's race:

-- You can, in fact, host a race with 11,800 starters in Prospect Park (and that number may be low)

-- The hairpin turn in the first mile didn't prove to be a problem, it seemed.

-- It didn't look like there were enough Porto-potties (or people weren't using the ones near the start). Either way, even though the race started 10 minutes late, there was still a long line.

-- It was hot. I'd be surprised if there wasn't criticism about the lack of available water at the water stop near 2.75 miles/6 miles. (When I passed by at the six mile point, the volunteers were frantically scooping water out of a bucket.)

-- That said, the volunteer and fan support in Brooklyn was awesome.

-- If you undertake the right strategy, I think running Prospect Park to Coney Island is faster. than the reverse way. I'd love to see more time on the boardwalk, though.

-- And ending in Coney Island was sweet - there were a ton of people out, and it was great to hang out there for a while.

-- It takes a friggin' long time to get anywhere on the F train during the weekend (and it doesn't help when the cars are crowded with stanky runners.

More thoughts, results, blog comments to come. Would love to hear from you - either in the comment section or simply e-mail me at brooklynrunning(at)gmail.com.

Hope everyone had a fun time.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, but why was the race day reg. and baggage a million miles from the start??

Brooklyn Runner said...

Where you would have put them? (The baggage trucks, I mean - the race day registration table could have been a lot closer, certainly.)

ChickenUnderwear said...

There was no water on Ocean Pky. But there was shade and a cool breeze.

Brett said...

I agree with everything you said. I saw quite a few others making a pre-race pit stop in the woods before the start.

For me the hardest part was Ocean parkway between miles 9-12. Unchanging scenery and hardly an spectators. I was actually a little bored and really had to fight to stay focused.

Overall, a fantastic experience. This was my first half marathon and I am very happy right now! Thanks so much for all your pre-race tips.

Brooklyn Runner said...

Glad the breeze came back. When I was running, it surfaced for a few moments near Avenue C, promising us something pleasant, then just as quickly disappeared.

Were all the "misting stations" - i.e. hoses still going - at least one was malfunctioning when I went past.

Unknown said...

I agree with Brett, mile 8 - 10 were the hardest for me. There really wasn't a lot of fan support, which I was kind of dissapointed...

And the first water station wasn't until 2.75?!!!!!!

But, I am so happy, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard either ;) Loved getting the park over with first!