This was my first year running Rock 'n Roll Brooklyn, and this year they offered a half marathon and 5 mile race. I was excited to run this race, shooting for a PR!

I live in Philly and took a BoltBus to NYC for race weekend. It was perfect since the bus stop is literally across the street from the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Picking up my gear was easy, but the layout was very different from the usual RNR Expos and there was very limited merchandise and not a lot of vendors. Still, plenty of swag was to be had and I picked up some nice gear.

My fiance and I were both running the race and we were able to get dropped off by family to the race start from Queens. It was still dark out when we arrived before 6:30, which was a little weird! You had to pass through metal detectors to get to the race area and there were plenty of porta potties avaialble to use before the race.

Originally I was supposed to be in Corral 11 but I got it changed to Corral 9. Unfortunately it didn't matter because it seemed that people were all over the place and the race started several minutes late. I couldn't tell if the 5 milers started first or if they ran with the half marathoners, but it was CROWDED the first mile when we finally started!

I actually really enjoyed running through Brooklyn. The course is pretty straightforward but there is a very long out and back section that's about 6 miles long total...it was brutal because it was boring and there wasn't really any music playing, despite the "Rock 'n Roll" experience. It made things mentally challenging, but unfortunately it was also about 100% humidity and that made the entire race a struggle for me!

The last few miles run through Prospect Park, which is beautiful! I will need to go back there for a run. This is where we really got some energy from spectators and live bands were finally playing (albeit a little too loud). There is a massive hill to climb that was absolutely miserable, but the last half mile or so is downhill and you can at least look really fast for the finish!

I really recommend this race, despite not having a great personal experience due to the weather. Minus the start of the race, it was very organized, mile markers were accurate, and the hydration and aid stations were plentiful. There were also plenty of potties along the course in case you needed it. The afterparty featured a beer garden and a pretty good featured headliner, and they even gave out blankets to runners. This was a really nice race and I'm glad I did it!

I was dropped off to the race start.