Brooklyn gets a marathon

Brooklyn running fans, get ready to go to the borough’s very ownmarathon.

On Sunday, November 20 at 8 a.m., for the first time ever, theBrooklyn Marathon will snake its way through Center Drive inProspect Park, making six loops for a total of 26.2 miles. Thecompetition will feature 250 runners vying for first, second andthird place awards in the men’s division, women’s division and themaster’s division featuring the best of both genders.

Registration was capped at 250 because of space restrictions,making this the first marathon in the New York area to sell out inits first year, according to race founder Steve Lastoe.

It is, without a doubt, the greatest debut of a marathon in NewYork City, Lastoe said.

Brooklyn Road Runners Club President Michael Balbos isthrilled.

I’m ecstatic about it, Balbos said. It’s going to be a greatthing for the runners’ community.

He says that keeping the number of runners as low as 250 israre, especially for such a race in a major metropolitan area.

Two hundred and fifty people in a marathon is unusual, Balbosexplained. You don’t see too many of those. The ones they have arepretty far out there. They have one in Roswell, New Mexico.

But, the smaller scope doesn’t make up for what is a torturouscourse according to Mike Mark of the Shore Road Striders RunningClub. He says that runners from his club ran a marathon in ProspectPark organized by the Achilles Track Club back in 2000.

It is hell running seven plus loops of that park, Mark said.And we stood out there and we froze at a water stop. So we decidedwe’re not going to get involved in this one.

Lastoe expressed disappointment at the club’s decision.

I really wish the Shore Road Striders were involved, he said.Every other running club in Brooklyn is. I know it’s a toughcourse, but a lot of people have registered and I think this is acritical step in getting a marathon in Brooklyn that is on thestreets of Brooklyn.

Lastoe listed the Prospect Park Track Club, Brooklyn RoadRunners Club, North Brooklyn Runners and South Brooklyn Runners asorganizations that have been active in planning the race. Severalrunners from each will run in the marathon.

All of which, he says, adds up to a very promising start.

I think we have positioned ourselves to grow a really greatrace in the next few years, Lastoe said. I can’t wait to takethis race onto the streets.