Runners 'Fall' To Park Slope For 5k, Half Marathon This Weekend

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Runners will flood Prospect Park this Saturday to help usher in the fall foliage at the Falling Leaves 5k and half-marathon this Saturday.

Hosted by NYCRUNS, the logistics are relatively simple: runners for both races will traverse the loop road in Prospect Park.

While each begin near each other on the loop hill just past the Prospect Park Zoo, what happens in between is a different story.

The 5k race is nearly a full, single loop, with runners turning off of East Drive to Center Drive, ending at the Nethermead.

Last year's overall winner, Robert Richmond, 32, finished the race in 17 minutes and 48 seconds, giving him a pace of 5:45 per mile.

For runners enjoying the more strenuous half-marathon, the race begins just a bit ahead of the 5k and ends at the same location in the Nethermead.

The main difference for these runners is the need to make up an extra 10 miles compared to the 5k runners, accomplished by running the Prospect Park loop three full times.

In 2021, half-marathon winner Brendan Doyle, 32, completed those loops in one hour, 14 minutes and 51 seconds. Each mile took him an average of five minutes and 43 seconds to run.

Not super complicated, right?

Expect to find lots of runners, supporters and staff directing traffic if you visit the park this weekend.

Oh, and maybe some fall foliage as well.