Point-to-point from the starting line on Washington Ave (near the Brooklyn Museum) to the Coney Island boardwalk. 246 ft of total gain, all of it in the first six miles — three climbs: Washington Ave up to Grand Army Plaza by mile 1 (+71 ft), a small park roller around mile 1.8 (+15 ft), and Battle Pass in Prospect Park at miles 4–6 (+84 ft — the longest, and the day's real test). Between them, a long quad-testing descent at miles 2–3. After the park exits at mile 7, roughly six miles of gently downhill Ocean Parkway to the boardwalk.

• Aim for a 20–45 second negative split — back half faster than front
• About 77% of recreational runners fade because they start too fast. Don't be them.
• Run miles 1–3 5–10 sec/mi slower than goal pace on purpose
• Accelerate from mile 8 once you know your legs

• Rehearse three things this week, not race morning
• Arm swing: drive elbows back, not forward — your arms pull your stride
• Relaxed hands: hold them like a crisp potato chip — firm enough not to drop, gentle enough not to crush
• Breathing: 2 steps in, 2 steps out at harder efforts; 3 in, 3 out if your goal pace is easier. Your anchor when pace feels off

• 300–400 cal of mostly carbs two hours before the start
• Target 30–45 g of carbs per hour on course — roughly two gels for most people
• First gel at the Maurten Gel Depot at mile 6.8, second around mile 9 (before the dark patch bites)
• The Maurten depot has both caffeinated and non-caffeinated — grab one as you pass even if you brought your own
• Sip water through the morning — don't chug. Pin your bib the night before

Gentle downhill from the starting line on Washington Ave with the Brooklyn Museum on your left — about 60 ft of drop over the first half mile before the road turns up toward Grand Army Plaza. You'll feel fresh. Everyone around you is about to make the same mistake.

• Run the first mile 10–15 sec/mi slower than goal pace on purpose
• Downhill + adrenaline will pull you 20+ sec/mi too fast if you let it
• You don't win a half in the first mile — you lose one
• What feels like an easy jog now is the right pace

• Shoulders down, arms low, breathing unforced
• Short quick steps on the downhill — don't brake with your quads
• Land midfoot under your hips, not out in front
• Eyes 20 m ahead, not at your feet

• Skip the first aid station unless you're genuinely thirsty
• Stay right — let faster waves pass without fighting
• Lock in your 2:2 breathing rhythm in the first 400 m
• First mile is crowded — expect a 10–20 sec tax for the first half mile

Washington Ave rises 71 ft over roughly half a mile, cresting at Grand Army Plaza around mile 1.0 — the entry to Prospect Park. Not steep (avg ~2.7%) and tree-lined, but long enough to punish anyone who started too fast. A small park roller follows around mile 1.8, then a long descent of about 90 ft down through the park to mile 3.

• +15 sec/mi is expected — don't fight it, don't apologize for it
• You'll recover every second on the descent into the park
• Hold effort, not pace: breathing first, watch second
• If your breathing goes ragged, you're pushing too hard

• Shorter stride, quicker cadence — your legs are gears
• Drive arms back, not forward — elbows pull you up the hill
• Small forward lean from the ankles, like a glass of water tipping — not bending at the waist
• Eyes 20–30 m ahead, not at the crest

• No fluids needed yet — save the first aid station at mile 1.4 for genuine thirst
• Grand Army Plaza is the top — the course enters the park through the arch and immediately turns downhill
• Miles 2–3 drop about 65 ft — don't shred your quads hammering this descent. Battle Pass is waiting

The biggest single climb of the day, inside Prospect Park — 84 ft over 2 miles, averaging ~0.8% gradient, cresting at mile 6 (the highest point on the course at 153 ft). Not steep, just patient. Fully shaded. Longer and gentler than Climb #1. Most people lose 60–90 sec here and never get it back.

• Let pace drift +15–20 sec/mi — correct, not a failure
• Hold effort: if your breathing rhythm is intact, you're doing it right
• 17–22 minutes of climbing for most people — think of it as a tempo interval
• Your goal here is to not lose more than 30 seconds to the climb

• Shorten stride, lift cadence — climb with your legs, not your back
• Every 30 seconds: drop your shoulders, unclench your jaw, open your hands
• Tension raises your heart rate without moving you forward
• Eyes 30 m ahead — never at the crest. It'll demoralize you

• No gel yet — your breakfast carbs are still carrying you
• Water at the mile 4.2 aid station (right as the climb begins), then again at mile 5.6 mid-climb — move right 60 seconds before each, don't weave across traffic
• Long descent waits at mile 6 — your reward; the Maurten Gel Depot is at mile 6.8

Long descent out of Prospect Park — roughly 100 ft drop over the mile between Battle Pass crest at mile 6 and the park exit at mile 7. Exits at Machate Circle (mile 7), where NYRR members line both sides cheering. Ocean Parkway proper begins shortly after, around mile 7.4.

• Back to goal pace — let gravity help, don't force
• Don't hammer the descent to “make up” time lost on Battle Pass
• Check your breathing — it should feel conversational here, not strained
• You just ran the hardest mile. It only gets easier from here

• Short stride, high cadence on the descent — let the hill do the work
• Land midfoot under your hips, not heel-first out in front
• Slight forward lean from the ankles — fall down the hill, don't brake
• Soft, quiet feet — pretend you're running on hot coals

• First gel at the Maurten Gel Depot (mile 6.8) — move right 200 m before so carbs are on board when Ocean Parkway bites
• Water + Gatorade at the mile 6.8 station alongside the depot — half cup, ten seconds, move on
• Take in the energy at Machate Circle — you won't see a crowd this loud for four miles
• Prepare mentally: Ocean Parkway is long, straight, and gently downhill. The terrain is about to stop changing

Ocean Parkway starts around mile 7.4 and runs straight south for roughly five miles. Gently downhill (about 40 ft of total drop), tree-lined, wide lanes, sparse-to-moderate crowd support. The scenery barely changes — that's the point and the challenge. This stretch is won and lost not because it's hard, but because it's boring. Boring is a gift: your legs get to settle.

• Goal pace, steady — don't surge between aid stations and then fade
• Check your watch once per mile, not every 30 seconds
• Pick a runner 50 m ahead, reel them in. Then pick the next one
• Reeling is a mental trick — it externalizes effort so your legs stop being the story

• Form check each mile — chest tall (puppet string from the crown of your head), elbows driving back, hands loose
• Eyes on the horizon, not your feet
• If breathing spirals, reset your rhythm for 30 seconds and it'll come back
• Tension check: jaw, shoulders, hands. Release what you don't need

• Water + Gatorade at the mile 8.0 aid station — half cup of each, ten seconds to drink, keep moving
• Plan to take your second gel as you approach the mile 9.1 aid station — start thinking about moving right around mile 8.9
• Count blocks, not miles — they pass faster than you think

Still flat Ocean Parkway. There's no physical landmark here — no hill, no turn, no milestone that matters. The “wall” you'll feel is your glycogen running low + your focus thinning. It's a sign you're doingit, not a sign you can't.

• Hold goal pace — don't surge to escape it, don't walk to avoid it
• The urge to quit is information, not instruction
• Focus on the next 30 seconds, not mile 13
• You can do anything for 35–45 more minutes. That's the honest math

• Form reset in order: shoulders drop, hands open (potato chip), jaw unclench, elbows back
• Pick a target runner and reel them in — make effort external
• Smile. It sounds silly; it relaxes your face, your ribs, your whole rhythm. It works
• Shift attention outward: notice the trees, the asphalt, another runner's stride — anything but the monologue

• Second gel as you approach the mile 9.1 aid station — chase it with water as you pass through
• Don't check your watch for the next half mile — run by feel
• Two miles until Avenue W and the loudest crowd on the back half
• You can smell the ocean from here if the wind is right

Avenue W crosses Ocean Parkway — the New Balance Cheer Zone, the biggest pocket of noise on the second half of the course. Local neighborhoods come out with signs, kids, cowbells. Coney Island is two miles straight ahead.

• Start picking it up — about 5 sec/mi faster than goal
• Save the real push for Surf Ave at mile 12.5
• Don't empty the tank two miles early
• If the last two miles have felt strong, give yourself permission to lean in a little more

• Stand tall, chest up — crowd energy lifts you physically if you let it
• Don't waste effort waving or posing for photos; just run tall
• Keep breathing steady through the noise — 2:2 still works
• Elbows drive back, legs respond

• One more aid station at mile 12.4 if you need it — water + Gatorade as you turn for Surf Ave
• 2 miles to go — about 18 minutes at goal pace, 15 if you finish strong
• The boardwalk is close enough now to smell if the wind is right

Right turn onto Surf Ave, then up a short ramp onto the Coney Island boardwalk for the last 600 m. The Wonder Wheel and Cyclone sit on your right. Finish is on wooden planks — your footing changes for the last 0.1 mi.

• Empty the tank — 10–15 sec/mi faster than goal
• Race the person in front of you, not the clock
• You'll never regret finishing hard. You will regret finishing with anything left
• The boardwalk planks slow you slightly — push harder on the ramp up

• Lift cadence hard — don't lengthen your stride when tired
• Head up, eyes on the finish line, not your feet
• Arms high through the chute — drive elbows back, not across your body
• Don't lean back when you're tired. It stalls you right before the line

• Don't stop cold across the line — walk 100 m before sitting
• Water, medal, and food are past the finish, not before
• Fuel within 30 minutes — something carb-heavy plus some protein
• Find bag check first, find your people second, then sit