Olympians and New Balance track stars Elle Purrier St. Pierre and Vernon Norwood will join local students and community members to “break the tape”
Community members invited to “try the track” with variety of track and field activities
WHAT: New York Road Runners (NYRR)—the nonprofit that “runs” New York City producing 60 annual adult and youth races and providing free year-round youth and community programs—alongside New Balance, NYC Parks, and Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School (BCAM) will reopen the newly refurbished track at Star Spangled Playground in Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, after a three-month renovation. Following a “tape breaking” (ribbon cutting) ceremony, community members will be invited participate in track and field activities to “try the track,” including sprint competitions, relay baton exchanges, lawn games, obstacle courses, and face painting.
WHEN/WHERE:
Wednesday, September 30
Star Spangled Banner Playground
194 Franklin Ave. (between Willoughby and Dekalb avenues)
Brooklyn, NY 11205
- 2:45 p.m. – Arrivals
- 3 p.m. – Speaking program/photo opportunities
- 3:30 p.m. – Community track and field activities
WHO:
- Rob Simmelkjaer, New York Road Runners CEO
- Tricia Shimamura, NYC Parks Commissioner
- Tom Carleo, New Balance Vice President of North America Running
- James O’Brien, Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School Principal
- Elle Purrier St. Pierre, Olympian and American record-holder in the indoor mile and 3,000 meters
- Vernon Norwood, two-time Olympic champion and world record holder in the mixed 4 x 400-meter relay
- Local students, community leaders, community members, and more…
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:
The new Star Spangled Playground track, adjacent to Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School (BCAM), marks the first named project completed under a track refurbishment initiative announced by NYRR and New Balance in November 2025 during TCS New York City Marathon race week, as part of the renewal of their long-standing partnership. At that time, the organizations committed to refurbishing a number of local tracks beginning in 2026, with the goal of increasing access to running for students across New York City’s five boroughs.
The track refurbishment project has been made possible through NYC Parks’ Adopt-a-Park program, which enables businesses and nonprofits to directly invest in the improvement of neighborhood parks across the five boroughs.
Located in the Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Star Spangled Playground is adjacent to several public schools and is heavily used for a variety of sports. In addition to the refurbished running track, the playground also features basketball courts, handball courts and a multi-use artificial turf field used for football and soccer.
The Star Spangled Playground track has long served as an important recreational resource for BCAM students and the surrounding community. The track and field were first developed following advocacy from BCAM and support from then-Council Member Letitia James and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who secured funding for the original project. The track and field opened in 2012 in partnership with NYC Parks and the NYC School Construction Authority. After years of extensive use by students, athletes, and community members, the facility deteriorated and eventually became largely unusable, prompting BCAM Principal James O’Brien to advocate for its restoration. Following a repair of the field in 2024, New York Road Runners and New Balance joined to fund the installation of a new high-quality track surface through NYC Parks’ Adopt-a-Park program, completing the transformation of the beloved community facility for a new generation of runners and athletes.